Mucking Through

It is not something new. Uncle Bubba is not just now going off dotty. Now and then even years ago, especially when we had changed the liturgy in some way, just as I was ready to give the final benediction someone in the choir would say, “Father Weller, you forgot to preach your sermon” or “We forgot to say the Creed” or some such, and we would backtrack. Sometimes in Apalachicola I would get into the pulpit during the sermon hymn only to realize that my sermon notes were still on my chest of drawers in the rectory bedroom. Blessedly, the rectory was right out the back door of the church.

Yesterday as we gathered round the baptismal font with Christian and family, and choir and congregation were singing “Shall we gather at the river,” I kept wondering where the children were, why the Sunday School teachers hadn’t released them and sent them in to witness the baptism, and it came to me: I had forgot Children’s Time, never sent them out to Sunday School. Totally focused on Christian and the baptism, I forgot to have the children come up front at the beginning of the service then leave for class. It was my mistake. My intent had been to introduce the children to Christian and give them a box of special cookies Christian’s family brought to church. As it was, it worked out perfect for the baptism, because we had the children come get right in my face in the center aisle for the baptism. But I apologize to the Sunday School teachers, who had prepared lessons only to have the children never show up. 

All through the sequence hymn “We three kings of orient” Marqua was mouthing at me and pointing at the bulletin. Only when the service was over did it occur to me what she was trying to tell me.

Sincere apologies to all.

Nevertheless, the baptism was a riot, a circus, enormous fun. And it’s not my fault the rector hired an absent priest to help out.

TW+ mucking along in +Time