Scot Bontrager, Senior Pastor
When I was a kid I loved to make and fly paper airplanes.
After church my brothers and I would collect used worship bulletins, take them home, and recycle them into our various flying creations.
Sometimes I’d go back to church (First United Methodist, Garden City, Kansas) and sneak into the sanctuary, go up to the balcony, and see how many airplanes I could land on the chancel.
Or better yet, all the way to the high altar at the far back of the chancel.
I knew I had to do it at times when no one else was around, lest I get scolded for playing in the sanctuary.
Imagine my delight when, during Vacation Bible School here at First United Methodist Garland last week, we made paper airplanes in the science room.
My muscle memory took over as I folded a couple of my favorite designs, something I’d not done in over 30 years.
The youth helpers kept saying, “No way!”
My two creations didn’t fly particularly well – certainly not as well as I remembered – but well enough to inspire others to try my designs for themselves.
I didn’t encourage anyone to try letting one sail from the sanctuary balcony, but I wonder if next year we might need to give that a try.
So often when people have an experience of being “born again,” they lose their childlike sense of playfulness.
I think somehow “holy” got confused with “dour.”
The sanctuary is holy space, space set apart for the worship of God.
But it isn’t, and ought not be, dour space.
If setting a paper airplane free awakens us to the presence of the Holy Spirit and gives us joy, then we should take time to refold our bulletins and find a nice place to see how far they will sail.
Worship should frequently fill us with joy, and should always remind us that we are children; we are children who are loved by God.
First Reflections 