Long Term Plan

The inspiration came from an incident that happened in November 2009. I wrote about it in December 2010. On October 12, 2011, the date of my Didache reflection, two friends (J and Gina) commented on the amazing coincidence that it came out on that particular day.

The last date in this trilogy was the birthday of Reggie, a brother in our community. It was a special celebration – a thanksgiving for a blessed life. To honor him and as a gift for a man who has almost everything, we prepared a dance.

We threw all dignity to the wind for the love of a brother. We were jokingly threatened to be disowned by other members of the community if we tarnish the good name of Feast Alabang. And since some of the people who were going to perform our Grease number were no longer strangers to arthritis and high blood pressure, disownment was a huge possibility.

By the grace of God, we pulled it off. The cheers and enthusiastic applause by the audience assured we don’t have to say we belong to Feast Marilao or some other Feast.

Was it just an amazing coincidence or a divine long term plan that my reflection came out on that day? I’d say the second because the Sunday immediately after the party, our worship leader even used the coincidence in his exhortation. With God’s perfect timing, people are still being blessed by an incident that happened two years ago.

My October 12 Didache reflection:

A CHORUS LINE

“Woe to you, Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces.” – Luke 11: 43

I love performing. That’s the reason why I joined the glee club in college. Singing and dancing onstage under the lights, in front of big applauding crowds, was the highlight of my college life.

When I joined Light of Jesus, my ministry of choice was, naturally, music. Later, our chapter’s Music Ministry was absorbed into the South Feast in Alabang. I noticed that pride was an issue in the beginning. We were like Pharisees who loved the limelight. Feelings were hurt over lead singer assignments; some members thought they were too good to be taught. But as our service increased, pride slowly decreased.

Joining the chorus at the 2009 Kerygma Conference was a humbling experience for many of us. It was a big chorus. Those of us in the third row were not seen by the audience or on camera. But more than performing in front of a huge crowd in Araneta, our biggest thrill was singing for the Lord and touching the people there. It didn’t matter to me that only a fourth of my face was seen in the official photos. I knew from where He sat, the Lord could see us.