This morning my travels took me to St. Matthew Lutheran in Waco for worship. Pr. Paul Krupicka retired at the end of August, so as I do so often lately, I joined the congregation to lead worship, have Q&A time with the congregation, and meet with the council to talk about next steps.

Thanks to the rainy weather of the weekend, it wasn’t quite the normal visit. Thankfully the rain held off until I was approaching Waco, but once I was off I-35, there was plenty of standing water along my way. Made it though!

juat in time for the power to go out. Believe it or not, I think this may have been my for time leading worship with no electricity – at least my first time in an unfamiliar setting.

Funny how church designs from a certain era don’t lend themselves well to worship without power. Dark wood and a lack of windows make for very little natural light. Not to mention the lack of air conditioning in Texas with humid rainy weather.

But we approached it with joy and humor and a lot of help from cell phone flashlight apps. Worship was still moving and joyful. And lo and behold! The lights came on just in time for communion so everyone could navigate safely around the altar. Let there be light!

While I do certainly look younger in dimmed lighting, it was much more enjoyable to actually see the people I was serving. It was also nice to see how beautiful the sanctuary is in the light.