In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus preaches his famous “Sermon on the Mount.” As part of that sermon, Jesus tells us that sometimes “the rain falls on the just and unjust.” (Matthew 5:45). Basically, he is saying that, into every life, a little rain will fall. What matters is the kind of people we are – how we act and carry ourselves – when rain falls in our own lives.
Last Sunday, after months of planning and preparation, it rained on the Bedford Community Picnic. Early on Sunday morning, it looked like there might be a window with no rain, but different weather websites and apps kept telling us different things. As I said in the worship service, BPC’s “greatest meteorological minds” would be meeting after the service to determine whether we would go ahead or not. And we made the decision to go ahead.
What I saw prior to arriving at the picnic and when I arrived at Bedford Village Common Park, though, were members of our church family whose bodies might have been a little damp but whose spirits were high. Their spirits were a gift to witness, and the joy of being together—even though a little liquid sunshine was falling from the clouds—was a joy to behold.
With our Bedford Community Picnic, we sought to bring the community together, and – guess what – we did this in small but loving ways. There were people who responded to our flyers and the community-wide mailer that we sent out and came despite the rain. And they had fun! This was a “win” for the event, even though the event might not have been as big as we had hoped because of the weather.
I want to say a special word of thanks to Susan Reese, Glenna Stevens, and Beth Evarts, along with our Deacons, Green Team, and so many others, who made Sunday’s picnic an organizational success. As many of these people told me afterward, “Well, we might not have had a huge number of attendees in the rain, but at least we know what to do for next time.”
Now, that’s the spirit!
The rain falls on the just and unjust. Last Sunday, BPC showed our true character in less-than-ideal circumstances, and I am so proud and thankful!
We will be rolling out dates for events this fall next week, starting with our fALL Welcome Back Sunday on September 8.
I am looking forward to seeing you at church!
Grace and Peace,
John
Prepare for Worship
This Sunday: “O Come, All Ye Faithful (Binding Ourselves to The Good)”
- Read John 6:56-69
- Read Ephesians 6:10-20
- Read or sing Hymn # 6 – “I Bind unto Myself Today”