Jesus was at our Church Picnic on Sunday

Sunday was the St. Andrew annual church picnic and Jesus was there.  How do I know?

We all had a blast!  This is one of the reasons I love St. Andrew.  We have a lot of fun together…whether we’re worshipping, picnicking, or working together, it’s all good because God is with us, and everyone knows it.   “When two or more are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them.”  Matthew 18:20

And this picnic was more than just standard hot dogs and hamburgers (which of course were there).  We also were treated to strips of steak, sausages, chicken and pulled barbecue pork.  There were baked beans and salads.   Happily, the people who “man” the grill seem to enjoy their role in preparing and cooking the picnic fare, and we are very grateful for their culinary enthusiasm.

But the icing on the cake, so to speak, was the dessert competition.  Each year those who enjoy a baking challenge sign up to bring a dessert to enter in the “Sparkling Spoon Competition.”  The prize?  A sparkling spoon, of course…a wooden spoon (or some other variation) decorated with all the sparkle and baubles of a truly coveted trophy.

This year’s winner was a truly delightful person who is always willing to serve the St. Andrew community and our God…a worship leader, choir member, scheduler of worship servants, member of the Worship Team, and all-round good sport when asked to help with any ministry project.  Totally unassuming, when Sandy won the Sparkling Spoon she was completely surprised and her surprise quickly turned into a dance of joy and laughter that was eagerly enjoyed by everyone in attendance. 

We enjoyed sharing in her joy.  This is what being a part of the body of Christ is all about…sharing in each other’s joys and sorrows.

There was a water balloon toss (actually two games of it) and I don’t think I remember ever seeing as many people join in the fun.

The kids were playing on the playground equipment, and running around with Super Soakers and Bubble Blowers.  They had a piñata game administered and provided by the Youth Group.

The biggest kid of all, Pastor Fred, made sure to wear his bathing trunks so that he wouldn’t miss a minute of the Super Soaker fun.

There was bingo, with all sorts of goofy prizes, probably picked up at our recent Youth Group Yard Sale.

We didn’t even get to the guitar sing-a-long.

We have a lot of fun together.  And Jesus is with us.

We were once given a charcoal drawing of the laughing Jesus.  The pastor that gave it to us said that St. Andrew epitomized this side of Jesus that few people acknowledge…the Son of God who enjoyed life and could laugh.

I’m proud that this is how people see St. Andrew.   Too often Christians are seen as stern-faced and judgmental people.  Too often church or worship is seen as drudgery and couldn’t possibly be fun. 

What’s not fun is trying to live life on your own.

“When two or more are gathered in my name, I am there is the midst of them.”  If we remember that Jesus is with us, then being together will get us through the worst of times and help us to enjoy the best of times with a laughter that must certainly please our Father’s heart.

Come and join us for worship this Summer at 9:30 am on Sundays.

www.elcaAndy.org

Have you ever seen people having fun and felt that Christ was with them?  Leave a comment and tell us your story.

Teenage Joy from an Icicle

What does it take to get an ear-to-ear smile and a laugh that bubbles up from the belly of a 15 year old boy? An icicle.
So often we hear about how surly, moody or arrogant teenagers can be. How often do you see them acting with child-like glee? I did yesterday, and I thank God my son is not above letting me see him in that state of joy (or write about him here).

New Jersey, and much of the northeast, has been hit with snow (and ice and sometimes sleet) almost every third day for over a month (at least it seems like it). My son’s trips with the school ski club have been cancelled three times because of school closings due to snow. How’s that for irony? We are tired of the white stuff. There is nowhere left to put it when we shovel.

Even the kids are now grousing about another snow storm because they’ve used up all their snow days and will now be shortening their spring break. The kids are tired of shoveling, too.

My son is a great kid. He is a faithful child of God, loves to worship, loves Christian radio, and loves his extended family in the congregation of St. Andrew Lutheran Church. He understands that it is the right thing to do to help take care of our elderly neighbor.  He helps his parents cut the grass in the summer, rake the leaves in the fall, and shovel snow in the winter…on both properties. He also treks over to my grandmother’s house with me to shovel snow at her house too. Snow is not always fun for this 15 year old boy.

Yesterday, in anticipation of the upcoming snow, sleet and rain, we began working to pull the extra snow and icicles off my neighbor’s roof to reduce the chance of ice damming and water finding its way into her home. I have to say the icicles were impressive!

Of course, being the mom, I wanted to take pictures. I’m so glad I did. The first major icicle, over 4 feet in length, was so thick at the top it broke apart. He was disappointed. He wanted a whole one. He was able to pull off the next one in a single piece. This accomplishment earned me an ear-to-ear smile and a belly laugh like when he was a toddler finding pure enjoyment over something innocently funny. He ran to the window to show the icicle to his dad and our neighbor. He then carried it to the front yard to begin an icicle sculpture. There is now an icicle hand sticking up from the snow in my front yard.

In the midst of all the aggravation caused by this continual snow, God has made me see, once again, that we must seek the child-like joy in our lives, even amidst the aggravation… that pure and simple joy that comes from finding the fun in simple things …like 5 foot icicles from the roof.

And yes, he licked it.  Amen!

Where can you find joy amidst all this snow? How do you find child-like joy in your life?