The Hour

And while I'm on this community kick, last night was another really lovely picture of it.

This past weekend, Ann and Ben were in town. And they brought my dad along with them. He had the weekend off, and hitched a ride with them across Iowa. I think my dad has a bit of a man-crush on Ben. It's very cute- he's been a big fan for years. He likes Ben because Ben likes to talk sports. A lot. With three daughters and a Kevin who isn't a sports person, Dad has had a shortage of people to talk sports with for many years. Ben has fulfilled a big need in his life. But I digress...

Last night, before they left town, we attended an event called "The Hour" at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church. Ann's sister Teresa and her family attend this parish, and the priest that's been there for some time, Father Francis, is a regular hippie. He's young, energetic, has a bushy beard, and plays guitar. As I understand it, he started this monthly worship service called "The Hour" some time ago, and it's something that has reinvigorated the church, in particular the faith of Teresa's young family. Ann knew that "The Hour" was going to be this weekend, and talked my dad into letting them stick around for it. She invited us along, because since my dad is Catholic, she thought this would be a nice experience we could all share together across denominational lines.

And it was beautiful. In all my years growing up half-Catholic, attending a Catholic college, and attending mass with a lot of Catholic friends, I have never felt so energized and encouraged in a Catholic church. Father Francis and his band rocked out to over an hour of contemporary worship music, much of which we sing at Candlewood. The sanctuary was full, with a lot of young people, and I really could see that God is at work in this congregation. Everyone was singing along, clapping, dancing, raising their hands and shouting "God is good- all the time!"

It was a refreshing time. This past week or so I've felt weighted down by a lot of really stupid things that I've said and done. It's been a struggle to work through forgiving myself and accepting God's grace. But for that hour last night, the burden of my sin was far from my mind as I joined this community in worship.

Our group took up the whole pew, and it was such a blessing to look down the line and see Ann's niece, Emily, who's 10, and her nephew Andrew, who's 7, excited about worshiping God. There was one section of the service where Father Francis led us in prayer, and encouraged everyone to join together. I stood there, holding on to my daddy's hand on my left, with Ben's hand on my shoulder to my right. It was such a lovely picture of community, and such a reminder that God works in any demoniation if the people's hearts are open to Him.