An
Inkling
Time
flies when you’re having fun (in the presence of the Lord with 2000
others)! So it was Sunday evening,
gathered at U-Turn for the second annual Bless Richmond worship service. The video gives you a flavor of the singing,
which was interspersed with prayers. The
music ranged from hymns to praise choruses, and the prayers ranged from
liturgical to shouting. It was a lot of
fun, and the Lord was honored in the process – a winning combination!
I’ve
been pondering on the evening, and here are some reflections.
Even
our “contemporary” service is reserved compared to some worship patterns. You can tell from the video Sarah captured that
some of the crew was really rocking out, as was the band. Part of understanding ourselves is seeing how
we fall in array with others – be it in worship or service or study or prayer.
I
was on the planning team, and we didn’t know how many to expect. The 2000 who came are just a sliver of the
Richmond whole. But they came together
for the Lord who leavens whole loaves with just a bit of yeast. We trust that we’re just beginning to see the
full leavening he’s about.
The
Kingdom will be wonderfully diverse. We
get a glimpse of that in our congregation, and saw a bit more at Bless Richmond. For example, we sat in a section filled
mostly with folks from the ROC (Richmond Outreach Center). Let’s just say we stood out among those whose
standard dress is along the lines of a biker gang, with lots of spiked hair,
black leather, and ink. What a joy it
was to be with them as they rocked out for Jesus! And think about when the gathered saints will
come from across the continents and centuries!
Months
of planning and effort went into this event.
But those months alone could not have produced what happened. James Anderson and Collie Burton have been
tilling this ground with networking and prayer for long years, and until now
they’ve seen little fruit. But God
brings fruit in his time, and I’m glad they’re getting to see the harvest begin.
And
finally, I really like a phrase Ben Campbell used as he led one of the prayers,
that we’re moving from being the Capital
of the Confederacy to the Capital of Reconciliation. That sounds like the Lord’s kind of city to
me! What a great place to live and serve
him!
In
RVA!
Keith
