Let there be light!

Okay, so I figured I might as well write about what happened a week ago Sunday. It was my first Sunday preaching and I had awoken extra early to get ready for it. Upon waking up, I noticed that I awoke to my cell phone's alarm rather than my clock radio. Unable to get my mind to comprehend what that meant, I got up and realized my house was without power. After checking the fuse box and seeing that nothing was blown, I went outside and was stunned by the 4 inches of fresh snow on the ground. It seems the night before a snow storm had moved in. I called the local power company to report my power outage when I was told it wasn't just me, it was the whole town.

And so, there I was- my first Sunday was going to be snowed in. I called the chair of the church's trust committee to say that we might want to develop a plan of action seeing how the church would be without power to heat the building for the kids. Thinking we'd have to postpone the services or cancel them all together, the chair and I decided to meet at the church and decide then what we'd do. Arriving around 9am, there were already a bunch of people there getting ready for my first Sunday. After a brief discussion, we decided to call the parents of the children and inform them that the church is without power and let them decide whether they'd bring their kids.

Before long though, more and more people arrived and it looked like we'd have church, with kids and everyone else there. As 10:30am approached, I robed up and the church's music director began playing the prelude for the Sunday service as we all sat in the darkened sanctuary. When Cory stopped playing, I stood up before the people and said,

"Good morning, and welcome to Cresskill Congregational, United Church of Christ. My name is David Bocock and I want to remind you that no matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey (it was here that I outstretched my arms and hands), you're welcome here!"

And the lights suddenly came on. And the congregation erupted in applause. Let me tell you, that was one heck of a way to begin a Sunday! One lady said it was like a divine affirmation of my being there. Another lady said I must've paid the electric company something because the timing looked suspicious. heh heh... I was thrilled about the whole thing.

The service went very well after that and we all had a nice time (and a nice way to remember my first Sunday). Following church, I had a Christian Ed meeting and then, after a brief discussion with a trustee of the church, I came home and began my first Sunday after church tradition: I took a long nap. It was truly a wonderful Sunday.