A SUNDAY TO REMEMBER

“...Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a Memorial before God.” (from Acts 10:4)

This coming weekend is Memorial Day weekend.  I’m old enough to remember when Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30- always May 30 whether it fell on a Monday, a Thursday, or a Saturday.  In those days,  IF May 30 fell on a Sunday, it was celebrated on Monday, May 31.  Somewhere around 1971, all of that changed.  Memorial Day became the last Monday in May and “Memorial Day weekend” became enshrined as “the beginning of Summer” (even as Labor Day weekend had previously been enshrined as “the end of Summer”.)  As a teenager, I used to march with the Canton High School band in the Canton, Massachusetts Memorial Day parades.  Back in the 1960s and 1970s, parades remembering our fallen heroes along with solemn visits to cemeteries were regular parts of Memorial Day.  Sadly, that is not as true today.

Most of you know from an earlier blog entry that I’ll be spending Memorial Day working on putting on a new deck at my residence.  I would, however, like to share about what our small church will be doing for Memorial Day SUNDAY, on May 28.  Well over ten years ago, I used to get SO frustrated on Memorial Day weekend,  Fourth of July weekend, and Labor Day weekend.  The attendance would be WAY down.  “Everybody” would be at Cape Cod or New Hampshire frolicking and enjoying the holiday.  I resented trying to run a Sunday School without workers, and all sorts of other church problems that come from having your “best workers” away.  Then, one year, God gave me wisdom.  It was like God was saying to me in an audible voice, “Don’t fight it.  Enjoy the weekend.  Dress casual.  Don’t have Sunday School.  Have the service earlier.”  Back in the mid-1990s, we even used to have church outdoors on those weekends.  (In fact, tentatively, this year on Fourth of July weekend we will meet outdoors!)  I began to LOVE those big 3 Summer weekends. I still do!  Man, it seems like it was JUST New Year’s Day!  Can it really be...Summer?!

If you’re anywhere within driving distance of downtown Framingham, Massachusetts, we’d LOVE to have you join us for the Morning Worship Service at First Assembly of God of Framingham.  It’s a small church of well under 50, but don’t let that scare you!  Our church building (which we bought in 1994) is the former United Auto Workers union hall located at 32 South St. off Route 135.  Believe it or not, our property borders the Chicken Bone Saloon!  If you can find the “Chicken Bone” you can find our facility!  I do ask that you at least wear sneakers (or “tennis shoes” as they call them in the Midwest) and that guys at least wear tee-shirts and gals have no bare midriffs.  In other words, dress “modestly” but casually.  I’ll probably be in jeans and a very casual shirt.  For Memorial Day Sunday we meet at 9:30 a.m. and the service will end around 11.  Our church IS not BORING!  

What else are you possibly going to do on Sunday morning that’s more important?!

I’ll be attending a cookout on Sunday afternoon, and I’ll be working on my deck on Saturday and Monday, but on Sunday morning, I’ll be in “the house of God” in downtown Framingham, and I can’t think of a better place to be!

Hope to see you Sunday!
check out www.framingham.com/religion/1stasgod.htm