The coming together of Presbys and Pentecostals...

This past Sunday evening at the Christian Reformed Church was our annual inter-church Palm Sunday Service. This is the second year now that I've been able to help in the leading of the service with leading the time of worship. This is always a highlight for me for a few reasons:

-They have really nice sound toys. For a musician, it's a real treat. Not only do they have a grand piano, but they have a brand new "Allen and Heath" sound board (these are the "Rolls Royce" of sound equipment), they have really nice sound acoustics, and their sound guy is a real treat to work with.

-My friend Mike gets to drum with us. Mike plays loud (probably too loud for some), but he's one heck of a good drummer and it's always a personal joy for me to jam with him. He's good at what he does.

-There's something about taking part in a worship service with some 500 people singing praise to God that just blesses my socks off.

Perhaps the greatest joy for me is to see the coming together of the churches of the Cowichan Valley for this. Take our music team for example... On it, we had Presbyterians, a Pentecostal, a Baptist, and a CRCer. We had leadership taking part from our church, Young Life, the Alliance Church, and the Pentecostal Church.

I think it especially blesses the heart of God when all of His kids come together like that. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says that the world will know that He is sent from God when His people are in perfect unity. As well, what a witness to this community for them to see the Church (capital "c") come together in this fashion; when we strip away our denominational ties for just one evening simply to lift high the name of Jesus as One People.

I am already looking forward to the next time when the Churches of the Valley come together again...

Like Christmas all over again!

I forget how busy it is around a church at Easter Time... I'd guess to say that it's busier than Christmas Time! Before working in a church, I guess I just took it for granted about how much stuff goes into Easter... but there's a lot: Palm Sunday, inter-church service, Maunday Thursday service, Good Friday service, Easter Sunrise Service, Easter Sunday services... wow! It's not even 3pm yet and I've already had three cups of coffee today.

The challenge to myself personally this year is not to rush past Easter, not to rush past the Cross. Especially working in a church, it can be so easy to do 'churchy' things for the sake of doing things. The meetings, the planning, the rehearsals and practices, the times of worship can and will be meaningless if I simply rush past the significance of what it's all really about.

One of the things I tell myself over and over again is this: If I were the only person on earth, Jesus would still choose to come to earth to die so that I might be saved. The same is true for all of us. I pray that Easter won't be a time where I rush past the potential that Jesus' Resurrection can have in my life, and I pray the same for you guys too.

May this season of Easter really be a time where you discover afresh the Resurrection Power and Authority that comes through having an active relationship with Jesus.