darkness...at church

Mr. R and I had prepared our lesson for Sunday School and it was a fine one-we were excited to learn and share in Sunday School class.  

However, when we arrived at church, the lights had gone off approximately ten minutes earlier. Kinda fun.  Kinda exciting.  One starts to think that we will go home for the entire afternoon.

After a few minutes the bishopric signaled us to join them with something along the line of, "Please join us in the chapel."

It was the first time in my life that I was being welcomed into the darkness.  And at church.

We all used the light from our cell phones; however it was still 

d-a-r-k.  I did think of the pioneers but I do think they had windows in their homes or place of worship.  My friend, Mrs D., I call her that because she works in Guidance at one of the middle schools where I sub a lot so I always greet her every morning with, "Good morning, Mrs. D."  I greet her the same way at church.  When we chatted at school Monday morning, she said she had thought of the song "Silent Night."

I thought when the Bishop announced from the pulpit that we would have an abbreviated church service that we would partake of the Sacrament and go home.  Ummm...no.  

Or, it would have been great to have the Sacrament passed and then sung  Christmas hymns. No again.  I felt so bad for the speakers as they gave their talks, you could tell they were so well prepared.  

I will say I pondered...maybe this is the way to worship, in the dark.  We may not see our own and each others flaws as clearly as we do in the light, maybe we would have more compassion. Maybe we would hear more, really listen, not only with our physical ears but with our spiritual selves, too, since one really couldn't see the speaker.  

Maybe it wouldn't matter so much what we wear...gosh, maybe we wouldn't even have to put on makeup if we couldn't see each other.

So many new thoughts on this Sabbath day.  

But if I had to come into the light and confess my sins, I would have to declare that I was saying a little prayer that the power was not going to turn back on until we were released and on our way home.  Come on, what a gift on a Sunday...no shopping, no errands to run in the holiday bustle, just go home and spend a Christmas Sabbath afternoon together.

After all these thoughts, it was time for the closing prayer.  I love prayer, but this was a rather lengthly closing prayer.  Usually we say, "Amen" at the end of a prayer, meaning we are in agreement with the words that have been communicated.  My anxiousness and joy to go home two hours early were evident when in my mind I was thinking, "Amen, already."

We opened our eyes to...darkness.  We giddily drove home to take a long winters nap.  It was a waaay good day!