Last night

Last night, I had the privilege to bring the message for the Lenten service at St. Richard's Episcopal. (Isn't this a pretty church? It's even prettier at night.) My dear friend Mary is the rector at St. Richard's and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see her in her element for the first time as well as she led the service after my message.

The message was about thirst--and then the Scriptures in the service were also about thirst. If they came from the lectionary, that was quite a coincidence! I'll have to ask Mary about that. I was frazzled, having gotten sidetracked trying to get out the door and then driving an hour to the church. But just walking in the door into the narthex was calming. Friendly people were eating soup and chatting; they welcomed me and showed me into the sanctuary. After my talk, the liturgy was deep and rhythmic and inviting. (Worshiping in a liturgical church always feels to me like going underwater in a calm, cool lake. I can hear the chatter overhead but it's muffled, far away, and I feel enveloped in peace.) The congregation was lively and engaging. It was just a lovely way to end a very stressful day.