I have to tell you that I just loved our communion service last Sabbath. Having the chorale there to sing those numbers as you all came down to take your emblems was simply a spiritual treat. I do have one correction to make, however. I introduced the group as the Norman Skeels Chorale under the direction of Harlan Miller. It is now the Harlan Miller Chorale under the direction of, you guessed it, Harlan Miller. You may have noticed that Norman Skeels was singing in the group.
I enjoyed having the orchestra well staffed and sounding great and Walt’s capable song leading. I loved the way Starr combined the children’s story with our morning prayer. All in all, I just love worshiping in our church week after week. I trust that you do too.
Our next communion service will be, once again, on New Year’s Eve. It’s hard to believe that we are now in the fourth quarter of the year, but it’s a fact. This will be our ninth New Year’s Eve service with you and that seems even harder to believe. Time has gone by so fast and I think that is because we enjoy this church so much. We plan on enjoying it for a good while longer too!
Next Sabbath is our Homecoming Sabbath and I think you are going to enjoy the worship service. I know I am looking forward to it. The Bay Area Men’s Chorus will be with us and we will have a full program which will be followed by another of those fantastic fellowship meals in the school gym. Come with your friends. Come with your family. Come with a good appetite. Come to worship, but just come.
I was touched by Ann Scales’ presentation last Sabbath. I hope that others of you will commit to hosting times when the chapel can be opened for prayer. The time now available, from 8:30 until 10:00 am on Tuesdays is hosted by a group of women who take turns being present. Stop by on a Tuesday morning and see what they are doing. They are available to pray with you or to simply be there while you pray silently. What a blessing to have ministries like this being offered.
I got this email last week and I think you’ll enjoy it. Often the greatest gifts we can give our families is not our presents, but rather our presence.
I Love Rubber Bands
By Bo Sanchez
Let me tell you a crazy story I heard recently. There’s this husband who out of sheer love for his wife decided to prove it to her. So he swam the widest oceans, crossed the deepest rivers, and climbed the highest mountains to show his deep devotion to her. But in the end, she divorced him.
Why? Because he was never home. (Get it?)
Let me tell you an experience I had as a kid. One day, I asked Mom, "Why do my shoes keep eating my socks?" As a young boy, that was always a mystery for me. All my other classmates never had that problem. Their socks remained tight and high up their legs the entire day.
Mom didn't answer my question but simply gave me two rubber bands which I dutifully placed around the top of my socks. To this day, fifteen years later, I still have permanent circle marks around my legs. But aside from giving me this slight defect, the two bands worked like magic.
It never occurred to me that Dad and Mom didn't have the money to buy a new pair of socks for me. So I wore five-year-old socks, all soggy, grayish, and garter less. And yet amazingly, I never complained. I believe it was because Dad was always home when I needed him. Every night, after coming from work, we'd jog together, sit around, and talk about Tarzan, Farrah Fawcett Majors, God, and what I wanted to be when I grew up (a stockholder). On Saturdays, we'd walk to Cubao, eat a hotdog-on-a- stick, and buy new rubber bands before going home.
I've learned that in truth, we don't want our loved ones to show their love for us in big ways. Swimming the widest oceans, crossing the deepest rivers, and climbing the highest mountains seem spectacular - but that's not what we really want. Deep in our hearts, we just want them home with us.
Sometimes, God will operate that way. Suddenly, He decides not to answer our prayers, or fill our need, or heal our sickness, or give us the miracle we're asking for. (He's got reasons why He won't, and believe me - they're pretty good ones.) So He'll just be there beside you, holding you in a hug, sharing your pain, or weeping as you weep. Oh, He might give you some rubber bands. And that small comfort from Him will be more than enough to sustain you.
Please accept the joyous fact that God’s presence is always with you. Also, please know that you, our entire church family, are always in our prayers every morning and evening. Share that thought with as many as you can this week and invite them to come and enjoy a wonderful worship experience next Sabbath.
