Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Stop, Drop & Worship


Picture from Metro's Baptism service 2005

The most terrible (if your dad’s a firefighter) and awesome thing happened this past Sunday at church. You have to first of all realize that we aren’t in our own building yet so we meet in a high school auditorium, which is actually a very sweet set-up.
Anyway, there we were standing together in worship when these flashes went off. One, two, three. I saw our worship leader, Chad kind of look into the audience. He was thinking the same thing I was thinking, “Who is taking multiple pictures with that freaking bright flash?”
Then the alarms sounded. Piercing triplets...BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Chad kept singing, the band kept playing, the people kept worshiping.
BEEP BEEP BEEP! FLASH FLASH FLASH!!
As I said, I’m a firefighter’s daughter so I realized pretty quickly...FIRE ALARM!!
I grabbed my purse and started figuring out just who I’d have to trample to get to daboyz who were sitting in the front with their youth group.
BEEP BEEP BEEP! FLASH FLASH FLASH!!
The youth pastor headed up the aisle looking for the problem.
Chad kept singing, the band kept playing, the people kept worshiping. I also kept worshiping with one eye open and my purse on my shoulder ready to leap into action.
BEEP BEEP BEEP! FLASH FLASH FLASH!!
Pastor comes up on the stage looking around. A few people in the congregation looking around. I counted four people I’d have to trample to reach daboyz. Collateral damage is to be expected.
Chad kept singing, the band kept playing, the people kept worshiping.
BEEP BEEP BEEP! FLASH FLASH FLASH!!
The pastor came up on the stage and announced not to worry, a kid back in the kid’s church area had set off the fire alarm. No need to panic.
Well, that’s a relief. Four people were spared this big girl running over top of them to save the poor helpless 6'+ boyz.
Chad kept singing, the band kept playing, the people kept worshiping.
Time to slow it down and for Tina to lead us in what is perhaps my all time favorite worship song, “The Air I Breathe”...
So there’s my girl ready to lead us, Chad helping us focus and asking God to watch out for people with epilepsy as there was quite a strobe show going on.
Tina says, “Panic in the disco...” which cracked me up.
Then the downbeat.
Then my girl whose worship makes the angels go silent...
This is the air I breathe. This is the air I breathe. Your holy presence, living in me...
I’m desperate for you. I’m lost without you.

beep, beep, beep, flash, flash, flash
And the people kept worshiping.
Yeah, I know. We should’ve immediately evacuated. We shouldn’t have waited for the all-clear.
But my God; to be a part of people who refuse to stop worshiping.
What a sweet Sunday morning.

P.S. Turns out the kid that pulled the fire alarm? Pastor’s son who got a little excited playing a game that required him to run to the alarm. Ha! P.K.s

Psalm 100:2
Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

3 comments:

KayMac said...

love the way you described this. very sweet indeed!

Deb said...

this is a test....
this is only a test...
for the next sixty seconds,
this church will be conducting
a test of the emergency fire alarm system.
this is only a test.
had this been an actual emergency,
you would have been instructed where to tune in your area
for news and official information.
this is only a test.
beeeeeeeeeepppppp!

Tonya said...

Sara, that is awesome. But I also have to add that it was pretty funny for me to hear that it was Pastor's Kid.... Oh and Tina does have such a powerfully beautiful voice... It is great!