Late yesterday afternoon we learned that due to the rain from the morning, our baseball games were canceled. In trying to decide what to do with our time we remembered we were considering the music program that our church choir was doing. We did not think that we could because of schedule conflicts and honestly, it was not in our 'new' budget. As Drew and I talked about it we decided we would use a gift card for our Anniversary dinner (which is tomorrow) and go to the choir program. What a blessing we received! If you are in the Atlanta area, make plans tonight to go to the Cobb Energy Center to hear the Johnson Ferry Choir and Orchestra's presentation of "The Story." It will definitely prepare your heart for Easter.
As we walked up toward the ticket window a lady stepped away from a group and asked, "Do you have tickets?" We said, "No, we are about to buy them." She said, "How many do you need?" We said, "5." She began counting out five tickets and handed them to us. We offered to pay and she said, "No just receive it as a gift from Holt Rd Baptist in Marietta." Drew and I both looked at each other with tears in our eyes. Wow Lord, you take care of our every need. But our greatest need was about to be met as we sat for over an hour in the presence of the Lord. Feeling Him, Thinking on Him and Worshiping Who He is.
The Cobb Energy Center is a "new" venue in town. None of us had been there. It is a beautiful building but definitely a theater or concert hall feel. The program began by calling upon the Lord to be welcome and present. Oh! He was! As the room became a sanctuary, the presence of the Lord fell all over us. The music was beautiful. I cried through most of it. Since Brock died I haven't sat through one worship service without a tear falling at some point. I am always so moved by the words and music. I am either overcome with what the Lord has done for me, who He is or my deep longing to sing praises to Him for Eternity in Heaven. Often I find myself wondering what Brock hears in Heaven. How beautiful the music must be in its perfect form and how beautiful the angels must sound! When I wasn't crying I was smiling at Barrett. About every 5 minutes he would lean over and tell me a "new" person he recognized. There is Mrs. Rebekah my piano teacher, there is Carter's mom, there is Mr. Johnson, there is my choir teacher..... this went on all night long. He was so excited to see these people on stage. When the soloist sang the most beautiful arrangement of the old hymn, Are you washed in the Blood? he leaned over to me and said, "Mom, white as snow, remember?" I said. "Yeah that's you, Barrett." Asa's favorite part was the sand artist. Have you seen this? (click on the words sand artist, show your kids) He was on stage and creating while the choir sang a couple of songs. It was amazing. His final picture was one from the perspective of Jesus looking from the inside of the tomb out. The linens were laying folded and the stone rolled away with light bursting forth. It was beautiful.
Mason commented that his favorite part was when the two drama ladies talked about the custom of the folded napkin. The reader theater type drama throughout the concert was two ladies in a coffee shop (named HeBrews) talking about how some of our modern day customs originated with the Bible. The last custom they talked about is the custom of the folded napkin. She tells how in Jewish or Hebrew life it was customary for the servant to lay a folded napkin at the table for the Master. The servant would stand out of the way but still pay attention to the needs of the Master. If the Master would get up from the table and crumble his napkin that meant he was finished...BUT if he folded the napkin neatly, it meant he was coming back. The cloth that covered Jesus' face when he was placed in the tomb was neatly folded when the women went back to find the tomb empty. John 20:7 ...as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. The cloth was folded to say, "I am coming back." He is coming back! When he does I will no longer imagine what the music sounds like in Heaven, I will join with the angels singing, Holy Holy Holy!!
The evening was wonderful. I won't mention names but one child did say, "I am so so sorry that I said I did not want to come."
