i sat in the early morning of spring
listening to the singing of the birds.
their songs went unhindered by the stillness.
their tunes spoke of new blooms displayed.
it was the second sunday of the pause.
the girls slept quietly under cotton sheets.
i sat at my watch post in the study
and filled more pages with digital notes.
i wrote of the lessons we learned in summer,
remembered the wonders we found in play,
the way the sea covered us in His mercies,
the memories carrying us home to praise.
when the kids awoke from their long slumber,
they made their way to the outdoor temple,
covered themselves under blankets of fleece,
propped up their feet as I whispered to God,
thank you for the voice streaming on the screen,
the leader speaking to the empty room.
thank you for the years of faithful preaching
him leading us home to the blooms of Spring.
thank you that he stayed through the winters,
that he weathered the storms with silent grace.
he let us grow at the spirit’s pace
as God called us each to our own races.
he forgave us when we failed to follow Him,
grace giving us permission to all be flawed.
he confessed his weaknesses before us,
and urged us to store up eternal treasure.
thank you God for brad evangelista,
for the foundation laid under our feet.
for the words you called him to preach,
for the times you called him to be silent,
and for the times you told him to speak.
let us be faithful sheep as spring moves in
giving thanks for the tender shoots of green,
the pastor only seen on living streams
of water flowing soft from laptop screens
the years of laboring behind the scenes
sending all good things out to the nations
planting seeds of faith in fertile soil
giving thanks to those who toiled before us
thank you Father for covering us
in the wings of the mothership, the church,
for the love and work of a faithful father,
a shepherd standing firm at the pulpit,
God’s word held tightly in his hand
asking us to swiftly band together
and spend the years that we have left
casting away the stones we throw
and using them to build up
the local church instead.
Amen.
Click here to listen to Brad’s message from today’s worship service. I was so blessed by the truths he spoke about Paul’s thorn and the good things that come from circumstances in our lives that we cannot change.