Giving Up/Holding On

Last night was my last Church in the Box as a staff member. It also kind of marked my last responsibility with Redeemer. Though I have a couple of work things to do, this was my last 'big' thing to do. So in essence I'm just waiting for grad.

The second last song we sang last night was Give Us Clean Hands, which contained the line from which we mounted our annual theme - a generation seeking Your face. I've always loved singing that song at CITB because most of us are of the same generation. So I feel like it is literally a generation singing/crying out to God and asking Him to be a generation of children seeking after Him. I spoke with a couple of other people last night about this and they said they felt the same way. One friend said she found herself taking a moment to look around at the hundreds of other people in her age group with hands raised, voices pouring out from hearts, and asking for the same thing.

The prayer team sits spread throughout the auditorium for blanket prayer coverage, and this month I found myself near the middle of the top of the balcony. So while we were singing these lines "Oh God let us be a generation that seeks, that seeks your face oh God of Jacob" I had my hands fully outstretched - right out to the finger tips and below me was almost the entire congregation and I felt as a departing part of this generation God was pouring His energy and His blessings out through my hands to all the people below.

The last song of the night was a traditional song of benediction at Redeemer - My Friends May You Grow in Grace. The lyrics for that (as I can't find them online) are as follows:

My friends may you grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour. My friends may you grow in grace and in the love of Jesus Christ.

To God be the glory, now and forever. Now and forever, amen. To God be the glory, now and forever. Now and forever, amen.

During this song the entire congregation took the hands of their neighbours and linked all of the rows of seating together. The way this usually happens (and last night was no different) was that we stand there holding hands during My friends may you grow in grace... and then for the To God be the glory... part everyone lifts their hands up. So during the last song of my last CITB (as a team member), my last time to worship as a registered member of this community, I got to sing my prayer for this community. I so desperately want them to grow in these things. I understandably got a little misty at this point. And then as we were singing To God be the glory... it was like the perfect concluding statement. Yes, to God be the glory for this ministry year with CITB. To God be the glory for a 6 year undergrad in 7 years. To God be the glory for healing after migraines, depression, allergies, abuse, pneumonia, broken relationships... To God be the glory for almost 27 years of life. And to God be the glory for however many years are left. To God be the glory.