February 08, 2009 - I certainly didn't expect a Saturday service

My job is interesting. No day is ever the same, and sometimes you get to do really cool, fun things. Saturday, I got to go to a baby pageant!

I know what you're thinking, and I was thinking it, too. Toddlers and tiaras. But as it turns out, this baby pageant had nothing to do with over made up babies with fake teeth and big smiles. The pageant consisted of four little girls, the oldest one no more than two, and only one wearing an actual dress. And while the babies did get tiny trophies and savings bonds, the winner was chosen by how much money they'd raised for the church that was holding the pageant.

In the end, the baby pageant wasn't the most interesting part of the experience. It was actually a very small part of the program, which was dominated by scripture and song and prayer, and little speeches from myself about the MOD and another girl about the non-profit she works for. I'd had no clue what I was getting into going to the baby pageant in the first place, but I certainly didn't expect a Saturday service.

I have to add one more piece to the story. The baby pageant was held at an African-American church, and while I wasn't uncomfortable because I was the only white person in the church, I was slightly uncomfortable because of the service and its boisterous nature.

I'm Lutheran. When we sing, we use hymnals, not expecting everyone to know the words. When the children's choir performs, we don't clap (apparently Lutheran children don't need audible praise). And when the pastor sermonizes, we don't yell out "Amen!!" It was like being plunked down in the middle of Mars and trying to pretend that I wasn't a complete foreigner. The thing was, the longer I was there, the more comfortable I felt. More comfortable, in fact, than I feel in the church I've been a member of since I moved to Louisville. And I attribute that completely to the people that I was surrounded by.

I have never met such welcoming, gracious people! Every single person said hello to me, and there are people in my church that I've never even gotten a look from. During the prayer, we all held hands. The female pastor (another thing we Lutherans don't have) asked at one point for us to all give someone around us a hug. People came from the other side of the church to embrace me. My own father won't even pick up the phone to call me. (I don't call him either, but that's neither here nor there.) Even the oldest baby just walked right up to me when I was at the front of the church being thanked for coming and lifted her arms like she wanted to be held. I picked her up and held her, and then when I went to put her down to go back into the pew, she followed me and crawled up onto my lap. It was just such a cool feeling to know that not only was I being welcomed because they were being polite but because they were genuinely happy to know me and to have me there with them.

Random thoughts:

1. Those Hilshire Farm "Go Meat!" commercials are annoying. And I don't understand the concept of the airplane one. What appear to be complete strangers on a private jet? Eating lunch meat? Then conga lining it out of the plane? I hope no one got paid too much for that idea.

2. The idea of buying a house is freaking me out.

3. What do you do with a TV when it stops working? Do you just throw it away?