It's been an ongoing joke since my tour days. For some reason Romans 12 crops up in the oddest situations. For a while on tour we had a sermon on Romans 12 for weeks on end, different churches, different states even. At that point it could be argued that Romans 12 was the tour chapter, and not mine personally.
I came back to Yakima and attended First Pres for the first time in years. Not long after, a Romans 12 reference. Kris and I went church hopping. Romans 12. I was thinking about joining a Bible Study that I wasn't sure if I wanted to, "alright guys, turn to Romans 12." It was actually Romans 13 that day, ye olde governing authority bit, but the fact that he would misquote the first day I was there was suspect.
This morning I dragged myself out of bed for Imago Dei, my favorite church in Portland. I almost didn't make it into town this weekend. I've been sick since thursday, but it was Tasha's birthday. I love Imago Dei. It's the most eclectic church. The songs are mostly old hymn lyrics to new settings, with any accompaniment of instruments that volunteer that sunday. Today it was guitar, oboe, violin, and jimbae. The communion altars are along the front of the gym auditorium (when I first went there they met in an old Catholic church) with iconography behind the bread baskets and wine goblets. There's very little ceremony. At communion you go when you feel you've prayed or sung or confessed enough, though for "due process" you leave whatever row you're in to join the lines snaking their way down the isles. They have various organic home groups, some children's programs, and a theology program designed for lay people, taught by the theological members of the congregation. Very cool. I digress. Today the pastor stood up in front of the congregation, prayed, and told us to open our Bibles to Romans 12. I burst out laughing, and then, being sick, started choking. Made quite a spectacle. People around me looking for the girl having seisures. The girl next to me wanted to know what was funny. And Tasha laughed too, because she's been there most of the time.
If I ever get a tattoo, it'll be Romans 12 backwards on my forehead.
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