Easter 2014 will be an Easter that I won't soon forget!
It started, for me, at 4:45am, which in and of itself isn't abnormal for Easter Sunday. Our church happily offers 3 services on Easter morning, which means the Worship team gathers at 6am for sound check prior to the sunrise service.
So why is this Easter so memorable? This Easter just really stands out as one where we had an abundance of people offering their spiritual gifts: Many people love their kids, but it takes a special obedience to show up to an extra service, on a holiday, and care for the children of others. Many people love to chat it up, but it takes a special selflessness to come to an extra service, stand at the door, and make sure every person that walks into the building is greeted lovingly. Many people like to talk tough, but it takes a special kind of courageousness to come to an extra service and diligently observe all activity to ensure the safety of our church family. Many people love to host others, but it takes a special fortitude to come to an extra service and keep the coffee flowing for hundreds of visitors. Many people love graphical art, but it takes a special sense of attention to detail to evaluate music and piece together videos that will connect with both the audio and visual senses. Many people love to make musical and lyrical art, but it takes a special passion to commit to hours of practice to put forth your very best praise at each service. Many people love to take control, but it takes a special sense of responsibility, accountability, and finesse to spend hours tweeking sound and lights to ensure the congregation has an optimal audio and visual vantage point for each service. These are the critical components that came together so beautifully yesterday.
I know I tend to gush over my brothers and sisters, but they are truly worth the fuss, so I'm going to gush a bit more. (And so you can have just a fraction of what I get to witness every week, I've linked a YouTube video here, captured by the talented Laura Wright. Due to privacy settings, these videos may not be available to everyone.) Most of the weekend's services started with the talented men of the NLCC Worship Team. From Caleb pulling seemingly effortless double duty on the keys and bass, to the chilling slides and melodic swells of Jeff and Jesse, to the chest-thumping percussion of Don and Harold, they along with Todd's heart-wrenching vocal sacrifice brought down the house during What Have We Done. The video that accompanied the song, was nothing sure of masterful. Laura did an outstanding job selecting images to reflect the tone of the song. As we moved through Christ Is Risen our NLCC family was blessed with an electrifying spoken word, written and delivered by Kailey Hermstein. She so thoroughly painted a picture of our redemption through Christ that I'm pretty sure some day I'll speak the words "I knew her when..." Finally, was Just One Touch. This song, y'all! This song, you have to hear live to fully appreciate. When my sister, Christy, angelically sings the words "...show me your glory.." you can FEEL the tears of a genuine heart cry. I sometimes get so lost in the experience that I forget to sing into my mic. It's the powerful nuances like her cheerful egg shaker at sunrise service and compassionate and reassuring pre-worship prayers that ice our Worship Team cake. Are you feeling me, yet? Powerful stuff!
But wait, there's more...
The day didn't end with the completion of the weekend's forth service. There was Easter supper and an Easter Egg hunt to be had at Uncle Mike's. It's always a joy to get together and celebrate with family. Between helpings of Nana's ham and Aunt Connie's dessert, we caught up on whose child reached what milestone and how they're growing up so fast. The little ones entertained themselves in the basement, the young adults congregated in front of the TV, meanwhile, us old folks swapped the latest tales of work and politics at the supper table. And all was right with the world as I started to drift into a mild, full-belly, coma. Then came the screams... Blood curdling screams that would've sent a first time mom hurdling over furniture like Lolo Jones. But, alas, none in attendance yesterday were first time moms, so there was no real reaction to the screams, until the blood. There he was, my sweet little Bean, bleeding from an unknown head source and screaming like a wild banshee. Apparently, he'd been demonstrating his mad ninja skills to a cousin and rolled over on his sword... like ya do. The end result was a lip that looked like he'd been talking trash about Mike Tyson's momma and tested my ability to retain supper. After hubby assured me (barely) that Bean wouldn't need stitches we got him settled down with an ice pack. The bleeding stopped shortly thereafter and Bean was back to his motormouth ways. I tried, to no avail, to convince him that excessive chatter would result in a permanent and grotesque lip scar, but he wasn't having it. Not only did he continue talking, but even busted into his own rendition of What Have We Done.
Certainly you concur now, yesterday was quite the Resurrection Sunday... Between spiritual gifts and busted lips, it was an Easter I won't soon forget.
