Allow God's Blessing to Overtake Me

​One of the things that makes Rebecca and me such good teammates is our approach to planning. Namely, Rebecca plans, and I don’t; but, having spent my entire career in the non-profit arts, I’ve become very good at adapting to change, often unexpected change. I roll with the punches; I’m malleable.

When we needed to switch to worshipping from home, I shrugged my shoulders and said “OK, how do we make it work?” While I knew I would miss being in the church, honoring my faith and making music in person with friends, I focused on the technological and logistical hurdles of bringing music to the CGS community through a screen. Our faith could be shared through cables and WiFi. Soon, it felt natural, if a little isolated.

So as we were preparing for this past Sunday, I approached it in much the same manner - focus on the process, worry about the details - without much thought as to how I would feel. There were so many more moving parts to think about - microphones, camera angles - actual non-family PEOPLE in the same room as me! We gathered to talk through the service, and suddenly it was 9:58 and I needed to play the prelude, and suddenly there was a hymn, and a sermon, and announcements, and communion, and suddenly it was over.

But there were moments when I could look up, not having to play, not having to mute or un-mute microphones - and I found myself awash in love and gratitude, sharing a sacred space with others. I saw that same love and gratitude in the faces of those who were there, and I imagined the faces of those who would soon also be able to join us. I stopped thinking about logistics and process, and allowed God’s blessings to overtake me.

To be sure, there were bumps and issues to work out, and I’m grateful to all of you for your patience and understanding. But this week’s service was a reminder that we are a community - a community who will soon be able to again share God’s love and peace with one another, face to (masked, for now) face. Change for the better!

Daniel Thomas