Hello,
Even though this week is Thanksgiving, we served a Thanksgiving dinner
last Wednesday to our guests of the weekly noon meal that we provide at our
church. Our usual crowd is between
80-100, and that is about the number who took their seats on Wednesday. I don’t know if I have written about
this ministry that was started at our downtown church years before I arrived,
but just in case I haven’t here’s a picture of what happens in our fellowship
hall every Wednesday.
A crew of about 10 women….ranging from 50 years old to 97 years old,
show up every Wednesday to prepare a home cooked meal for anyone who needs a
good meal or some good company. No
questions are asked about a person’s need. If they show up, we are glad to feed them, and the food that
the women set before them is … well….the best lunch in town…home made soup,
glazed chicken breast, ham and scalloped potatoes, and this past week all the
Thanksgiving fixin’s…turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, cranberry sauce, pumpkin cake!
The meal always begins at noon, and before we eat we take a few moments
to talk about things…the Steelers, the Penguins, the weather. We sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Park”
on baseball’s opening day, patriotic songs on the 4th of July,
Christmas carols, and last week we sang a couple of Thanksgiving songs before
our prayer. As I was about to
begin the singing one of the guests came up to me and told me that we had a
person celebrating his birthday, and so I said, “Well, we’d better sing “Happy Birthday”
then, too.” Our crowd is not a
gathering of trained singers, and we don’t sound like it. But those who sing sing with gusto and
delight….and that is all that matters.
So, we launched into “Come Ye Thankful People Come” and “Sing to the
Lord of Harvest”, and then I said, “Hey!
I hear it’s someone’s birthday today….It’s Bill’s (not his real name)
birthday!”
Bill happened to be sitting at the table right next to where I was
standing, and when I looked over at him there was a gleam in his eye carrying a
look of “how did you know that?”
“Okay,” I said, “Let’s sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Bill!”
“Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy birthday dear Bill….”
And as we sang that phrase, I looked over at Bill and was surprised at
what I saw. Bill had pulled out
his handkerchief and was wiping tears from his eyes.
I don’t know much about Bill.
I know that he lives in a senior citizen residence by himself. My guess is that he is in his
80’s. I don’t know if he has
family. When I have eaten with him
we have talked of the Pirates and Steelers. He’s a quiet, soft spoken person, and he eats with us almost
every week. So, I don’t know what
brought his tears. Was it that he
had thought no one would remember his birthday? Was it that no one had sung “Happy
Birthday” to him in years?
Was it that he had gotten used to being seen as invisible by the world,
and he was moved by our notice of him and singing a spotlight of importance
upon him?
This Thanksgiving I am thankful that I was able to be part of a group
who brought tears of joy to Bill…tears of joy that I find welling up in my eyes
when I feel so small and insignificant, lost and confused, forgotten and lonely
and someone reaches their hand out to me with a piece of bread saying, “This is
the body of Christ given for you,” and then follows with a chalice saying, “This
is the blood of Christ shed for you.”
Remembered. Noticed. Loved………Grace!
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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