I don't normally get a lot of time in worship on Sunday mornings. It all depends on where the children's message is in the order of things. Today, it was really a good 30 minutes or so into the service, which doesn't often happen.
As I sat there, I got to thinking about today's view from the pew. What I saw made me feel very good. Families, wonderful and unique. Single parents and their children. Two moms and their children, sitting with their chosen family. Children interspersed, quietly engaged in activity, all sharing snacks. Everyone feeling comfortable.
Directly in front of me were a father and son I enjoy sitting near. The father is older, and his twenty-something son has special needs and limited communication skills. The son loves music and enjoys being in worship. He takes his father's hand and brings it to his head, wanting his father to stroke his short hair. The father lovingly does so. A few moments go by and the son puts his hand to his father's head and returns the gesture and says, "Dad." I felt the lump rise in my throat and the tears to my eyes.
When they sit in front of me, I am an intimate witness to the father singing hymns to his son, holding his hand during prayer, or serving him Communion.
Coming to worship, being accepted for who we are with all that makes us unique Children of God is comforting and peaceful for me. Today's view from the pew was all that.
