I don’t know what it is about April, but for three years now, that seems to be the month where my vertigo comes back and tries to wrestle me into submission. So I wasn’t all that surprised when I got out of bed this morning and had to use the walls to keep me from falling down as I made my way to the bathroom.
I thought about not going to church, but after another hour of sleep I seemed mostly functional so I soldiered on.
I left later than I usually do, so I wasn’t surprised when I didn’t hear any prelude music upon walking into the church. But then I realized I didn’t hear anyone speaking from the pulpit, either. I couldn’t really hear anything.
I walked in the chapel and looked up at the rostrum. I saw no one standing at the pulpit . . . and no one sitting at the organ.
Apparently, the two women who swap organ duties every other month are out of town, and neither one called to ask if I’d be around to fill in.
So, assuming I was officially the only game in town, I walked up to the organ at 10:03 (much to the relief of the woman who was sitting at the piano), flipped it on, guessed at some stops, and played one piece of prelude before the service officially started.
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| Notice no pedal stops are lit.
Long live the bass coupler. |
Then I looked at the hymns.
The first one was easy-peasy.
The second one is my favorite to sing (the alto line actually moves), so I was a little annoyed that I’d have to play it instead. (I’m a purist who believes if you are providing the music, that’s your offering to God. Singing only makes you screw up and it looks weird.) But whatever.
The third one I can play quite well on the piano, but playing it on the organ? Different story. It wasn’t an entire train wreck, but it had some moments.
The fourth one, I played the 1st, 3rd, and 4th lines almost flawlessly. The 2nd line? It was so bad the first time through that I started laughing, and didn’t really stop laughing until the song was over.
I like these odd-ball moments at church–it reminds me that God also likes to laugh, and that the pomp and circumstance we sometimes think He requires of our service is less important than just showing up.
Even if we show up a little late.
Julie Rowse 