Do come and join us ...
It's lovely, after an afternoon baptism, when the family invite me to join them for the party. It means they've enjoyed the service, appreciate what I've done for them, really want me to share the happiness.
It feels churlish that I usually make my excuses. "Thank you so much, but I've got another service to get ready for..."
The thing is that an afternoon baptism is usually one of four services that day, and it could be (it was today) that I'm preaching a full sermon at two of those. When there's that much spiritual energy going out of me, all I want to do after the baptism is have some time alone.
I'm only an introvert, after all.
I think there are some parish priests around here who only have one service on a Sunday. They are not the ones with country livings, who routinely take even more services than I do. But maybe they are all extraverts?
It feels churlish that I usually make my excuses. "Thank you so much, but I've got another service to get ready for..."
The thing is that an afternoon baptism is usually one of four services that day, and it could be (it was today) that I'm preaching a full sermon at two of those. When there's that much spiritual energy going out of me, all I want to do after the baptism is have some time alone.
I'm only an introvert, after all.
I think there are some parish priests around here who only have one service on a Sunday. They are not the ones with country livings, who routinely take even more services than I do. But maybe they are all extraverts?
4 Comments:
"When there's that much spiritual energy going out of me, all I want to do after the baptism is have some time alone."
Amen, brother! I feel that way almost every Sunday, baptism or no. I rue the day when I read that, after Solomon officiated at the dedication of the temple, he went home and "ministered to his family." So now I feel guilty if I donīt spend the hour after the service playing with my kids. Oh well, I suppose Iīll sleep in heaven...you donīt suppose it will be difficult with it being light all the time, do you?
I'm sure they issue you with heavenly eye-shades so you can sleep any time all that praising gets too much for you.
But hey, what are you doing up at 1.29?! I hope that's only something about our different time zones, rather than you still ministering away after midnight?
I'm only one hour west of you, and I did post at 1:29 AM. I had just come in from the closing ceremony of the aforementioned Associational meeting, which went much, much better than I had expected. The Portuguese and Brazilian brethren among whom I minister here think nothing of a four-hour worship service, even if it begins at 8 PM on a Sunday night. Praise God I take Mondays off!
Brother, I honour you for your sacrificial ministry. Here at home, the good folk of Marston know that church meetings finish at 9.30 p.m. latest, which is when the vicar's brain stops. Anything said after that time has to be said again the following day when he is conscious again. This is the organisational equivalent of Prince Charming having to take round glass slippers for people to try and get their feet into, so it makes for business-like meetings the first time round.
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