The minute I stepped into the parking lot at
St. Mark United Methodist Church in Cleburne, Texas, I felt at home. For one thing, the Winter kinfolks have been in Johnson County for over 100 years. As a matter of fact, my grandparents were members of St. Mark UMC back when I was still fingerpainting in school. But I also felt at home because the St. Mark Methodists are so welcoming. They wrapped me up with warm greetings as they set out donuts and the coffee pot for fellowship time.
But there was a slight problem. Part of the electrical system wasn't cooperating in the church, including the upstairs junior high classroom where I was going to teach. That meant I wasn't going to be able to use their TV for my video presentation. Fortunately, I had my portable DVD player stashed in my car and it was all charged up. Only three girls showed up for class, but they sat mesmerized as they watched Rob Bell's "Lump" parable from his NOOMA series.
Pastor Danny Niedecken combined the two morning services into one celebration for the Jubilee. I delivered my Heavy Heart magic routine for the kids with Pastor Danny handling the offering bucket and candy giveaways. One little boy was excitedly telling his daddy to cough up some coins for the offering. I smiled at the congregation and said, "Wouldn't it be great if all Methodists were this excited about giving?"
After the service, I stepped out into glorious sunshine that was reflecting off dozens of pumpkins on the front lawn. A member was tying off an apron, ready to raise church funds by selling pumpkins ranging in size from gi-normous to itty bitty. One church member generously handed me some bills and told me to go buy some pumpkins for my family.
By the time we returned to church in the evening, the power was all back on. In the sanctuary, I performed an hour-long magic show for a mixed crowd of kids and parents, complete with a candy handout at the end. Then we marched into fellowship hall to chow down on hot dogs and chips before worship.
At the final service on Tuesday night, Pastor Danny presented me with a St. Mark's T shirt. I made a crack about how nice it was to have a shirt named after me. The church historian also came up with a copy of a picture, dated in the early 1960s, showing my grandfather and other churchmen in their Sunday best. On the back of the picture, the historian noted that these men were the "doers" of the church at that time.
My sermon that night, entitled "Trumpet Lessons," rallied the church to proclaim the message of Christ through word and works. St. Mark's has been a struggling congregation in the last two decades, but their website declares that they are being "reborn by the grace of God." Once a month, they become the "God Squad," taking food and hope to a low-income neighborhood in Cleburne. Recently, they saturated the community with fliers, inviting people to a tailgate party before the high school football game. The response was tremendous.
After my sermon, I instructed the congregation that they had two choices for the invitation time. On one side, I invited them to come up and pray for their pastor. On the other side, I stood to receive people who were ready to "blow the trumpet" that God had entrusted them with to fulfill their calling. Folks lined up on both sides to pray for Pastor Danny and consecrate themselves to Christ's service.
Danny, in turn, asked me to kneel at the rail so the people could pray for me. God's Spirit gripped my heart as folks came forward to whisper prayers and encouragement. Tears welled up when I thought about my grandfather sitting in the pews behind me so long ago, and how he and other spiritual forebears had passed along the torch of faith. It reminded me of the privilege and responsibility I have to pass that torch on to the next generation.
If it's November, that means that Advent, Christmas and Epiphany are just 'round the corner. Are you ready? One Man Show Ministries is with a variety of offerings guaranteed to delight and inspire your congregation. You can invite the righteous old man Simeon to tell his story ... or a father and daughter shepherd who have just seen the Christmas angels ... or lighten it up a bit with the Almost Amazing Marko and his arsenal of magic tricks.
