Monday meditation

Mondays in retirement afford me the time to meditate on Sunday's worship. This morning I sat on the porch, sang several hymns accapella, prayed for a friend leaving on a mission trip this week, meditated on a prayer from Valley if Vision, and rethought yesterday's sermon from Matthew 6.
The wind of the Spirit blows across my mind, rustling my thoughts as the breeze gently turns the leaves over in the woods. Today I am processing my thoughts about the best sounds of Sundays out here. Dave and I now worship with a small congregation in Oakland; we currently have no pianist or organist, and we borrow the Episcopal Church for our services. The two sounds that draw my heart upward involve the hymns sung with harmony but no instruments and the swishing of pages in people's Bibles.
Happily, our worship leader, a frequent bass soloist in the Garrett County Choral Society, has a fantastic voice and leads well. But the richness that draws me to worship comes from the people singing harmony all around. The words minister truth and the harmony reminds us of the diversity in God's church. Different gifts can minister all week as God's people serve in various ways. And the other sound? Worshipers not only carry their Bibles, but they also turn to each passage, from the call to worship to the foundational passage for the pastoral prayer to the references made during the sermon. Like little Bereans, we follow each passage, personally seeking the truths of Scripture. The sound of those pages turning draws each heart to the main focus of worship: what do the Scriptures say.
I love the sound of people flipping pages in their Bibles! Interestingly enough, as I took a photo of my porch chair this morning, the breeze kicked in and turned the page in my Bible. Hope you have time for meditating on your Sunday worship.