It’s Monday morning. We had a beautiful service this weekend, even though we had to be quick about many things. The service was capped off by an exciting version of an African spiritual that got everyone up and singing and clapping. Smiles were all we saw, and I felt very slight and happy at the end of the service. It’s Monday morning, and I’m thinking about this coming weekend’s service. What part do I play to help service be meaningful, prayerful, joy-filled, and rejuvenating? Maybe I should share how I developed my contributions to the service because I certainly do not do it alone. Still, I had little idea how a service was put together before volunteering for these responsibilities.
I started volunteering in this capacity during COVID when we were still with an institution and all the rules that go along with it. I learned people found comfort in some sort of programming and predictable bulletin. I let go of much of it when we tried worshipping without a bulletin. However, since we have extracted ourselves from the institution, we still cling to a particular Sunday morning worship service schedule. Many of us find comfort in the order. To know the readings come before the Gospel, the sermon conversation after. We also know that Peace means we can congregate and love each other while music accompanies our intentions. Then, we will celebrate the Eucharist, say prayers, and sing a final song together. The basic outline doesn’t change, but somehow, the heart we put into planning does.
I log in to Lectionarypages.net each week to see the prescribed readings for this particular week in this specific year. (We are currently in year B). Why? Somebody with way more theological knowledge at some point put particular readings together that all fit within the Collect prescribed for that week. I transfer these readings to the bulletin document. Then I looked at the spreadsheet and the planning website where the music Jenn and I, with input from Doug, Fr. Amjad, and Al, have decided to fit the readings for that particular week. Where do we get those songs? We scour countless websites and our internal databases. Then, Fr. Amjad proofreads the bulletin and makes changes. Maybe you have noticed a bit of change in the previously scripted prayers or during Communion. He and Fr. Dennis have combined their knowledge and histories to create a meaningful liturgy for worship.
Then, we make sure we rehearse the music, create the slides, ensure the equipment is working for the livestream, and that the volunteers (my kids) are paying attention. I am just a tiny part of getting the Sunday service together. The Reverends, the Table Servers, the musicians, the elegant touches committee, the coffee, the room set-up, the live stream set-up, and the programmer (Julie!) are all necessary to make one service happen. None of us have nor want titles. We just want to do our part for the Lord, for His people.
As I sat here, preparing for the service, I couldn’t help but reflect on the small role I play in this grand production. We are truly blessed to have a community that functions as a unified team, each contributing a unique piece to the puzzle. I want to express my gratitude to each one of you for your invaluable contributions that make our services so meaningful and complete.
With love and gratefulness, Amanda