visitors

The fifth Sunday of the month we have joint worship
with the Lutheran congregation in town...its actually walking distance from our home.
So we were visitors, with part of our congregation in another house of worship.
Flash said that it couldn't be a church because churches are "big big tall".
They are all on one floor and had a beautiful facility. The hallway from the sanctuary to the fellowship hall has a bookcase running the length of it and its their library!
Brilliant use of space. Yet another church though, that doesn't have an approach to child care
so I stayed with Flash in the nursery. Yes, there were other children in worship,
yes they have the bags with crayons and coloring books. And they say "oh, it'll be fine".
No, it won't. He'll run and talk and well, anyhow...he's just not ready yet.
As it was we broke Joseph's arm in their nativity set. Sigh.

Also a dear friend from seminary came to visit us.
She's on vacation from big huge suburban church near Philly, visiting family.
She saw the service, our town, our church and home.
And it was wonderful to have a visitor, and to be one.

On Tuesday, New Years day, we'll have our Open House.
Opening our new home to the congregation and neighbors to "drop in" from 1-3.
Some I know panic at such things but I have to say that I really like a little entertaining, and it'll be casual.
I am not and will never be Martha Stewart and I never shoot for her standards.
The house will be reasonably clean with attention paid to bathrooms, vacuuming the floor and toys.
There will be lots of food of the self-serve variety...finger foods and chips and such.
And that will be that. Really.
My mother is very stressed about this "do" for me. She wants it to be more "elegant", keeps talking about our stature in the community.
She's suggested quiche and shrimp. Hmmm.
I guess I understand her thoughts, but I am more comfortable doing this our way.
Cookies, meatballs, little sandwiches and such.
And I think, I hope, our visitors will be just fine.