We love taking a cruise to some foreign clime (or, at least, someplace foreign to our daily life). It’s great to get away for a week or so of pampering. Others prepare our meals, make our beds, entertain us. Stewards clean our room (including our bathroom!) and will even arrange to launder our clothes. And let’s not forget those much needed breaks from our smartphones ... a true departure from what constitutes our normal.
Then there are the religious services.
Most cruises offer a Mass for Catholics, Shabbats for the Orthodox Jews, and non-denominational services for the Protestants. In the past, these non-denominational services have been led by active pastors, retired pastors, missionaries, retired missionaries, Navy Chaplains ... some kind of clergy.
But that Sunday morning, we were on our own —no Pastor came forward to lead us. After several minutes of very uncomfortable silence, a person walked to the front of the room and said, “I’m not a Pastor, but I can read a scripture.” He read a passage from the Lectionary.
That seemed to open the floodgates. He was followed by a woman who offered to play the piano while we sang hymns. She played and we sang. Then, someone stepped forward and gave a short talk, relating a personal story to illustrate a lesson from the scripture that had kicked it all off. Then, a different woman came forward to support our hymn singing with the piano. Eventually, another led a prayer. Finally, we closed by reciting the Lord’s Prayer.
We were feeling pretty good about ourselves. Veni vidi vici. We came. We saw there would be no traditional leadership. We conquered our fears and stepped up to have our worship service. We had done it.
Only, we weren’t done.
As we were about to exit our seats, a young woman stood before us and issued a challenge. We were from all over the world, she noted, more like that first Pentecost assemblage than most of us would ever experience on a usual Sunday. Why not take a few minutes and introduce ourselves? So, after a few more moments, we began to do just that.
It was slow, at first. Eventually, though, we learned that we were, indeed, from all over the world. There were folks from China, Korea, USA (various locations), Australia, Great Britain, Canada, Japan, and more. We represented quite the spectrum of Christian churches, too; Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, and, no surprise here, multiple non-denominational churches. All of which was nice to know.
But, there was more.
Two folks from the USA told us they had been married less than two years, both having been widowed after long years of ministering to their ailing spouses. And even though they had been living in the same city all those years, they hadn’t known each other. They praised God for bringing them together.
There was another couple, one of which was Catholic, the other Anglican. They came to our gathering because they thought “non-denominational” was the perfect place for them to worship, together, something the really wanted to do.
Another couple advised us that they were celebrating two things on this cruise: their 15th anniversary of when he donated one of his kidneys to her ... and the three children born to them since.
It went on like that for quite some time; strangers sharing some of the most personal parts of their lives ... just because we were believers gathered together in the name of Jesus.
We thought we had accomplished something by leading ourselves in a worship service. But, we weren’t going to be allowed to just perform the rituals called for by our religion. Like those internationals gathered together in Jerusalem that day so many centuries ago, the Holy Spirit had a surprise for us.
Yes, there was a talk; singing, and praying. We gathered as strangers, not unlike folks do every Sunday. But this time we were not allowed to just be people sitting in rows. Because we were willing to allow the Spirit to lead us, we lowered those wall, shared ourselves one with another.
We were all together in one accord.
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PHOTO: Steve Orr
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Day of Pentecost (June 9, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//texts.php?id=141
Acts 2:1-21 or Genesis 11:1-9
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
Romans 8:14-17 or Acts 2:1-21
John 14:8-17, (25-27)
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Pentecost is almost upon us. Join us Friday morning at 8:00 for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast where we will explore this most important of days in the life of the church. We meet at the “Egg and I” for an hour of food, discussion, fellowship, and friendship.
You are welcome.
Blessings,
Steve
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