My grandparents owned a small service/gas station and motel in the Ozark mountains of Missouri. There was a small general store and their living quarters were a few rooms in the back. There was a lovely, warm kitchen that you could see into from the general store and there was always something cooking, the aroma enveloping you as you came into the front door of the station. There was a long counter with stools that twirled and that was where home cooked meals were served to weary travelers.

Anger. Hopeless. Trust. Despair. Hope. Confusion. Trust.  For most lament is rarely a straight path. It is a wandering towards God in the midst of pain.

I am about to tell you about one of the most impactful worship experiences of my life. What do you think it was? Can you imagine the scene?

The wordiest Psalm in the Book of Psalms (and the longest chapter in the Bible) is a song about the Word.

Running out of chores, I tackled my “blessing drawer.” I’m not sure where, or from whom, I got the idea but when I got a note or a letter that was affirming I tossed it in the bottom drawer of my desk. Over the years it filled up, that’s not bragging, just saying a lot of years went by, and a week ago with the quarantine at full tilt, it was time to open it. I dumped them into an empty moving box and settled in. One by One One by one I read them, often pausing to ponder or cry like when I hit one from our deceased son, AJ.

Do you have a reservation? Getting a table for dinner on your birthday, or getting to see the doctor on an afternoon often requires a reservation. This seems simple enough. Plan ahead, call ahead, and things are ready when you arrive. First come, first served.

I told someone again this week how thankful I am to be part of this church. I really love Sunday mornings and all the ways we can experience the Lord's presence. Here are three: there is scripture, there is the sacrament, and there is the Spirit.It's the three streams of our Anglican tradition.