An Accidental Field Trip

Because I injured my neck when a box fell on my head at McDonald's, I am taking muscle relaxers. Because I am taking muscle relaxers, I accidentally slept until noon this Sunday morning. Because I accidentally slept until noon, I could not attend church this beautiful morning. Because I couldn't go to morning church, I looked up churches with Sunday night services and landed upon Our Lady of Presentation Catholic Church and Grace Baptist. Because the Catholic Sunday night Mass is in Spanish, I went to Grace Baptist. And that is how a young female liberal Methodist ended up at a King James only, thoroughly Calvinist, all male-led Baptist church tonight. 

I walked in and immediately noticed a huge American flag and the flags of every branch of the military on the wall perpendicular to the altar. I was immediately annoyed. I'm very patriotic and I respect the military with all my heart, but that doesn't belong in the sanctuary. One American flag, fine, but church should be about God. The bulletin prattled on about eternal security and getting saved. I immediately thought of the old response to the door-to-door evangelists' query, "Are you saved?"-- "Yes, I was saved on Friday two thousand years ago." And as a PowerPoint connoisseur, I can tell you their PowerPoint was quite amateurish. 

In other words, I felt I was entering the buckle of the Bible belt. (All right; that sounded weirder than I meant it to. Perhaps the sterility of the sanctuary stifled my sexual-connotation-radar.)  Looking back, I can see I was being snooty, sniffing at their conservatism and dismissing their very real faith. 

We sang two simple hymns, "Take My Life" and "Give Thanks." And then, Pastor Pete said we were going to go around the room and each person would say what he or she is thankful for. The results were stunning. Husbands and wives, parents and children thanked God for one another. Grown men were moved to tears by what God has done for them. And nearly every person showed a deep, organic understanding of the ways God has moved in their lives; they were thinking theologically, and it was impressive. Luckily, I was sitting in the far back corner of the sanctuary and I was one of the last people to say what I am thankful for.

I said I am thankful for the ways God calls each one of us. I knew I could not thank God for calling me into the ministry there because these folks would think I am damned for being a woman called to be a pastor. But when I said I'm thankful for my calling, these far right folks nodded heartily. I continued, "And thank you God, for bringing me here tonight. I've learned a whole lot."

And I meant it. Then, Pastor Pete said we were supposed to get in small groups and pray together. Every person in my group thanked God for me. These strangers talked to God about me. It was quite moving. 

I am truly thankful I went there tonight, or rather that God led me to Grace Baptist. Of course I'm as Methodist as ever, but I think we liberals can learn some stuff from the right-wingers. And more importantly, so many right wingers are devout disciples. I really want to try the going around the circle and giving thanks thing. Not in worship; I feel strongly that worship needs to be more engaging than that. Maybe in a small group or Sunday School class I'll lead one day. I pray the church God gives me to lead, if that's his will, will be red hot with Holy Spirit fire like these KJV-only Baptists. I guess the Holy Spirit really does go wherever he wishes, like Jesus says in John 3. And sometimes, it's the "open-minded" who are actually trying to close doors. I'm thankful this Sunday that the Holy Spirit isn't bound by my prejudices.