When The Church Takes A Snow Day

When the church takes a snow day it means no one comes calling before worship.  Meetings and Classes are suspended until next week.  This gives people the extra hour or so to dig their cars out of the snow, add that one extra layer on before facing the frosty temps, or enjoying that extra cup of coffee. 

When the church takes a snow day it means meticulously crafted bulletins are set aside for next week because the service reflecting on the Baptism of the Lord is perfect for ordaining and installing new church officers.  And you want to have a good turnout for worship in light of such celebrations.  It means the date on the cover will be wrong. But it means the content of the service will be right.

When the church takes a snow day it means everyone sits up front.  No one left behind to sit lonely in a faraway pew. Nametags reflect the colors of the window-stained.  Choir members mingle with friends they do not often see.  Children wave as they enter the scene.

When the church takes a snow day it means the pastor has taken the time to create a new, simplified order of worship because attendance is sure to be light.  It means everyone from the staff to the ushers is surprised when more bulletins need to be made before church begins. More and more cold noses and warm smiles trickle in. 

When the church takes a snow day it means we have a substitute pianist, one who is known and loved in the church.  One who plays the simplest of hymns with joy and unknowingly selects one of my favorite songs for the offertory. 

When the church takes a snow day it means the pastors "shoot from the hip."  Robes are discarded in offices and liturgy is led from the Communion Table.  It means children and church members receive the message God intended for them. How to spread God's words from their own mouths.  "I love you. I forgive you." 

When the church takes a snow day it means no lemonade and cookies after church is over.  More importantly, it highlights the nature of friendly conversations enduring long after the sounds of the piano have ceased.  Regardless of whether there were snacks. 

There is a hint of magic in the air, in the quiet that lay with the white covered ground.  Community abounds.  When the church takes a snow day.