The Sunday worship service was held this year in the Juanita G. Hammonds Center for Performing Arts near the Missouri State University campus for the first time. Inspirational music and an outstanding sermon concluded with a communion service. The Performing Arts Hall has no center aisle and 80 seat rows stretch across the auditorium. Instructions to the 1800 attendees were to turn left down the row of seats in front of you, receive communion at the far wall, and turn right down your row to return to your seat.
After reverently receiving communion, we found other people in the next row! Complete chaos ensued as no one could get back to their seats. I have never seen such joyous confusion. People smiled, shook hands, laughed and kept milling about trying to get back to where they had started.
Special needs people in walkers and wheelchairs just gave up and headed to the outside foyer. The music was provided by two impressive church choirs and a flute ensemble of 12 who kept repeating their selections over and over until finally, people were able to sit down again.
The bishop stood up and said, “By the grace of God, it worked.”
I think this is a metaphor for how United Methodists get things done. Perhaps for life itself. By the grace of God, it works.
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