something that makes you go "hmmmmm"

Beautiful day today and I set about to walk along the Danforth and took pictures of the fall colours around the parks. People must think I was nuts for taking so many pictures of leaves scattered on the ground.

Having heard earlier on TV that there was going to be a "Remembrance Day" parade downtown at ten o'clock, I took the subway then bus to the Moss Park Armory. However, maybe I heard it wrong because there was no parade anywhere. But walking around the block I certainly got a good exercise.

When finally I decided to head back home, I noticed the spire of an old church protruding like a sore thumb amidst modern structures, hydropoles, Thai restaurant signs, among others, so I took a picture. It is quite distinctive with its greenish colour and as I approached, I thought about its place along this street with its clubs (including one strip club for sure) and the hookers that ply around it in the evening.

While waiting to cross the street, I saw that a few vines still clung to its walls, the red shades contrasting against the slate colours of the brick walls. I must have been so intent in my admiration of this very simple sight that when I walked right in front, a well-dressed woman holding a bunch of "flyers" asked me as she handed me a flyer, "Would you like to join our service today?"

Rather amused and surprised, I took the flyer, looked at her face and without hesitation I replied, "Sure, why not?" I looked around and asked, "What time is the service?"

"Eleven," she replied. I raised my coat sleeve to check my watch; the lady did the same. "Well, look at that, you are just in time!"

Indeed, I was. I headed for the huge entrance door but lingered outside, taking pictures of the red vine and saw that there were little berries growing on the stems. Initially, I thought I'd just leave when the lady wasn't looking. But I stood right in front of the door for a few seconds before I finally decided to go in because it really felt like I was being pulled in.

There were only very few people. The pews were in a semi-circular arrangement with the pastor and choir conductor on a raised dais. The choir was fantastic! They had a screen where the lyrics of the hymns were shown. The hymns all came back to me. The last time I attended a service like that was back in the old country. And the pastor delivered an excellent sermon on the subject "We belong to Christ" with reference to Romans 14:1-10. The pastor read the scriptures along with the congregation.

There was a point in the service where some of the members of the congregation started clapping their hands to the beat of one of the hymns. At the end of the song, the pastor said, "To those who are here for the first time, we'd like you to know that we are allowed to clap when we sing."

I enjoyed that spontaneous random worship. I might go there for Christmas service.