Today I was up and out of the house at six thirty a.m. to gather with the Thursday morning women’s prayer breakfast. We gather weekly for prayer and fellowship. Upon arrival I greeted the men’s group coordinator who shared he had been diagnosed with leukemia, his second round of cancer. We discussed the additional grief this news adds to his family who recently lost his brother to cancer.
Following our gathering, I moved into Holiday Market mode. Holiday Market is a forty-one-year-old fundraising event for youth missions. Our guests count on homemade cinnamon rolls to nibble on in the morning. Having no one to make them this year meant my first morning call was to a bakery. The next call secured advertising. Then I sent an email to assure flyers were going up in local coffee shops and stores. Our social media assistant, Lilli Hill (my daughter), showed up to do some in-office work. My grandson, Elijah, was with her, and of course I had to stop and give him a hug.
At nine a.m. I headed to my weekly voice lesson. I have always been involved in some type of musical expression. When I am not singing, I begin to feel like part of me is missing. My schedule doesn’t allow much extra time to join a choir so I take lessons and participate in two recitals a year. Musical expression is therapeutic and rejuvenates my creative self and soul. It is time well spent.
Heading back to work I received a call from a church member who needed to voice her congregational concerns. Then I received another call from a member who needed a ride to pick up her newly adopted cat. Before the morning concluded, I met with a young woman who grew up attending our church. She had traveled with our youth group, and I officiated her wedding a few years ago. We spent time catching up with each other and discussing the joys and struggles of her new family life.
The afternoon arrived, and I shifted toward sermon preparation. Mixed in my exploration of the biblical text I continued to answer calls and emails concerning Holiday Market. I noticed an email from a community social worker and responded to her questions concerning food for homeless high school students. Our volunteer food pantry coordinator and I discussed the frequency of folks visiting the pantry. I responded to an email concerning volunteer work with another partner organization. In-between it all I continued reading articles and researching my sermon text. Later in the day, I received a call from a doctoral student needing to vent.
In the midst of business and multitasking, I experience our Triune God all day long. A prognosis of cancer evoked concern and care for family while faith provided strength and courage. The women’s group shared sacred communion through food, fellowship, and prayer. The presence of Christ was evidenced as volunteers generously offered their time and support to Holiday Market. My young friend expressed the Spirit’s holy nudging to raise her family in a community of faith. Our conversation proved God has been at work in her life for a very long time. I witnessed God working through the lives of social workers and our church’s volunteers who were seeking to meet the needs of the least of these. Time for grandbabies and music provided much needed spiritual renewal. Through it all, there was time to offer and receive the fruits of God’s labor, who is indeed working all the time.
Kathy Pickett is pastor of congregational life, Holmeswood Baptist Church, Kansas City, Missouri.