I'm sitting in our entry room, fire dancing in the stove on the other side of the room, sipping a skinny cappuccino made without any fancy machine, and wondering what in the world I've gotten myself into. The day started ordinarily enough; at least it used to be an ordinary way to start a Sunday, checking sermon notes before heading out the door. Only this time, I hopped on the bike in 45 degree weather for a chilly ride to Frewsburg's Trinity UMC to preach for my friend Cameron who is on vacation. It actually felt good to be preaching again. I love digging into the Bible and discovering gems I would certainly overlook in a casual devotional reading, and I love sharing what I've learned with people eager to hear from God.
Approaching our driveway as I got home, I was greeted by a dozen cars I didn't recognize, except for Steve Carlson's old VW Beetle. Yes! Today was the baptism for Levi and his daughter Alivia in the swimming hole on our property. A group of our Park church folks were standing around waiting for the blessing. It was a bit chilly, but pastor Joe, Nate, and youth leader Matt Slaven braved the cold as they waded in. We all cheered as Levi and Alivia were buried with Christ in the waters of baptism, and raised to the new life of faith in Christ. What a great time it was! Congratulations, Levi and Alivia; and Michelle, you can dry those tears any time now. There were a few in my eyes also. Joy is contagious like that.
We had dinner together, and then it was time to head to Fredonia for my first meeting with the Keryx team. Keryx is a prison ministry, and as such, is carefully set up and monitored. This was one of the informational and planning meetings prior to the weekend we'll spend inside the gates. I suppose that for some folks, this is pretty routine, but I'm sitting there thinking to myself, "I have no idea what I'm doing, and I can't even find my comfort zone." This morning in my preaching, I talked about Peter and his big mouth, how he blurted out to a man who had been bedridden for eight years, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up!" I asked the people what on earth Peter was thinking of when he said such a crazy thing.
I think I know. He was thinking, "Jesus said I would do the same things he did. He healed a paralyzed man, so I guess I can, too." Peter was just saying, "Yes" to Jesus. It's the kind of thing he had seen Jesus do, and apparently he wasn't smart enough to doubt that when Jesus said he would do the same things, he actually would. So here I am, wondering what on earth made me open my mouth and say, "Yes." It was either a lapse of sanity or the Holy Spirit. Not feeling too partial to the former, I'll opt for the latter, and along with all the other blessings of the day, whisper a quiet "Thank you" to Jesus for putting words in my mouth even when they weren't yet in my heart.
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