Sermons Rain, Fish for the Multitude, and the Paper Plate Police

Sermons Rain, Fish for the Multitude, and the Paper Plate Police

Posted 9/29/10

ST Joseph's AME Church Annual Gathering

Sunday, September26, 2010 – the big day.  Church was fantastic.  Reverend Cousin of the Saint Joseph AME Church (Durham NC) gave a wonderful sermon based on Acts 9 and Tabitha “Dorcas”. Previously in Sunday School we studied Exodus 34:1-10. Our key verse
6And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord! the Lord! a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving-kindness and truth.


Today was the annual Church Gathering, and if the weather would be anything like last year then I knew we would have grand time.  It was not to be; however, for shortly after 3pm it began drizzling.  Folks huddled under the tent in snake like lines, waiting to get their food. Some were miserable, as I walked along the line, saying hello to everyone and pointing to same young children (oblivious to the onslaught of rain) across the way on the slides, which had become water slides, and commented, “We could all take a lesson from them.”


Despite the rain it was a pretty good day with powerful jazz music coming from the pastors’ own private collection and many of us stayed the duration,   ducking inside to the fellowship hall to get dry and then emerging, again and again,  to see what has happening outside - and of course to get seconds of the chicken (baked and fried) fish, BBQ, coleslaw, cobbed-corn, hushpuppies and delicious tea.

Leaning against the wall with the other sisters in spirit we joked and laughed and watched folks pass by -some running, some walking, some just standing not caring about getting wet.   We were quite enjoying ourselves, when out of the blue - a big man jumped in front of us  demanding to know where we got our plates.

It threw us for a loop for a as we stood there stunned  - up again the wall, as if on a chain gain – and we stuttered and fumbled for an explanation as to why we had  one pate covering another.  As we were grilled on how many times we went through the line  it was about to get heated  when to our relief -  the  paper plate “po po”  spotted another criminal who had two cups of tea or something like that and off he went.
It was hilarious as, after he left,  we talked about what we would do to him if “he’da said that to me”   One woman on a walker  said she would-a  slapped him with her fish and other older lady said.  “We don’t play that where I come from” “ as a voice piped up small and meek “I got ya back sister” - and we all cracked up with laughter and the heat of the moment was gone as the paper plate police  went lumbering down the tent line – no doubt inspecting   crumbs on folks’ chin!

All in all a pretty good day!

Acts 9:31
31So the church throughout
the whole of Judea and Galilee
and Samaria had peace and
was edified [growing in
wisdom, virtue, and piety]
and walking in the respect
and reverential fear of the
Lord and in the consolation
and exhortation of the
Holy Spirit, continued to
increase and was multiplied.