I foresee many posts with that title. Bob said that sunny weather will be much more appreciated now that it is rainy/overcast much of the time. I agree - seeing the sun today was awesome!
One of our friends had a goal - to try one new thing per week for this year. I think I want to do that too. Last week is set - we did pack up and move to a city neither of us had even visited (hey seattle!). This week we went to a Catholic mass. The Cathedral for this area was really nearby (well, not as near as we though, as we trudged uphill for about 30 minutes), and it was an interesting and beautiful experience.
I think I've never really appreciated how intimidating it must be for someone to come to church for the first time. How you don't know where to sit, what the order is, the words to the songs, and how you don't understand what's going on because you have no context or experience. I grew up going to church, so I've always at least known what was happening at a high level no matter what church I go to. But this experience was very different. I had no idea what to do, what words to say... people kept singing responses back depending on what the guy singing would sing... and I realize I don't even know the names of the people that are involved in a Catholic service. "The Singer Guy" is probably not his real name. I didn't know how to take communion, how to cross myself, what words to repeat when everyone else seemed to know what to say, despite it not being printed anywhere in the bulletin (there was, of course, no powerpoint defiling the really beautiful cathedral).
So, to all of the people that I've invited to church with me before, to all of my friends that came to church for the first time as an adult - I really feel like I understand now how uncomfortable that must have been!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
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