George

Last Sunday morning, Keri (the seminarian intern at our church) and I led the congregation
through a Chrismon's service. We read Advent Scripture passages, led the congregation in
singing Advent hymns, and gave the congregation instructions on decorating the Christmas
tree with ornaments symbolizing Jesus Christ. I gave a message on the meaning of Christ's
coming that probably went longer than it should have. My general tendency is to preach long
sermons, especially during special times of the Church year. The season of Advent leading
up to Christmas is always a special time for me. It is festive, joyous, and expectant. So I may
have spoken longer than I usually do.

After the service I walked down the hall to the fellowship hall for coffee hour. The lineup for
the refreshment table was long, so I surveyed the room. I noticed one guy all alone at one end
of a table and two people sitting at the other end. He was eagerly working on a plate heaped
full of goodies. There were only a few people sitting down at tables, so he must have been one
of the first ones to get down to the hall for cookies, cheese, crackers, and sweets. He certainly
was not shy or bashful, and quickly made himself at home. As he ate from his plate he had a
big grin on his ace. It was that big grin, almost a silly grin, that I noticed as I surveyed the con-
gregation as I gave my message. He had been sitting towards the back of the left hand side of
the sanctuary. There wan't anybody around him. But he always had that big, silly grin on his
face. Now here he was at coffee hour, chomping away on his snacks, with that big grin on his
face.

I left the refreshment line and went and sat with him. I introduced myself and he told me that
his name was George. He looked to be in his forties, but I was not sure. Besides the ever-pres-
ent grin, there was a sparkle in his eyes. Then he took a big bite of a cookie and chewed quick-
ly as if he was in a hurry to say something. I got the impression he wanted to share something
big with me. So I waited. When he was good and ready he told me that in 1997 he had had
brain surgery so that he was not so violent. Then in a lighthearted way, he spent several min-
utes listing all his medical conditions, surgeries, broken bones, and treatments that he had ex-
perienced since 1986. George expressed a deep sense of accomplishment for everything that
he had undergone. He seemed happy and content in his own little world. When we got up from
the table I noticed that everyone had left except for the those cleaning up. George had been giv-
en a bag full of goodies to take home with him. He seemed to be a happy camper.

It says a lot about our congregation that George felt comfortable enough to stay through the
service and come to fellowship time. He picked up on God's hospitality that characterizes our
congregation. I think that many congregations struggle with how to work that out in their life
and mission. I have always struggled with how a congregation can be hospitable to people
who inhabit the margins of society. I often feel helpless, not knowing how to relate to people
who live out on the street and are homeless. I wondered whether the Holy Spirit had spoken to
George through my message or the hymns, prayers, and activities of the service. I blessed him
as we parted and he quickly disappeared from sight. I wondered if I would see him next Sun-
day or ever again.

Blessings to you and yours,