Friday Church Is . . . by Kim Waters

Friday Church is a place…

·         Where you don’t have to be fake or pretend to have it all together all of the time.  It’s okay to be real there.  And when life is hard, it’s okay to just tell the truth and say so.  And telling the truth like that sets us free, a little bit at a time.

·         Where every week we sing that we are trading our sorrows and our shame and our sickness and pain for the joy of the Lord.  Sometimes some of us practically shout the words because we really need them to be so.

·         Where people reading the Scripture passage introduce it and themselves by saying, “Hi, my name is so and so and I’m an alcoholic (or addict)”.  And everyone says “Hi” back and then the person starts to read.  And there just could not be a more humble or fitting way to introduce God’s Healing Word.

·         Where the passing of the peace takes a long time, but it’s okay because it involves lots of hugging and smiles and laughing.  And nobody is left out.  And even I don’t want it to end.

·         Where a woman who turns 33 years old tomorrow asks me excitedly, “Are we having the birthday story tonight?”  Because she knows that then she will get to go up front and have a story read to her.  And she will be honored and hugged.  And she will get a present with her name in it.  Maybe this is the first time in her life she has ever felt loved like this.

·         Where we clap and say AMEN when people admit how much they have messed up their lives.  And they are not embarrassed to give examples.  And we clap and say AMEN again when they go on to explain how God is now saving their lives.  And we say amen because God is saving our lives, too.

·         Where Josalyn skips up to communion, braids bouncing, grinning and holding Bill’s hand.  And so a little girl teaches me that it makes perfect sense to be happy and excited about going to God’s table.  And even more, that it is okay to show it.

·         Where a woman reminds me 4 times in one hour about passing along her contact information for the new mentor program.  She cannot stop talking about how excited she is because she wants to get closer to God and she knows her mentor will help her do that.  And her passion challenges me and makes me wonder just who will be mentoring whom.

·         Where Pastor Joe shows everybody a picture of his new grandson and asks, “How many of you have kids you want to pray for tonight”?  And hands shoot up all over the place.  And he has us start yelling out our kids’ names.  And we do.  And we pray for them.  And God hears.  And we feel heard.

·         Where, every week, people write down their simple, yet absolutely profound prayers.  And we, the ones who are praying for them end up being the ones who are most blessed.

·         Where during Bible study, we talk about Jesus being tortured and killed, and someone tells about his recent time in solitary confinement and how he deserved what he got, but that Jesus didn’t deserve anything He went through. And he gets all choked up.  And so do we.  And it is so holy a moment that no one can speak.

·         Where people don’t have to hide being gay because, finally, for once, it just doesn’t matter.  We are all loved and celebrated for exactly who we are and who God made us to be.  And sometimes that love is so new and overwhelming, it is difficult to comprehend, let alone accept.

·         Where Jesus is, and where my new friends are.  And that is what makes me love it and never want the night to be over.