God Bless the Coffee Pot

Halfway through church on Sunday we paused to bless the new coffee pot.  Dwight led the procession to the kitchen carrying a cross, and Jan and Deacon Georgia and Nancy– all in their vestments– gathered close while we stood back a ways. Jan said a few words to God and the percolating pot, and then asked that the “liveliness of the bean” (as in coffee) “be a reminder of the liveliness of God’s love for us.” This kind of event at tiny St. Michael’s is why I attend church there.It has also prompted one much more formal Episcopalian friend to dub us “St. Loonies in the Boonies.” You know, that may be true, but a sense of humor goes a long way in a worship service and in life. On the back of the bulletin Jan had printed a quote from Paul Evdokimon, part of which read, ” It is not enough to have moments of praise. All of life, each act, every gesture, even the smile of the human face, must become a hymn of adoration, an offering, a prayer.”