July 27: Pastor Tim

Imagine a place where the presence of the Lord is so overwhelming, that no one can ignore it.

Imagine busy city streets flowing with a rainbow of t-shirts proclaiming the gospel for all to see, in a hundred local dialects, filling a sports arena for worship, and flowing out of its doors for learning and service.

Imagine the presiding bishop of the ELCA, Mark Hanson, showing up on opening day in a motorized bathtub, and wearing a bathrobe over his bishop's collar, to have fun with the kids and to show them that we are washed by God's Grace in baptism!

Imagine the lights coming down, the music pumping up, and the shouts of 38,000 people, mostly youth but many adults, mostly laypeople but many clergy, shouting for joy at the event of God's people gathering: in English, Spanish, and Sign Language, in all the colors and cultures and styles of music you can imagine, to praise Jesus, seek Justice, and live our lives as an improvised Jazz song using the scales and chords of God's Word!

Imagine people all over the city pulling us aside and thanking us for being that big, orange wave of Justice (required attire for our service project day was an orange t-shirt), rebuilding homes, painting schools, reading to children, pulling up invasive weeds, learning about the ravages of racial prejudice, and just listening to stories, all as witnesses to our faith in Christ.

Imagine five kids, some of whom had never been on an airplane before, none of whom had ever been to New Orleans before, traveling 1,157 miles to grow closer to one another, and experiencing how big the Church really is, and how much bigger is God's love for us and for this world!

Imagine four adults in awe of God's power in the lives of those kids, transforming them and us.

Maybe this is hard to imagine. Maybe it sounds like a momentary mountaintop experience, that will fade as day-to-day life kicks back in. But then, maybe God was up to something big this week: even bigger than what we saw or heard or felt. Based on my experience, I'd imagine so.

But right now, I'm imagining crashing in my own bed for the first time in almost a week.

:-)