Sunday, October 22, 2006

remember the sabbath


( a fuzzy close-up of Homo Escapeon's party shirt )


I always thought that Fridays were a better night to have church...er...a party. Especially because it was the same day that work ended for the week. It was a sweet taste to have on the pallet all day long in anticipation of the evening. Then, if you went a little overboard, you could sleep in as long as you needed to on Saturday. This could never happen on a Sunday because of church commitments.

This week, we remembered the Sabbath and kept it holy. Holy bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, that is.

Last night, my good friend Alice and her lap dog, Homo Escapeons, had us over, with another honoured couple, for dinner...er...no....appetizers and drinks. We arrived a minute before seven and did not consider leaving until seven hours later. This of course was greatly due to the arrival of the Messiah, whom Donn took full advantage of for the immediate receiving of grace and forgiveness of sins.




















HE was so elated that he immediately began playing the "I've been forgiven" sonata on the coffee table piano,



















which was followed by the Penticostal Polka.




What did "I "do all evening? Well, I was the D.D. What do you think I did? I sat in the corner and felt sorry for myself! Or at least that may have been a fleeting temptation. But as it was, I took advantage of the situation and watched as some wonderful people slowly let their hair down, and became real with one another.

I met a man with multiple gifts who looks a lot like Jesus. He was a human that was real, honest, and accepting. He has a passion for making right what is wrong. He is a gifted artist, a caring father, and a man who truly enjoys his wife. I watched him as he smiled, and I imagined his warm thoughts of his wife as he watched her dance and present vulnerability.

I saw three women, each having unique tales to tell of joy and vulnerable living, come together and find connection through common purpose and struggle.

And I saw another man, wise with years of learning, smooth from years of drinking creamy Keg Paralizers, and wonderful from the experience of being real with his children. He sang, he danced, and he welcomed us as we were. And to think, I was a bit nervous in anticipation of this gathering.

The bible says that we should not neglect the assembling of ourselves together. I didn't go to church this morning. I didn't need to. I went last night.


People are good. All anyone needs is for an opportunity to be seen as good. I truly love these people.

9 comments:

Heather Plett said...

Sounds like an amazing night. Just the kind of night I sometimes imagine Jesus having with his disciples. Though I'm not sure he'd have been caught dead in that shirt! :-)

Romeo Morningwood said...

This 'lapdog' felt a little rrruff this morning but it is not often that that you get 'forgiven' the night before the morning after!

It is funny how safe and comfortable you feel with a guy that looks exactly like King James sitting next to you on your couch.

It was fun to get to know more about You and Joyce (what a great laugh) and my goodladywife was brilliant to introduce reyspoutine and his darling wife;
a great mix of teachers, artists, bloggers, and caregivers!

Let's do that again...
next time you'll know that when I start adding "no really" to every thing that I say..
which may or may not be making any sense at that point in time...
that the music is about to GET LOUD AND IT'S TIME TO START DANCING!

Brian the Mennonite said...

Heather: It was just that...amazing. I'm looking forward to the next one which already seems to be in the planning stages. It could be at my house this time.

Donn: Feeling Rrrrruff, huh? I didn't have to worry about that this time. It's a nice feeling.
It was a really nice mix of personalities. Next time I'll be all over the dancing bit. Joyce was actually quite surprised that I didn't dance this time. I'm usually the first one to start and the last one to quit. Or until YMCA comes on...dancing to that one usually does me in.

Cherrypie said...

Amen!

Christine said...

HaHaHaHa at Donn's shirt. And here I thought his shark shirt was the most special, my bad. ;)

Glad you all had a great time. Wish I was there.

*still giggling about the shirt*

anna said...

I have one question, if it isn't too intrusive. You mentioned the women being vulnerable and "vulnerable living". That caught my attention. I don't quite understand what you meant by that. Would you mind explaining it, please?

It sounds like a wonderful time was had by all.

Brian the Mennonite said...

Anna: The kind of vulnerability presented that evening was on the emotional level. The woman came out of a very conservative upbringing where dancing was frowned upon. She was dancing like she didn't care about what others may think, making herself open to possible emotional harm, but definately not from the present company. Her husband watched her and smiled...I assume he was enjoying how free she was moving in her own body. Not everyone is.

The vulnerable living was referring to the ladies in the group whom I observed sharing their life stories with one another in a way that could be potentially emotionally harmful, if the person hearing wished to use the information in the wrong way. There's always a risk involved in sharing your life's essence with someone, especially someone whom you've just met.

I hope this helps. I have a feeling you were looking for something a bit more sexual though. :)

anna said...

Thank you for the explanation. And I was actually looking for an answer that had something to do with the spirit or soul. I'm not sure if I should feel insulted or flattered by what you thought I was expecting... I'll go with neither.

Brian the Mennonite said...

You're a good woman Anna. My response to you was only slightly tongue-in-cheek. I obviously visited your blog and read a few of your posts to get a sense of the kind of person you are...much like we all do. I got a sense that you were developing your view of relationships and your over-all place in this world. I found sexuality and your position (no pun intended) in it to be a strong theme.
Your search for things of the spirit and the soul makes good sense to me. Life has a large amount to do with our physical connections, but I feel a far greater amount to do with our soul connections. Sex connects in both of these realms.
So, Anna, thanks for your visits. You're welcome to comment anytime. I will usually be quite nice.