Sermon? You Mean There is a Sermon on Sunday?

It seems I have a difficult time hearing the sermon each week. I have to miss a lot of services because I work with several children's programs. Some folks never hear a sermon and I really hate that for them. We have a great teaching pastor and it is a shame they have to catch him online, for I fear they won't. Tomorrow I get to hold babies while the Mommies and Daddies hear the teaching. The whole baby-holding thing makes me very happy.

Back to the sermons. Some weeks, I have no reason not to hear the sermon. Except things just...happen. Take last week for example. You know the two glasses of water, one cup of coffee and two glasses of oj I had before church? Who would have thought that would have all processed and I would have found myself about to float away by the time praise and worship began? So, when the children were dismissed to children's church, I slipped out to go to the restroom. Note I slipped out at a time to cause the least amount of disruption. That's how I am. Really. You'll need to know that in a moment.

So, I get done in the restroom and it is on my mind that Annie's finger that is injured is swollen and causing her significant pain. I know that buddy-taping it will help, so it occurs to me to go find a first aid kit and acquire a strip of medical tape to use on it. Said first aid kit has no tape. There are, however, a lot of antiseptic wipes and an emergency blanket for those times we'll need one in church (??). Making a mental note of where the emergency blanket is because I know it is knowledge I will need at some time, I head on to the nursery thinking I can acquire some sort of tape there. Finding masking tape, I rip off a long piece and head back to the service. I slip in the back, quietly hugging my dear friend, the bass player, who is also slipping in, and I head to our seats in the, ahem, front of the church. I get about half-way to the front and it occurs to me that Annie isn't there. That would be because I had sent her to Kids Worship to help lead praise and worship there. Making a quick right turn, I head on out the side door knowing people are shaking their head at that crazy lady with the long piece of tape flowing behind, and hoping they don't think I'm being all disruptive on purpose. I also hope the pastor doesn't hunt me down after the service.

I head to Kids Worship, where the songs are in full swing. I can't access Annie's hand, because to do so would require disrupting the song service and, of course, I can't do that. So, I sing along, digging all the cool motions until the songs are finished. Annie and I head to the hallway where I tape her fingers with the masking tape, which proves to be a pretty lame excuse for buddy tape, but is a bit helpful nonetheless.

Task completed, I briskly walk toward the sanctuary to try this whole sermon thing again when I am asked to please assist a visitor in taking their child to the nursery. Happy to help, we proceed to our two year old class, helping her sign in the child and explaining the security process, etc. We then rejoin the church service. Being as stealthy as I know how, I slip into the pew, only climbing over five or six people to get to my seat. Holly comments that it sure took a long time to go to the restroom....by the time I complete a note to her with a thorough explanation of where I have been, there is enough sermon left to leave me completely at a loss as to the point of it all. It occurs to me then, that there is some significance in that. What it is, I'm not sure.

So, I'm thinking that in a couple of weeks I'll be able to try it again. I just hope, since it will be Senior Day, I can keep from bawling the whole time. Now THAT would be distracting.