One incredible moment

The world sometimes spins in the right direction. Sometimes the feeling is simply a right one. Sometimes you know you've done the will of God because the peace of God comes on you.

I was thinking yesterday about numbers. What did Jesus think when he fed 5,000 or the 4,000? First, what was his methodology? Watching the Son of God recently, I saw something wonderful. Empty baskets became filled with fish. Now, one might question why the folks had the baskets in the first place since they had no idea there would be a fish, bread miracle. But what I saw was 5,000 people. Five thousand people showed up to just hear a man preach. Five thousand who hadn't been there before. What must Jesus have thought?

Then Peter. When he preached for the first time, 3,000 joined the church in a day. What must he have thought? How did they include 3,000 persons in a church that had no building? What was the baptism truly like?

I wonder these things.

I wonder about those persons who hit the last shot to win a basketball game. How do they feel afterwards? Or the ones who make the last second touchdown run or grab? Or the walk-off home run.

For one moment, they are beyond the pale of expectation. For one moment, things couldn't possibly get better.

Or when your wedding goes exactly as planned, or the birth of your first child, or the purchase of your first home when all that financial stuff is done?

There are bad moments you remember forever, Kennedy's assignation, the Challenger, 9-11. But there are good moments, fine moments, moments like would never, ever forget.

Then yesterday, 47 showed up in our new church. Our dead church. Forty seven came.

What must we think, co-pastor Sione and me?

I think Sione says it best: "Thank you everyone for being with us in worship yesterday. Excitement is in the air."

We came, we served communion together, we preached, we introduced new music, we came. And as the Lord said once long ago: It was good.

That's what we think. Through very little overall discussion and planning, we succeeded not because we ran out of bulletins, not because people came who weren't previously part of this church, not because we have an incredible piano player in our midst with more musical talent to come.

For once, just one wonderful, incredible moment, we are in the will of God.

It's early in our church's life, but it is there.