Highlights of my Weekend

• training for house meetings in many congregations this fall.  We modeled telling on another stories of faith and opportunity, stories about our faith values and the inclusion and exclusion of people of color from opportunity.  There was some deep sharing and  there were even tears.  Holy moments.
• Baptism on Saturday.  It was the little girls' first birthday and her baptism birthday.  As her mother leaned her over the font, and I started to pour water over her head, she started to cry AND she grabbed and pulled on my stole so hard!  Such strength.  I already like this little girl.
• we did a little antique shopping in the afternoon; I discovered a book by a fantastic but little-known illustrator named Helene Carter.  She mostly illustrated non-fiction books for children.  The book I saw was called The Book of Living Reptiles.  It had the most fantistic illustrations .
• The interim Senior's first Sunday preaching; he told us, quite simply, that his priority would be to help us to See Jesus during this time.  Yes, and more: (my addition)  to see Jesus in the Sacrament, to see Jesus in one another, to see Jesus in the poor and the dispossessed, to see Jesus in the stranger.  Yes. And then to live lives that shows other that we know that this is true.
• He told me he had visited with a couple from our congregation this weekend who share that they are "fans" of mine.  That was certainly a high point of my Sunday morning.
• We sang some of my favorite hymns today:  Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service, God of Grace and God of Glory, Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life.  The choir sang "Blessed are They"; several choir members sang solos. At 10:00, we sang "The Church Song", and "Give Thanks" (among others), and the children sang. 
• and oh yes, I screwed up the Psalm and had to start over.  but it turned out all right, in the end.