Summer Sabbath is what my church calls That Time In The Summer When Everyone Is Away. It is also my favorite time of the church year because we all cram into the church for one service. Usually we have three services–one contemporary, one traditional, and one for the college students–and I don’t especially like to choose just one. In the summer I can sit in the balcony and look down and see people I never get to see during the year. Also, the style of services are combined so that there is a mix of formal with the informal: amazing organ music and classic hymns holding hands with drum sets and guitars. I like the fact that each of us in the community has to give up the right to ‘preference’, and just worship together.
Sadie, on the other hand, doesn’t especially enjoy Summer Sabbath because there is no Jr. Church. In the summer, Sadie is subjected to the torture of sitting through the ENTIRE service, instead of getting to leave after the offering (and before the sermon…) Five minutes into the service, she is rolling her eyes and sighing and fidgeting and asking How Much Longer???! So Dan has been packing a surprise bag for her each week filled with fun stuff for her to do–pens, notebook, little dolls etc. He also packs a little snack and a bottle of water.
So this morning, as the service is starting, Sadie is pawing through the bag, looking for something to share with her friend Emma. We are sitting in the first row of the balcony and Emma is six rows behind us. Sadie pulls a screwdriver out of the bag and cracks up. She stands up and holds it over her head to show Emma what her crazy daddy packed in her surprise bag. Then she pulls out a fortune cookie. And a piece of plastic tubing. And a gym sock. Each item she gets she stands up and shows Emma. By this time we are into the first song and I am laughing too–I had no idea what Dan had packed for her and I was wondering what she was going to pull out next. A bag of Apple Jacks. A little package of elastic cord. Binoculars. A kitchen sponge. A chocolate covered granola bar.
What on earth!? It was all just so RANDOM. I’m nearly snorting with laughter and then the older gentleman behind us taps Sadie on the shoulder and says ‘Who packed your bag?’ I was relieved to see a sparkle in his eye–he seemed to find the whole thing as amusing as I did.
I think I could handle a mixed service like that for the summer months, then go comfortably back to my preferred format the rest of the year.
And way to go, Dan!
We just started our month of “camp meeting” in which our 100 year old uber-formal sanctuary becomes the setting for folksy hymns, the ministers doff their robes and the choir is on hiatus. We keep on with 3 services, all identical except that 8:30 has communion every week. And the senior minister preaches from the chancel steps instead of the pulpit. I’m not all that thrilled with a steady diet of 19th century self-centered hymns but I do think that the break from the formal service makes me appreciate the robes and processing choir all the more
And quite a bag she has there. Peter is most excited about a piece of “big gum” — some sort of squishy-center bubble gum that he only gets in church, after the sermon begins.
Your church sounds awesome. Wish I could come.
Surprise bags save our lives for car trips. I’m not as creative as Dan, though!!
And way to go, old man! I love it when elderly people maintain their sense of humor. We had an elderly guy play with my kids in line at the store the other day. He pulled half dollars out from behind their ears, and then let them keep the money. It was the highlight of our day!
What a great idea!! I usually just pack the run of the mill crayons and coloring book which lasts a whole ten minutes. One “church” game I read about one time is having you and your kid count how many times the pastor says “God” or “Jesus” in a sermon. We did it once for about 5 minutes.
Good to see you back in the blog world.
Dan cracks me up with his clever ways to entertain Sadie!!! I had a good laugh just picturing the look on Sadie’s face when she pulled out a gym sock, a screwdriver and so many other crazy things. Kudos to Dan!!