I fall during the lesson and find myself looking up at the
ceiling.
The nave, covered with alternating stars and suns, painted
lovingly in blue and gold watches over the congregation and over me.Year after year, the stars and suns have seen so many come and go-
Some are here for brief periods,
Others will be baptized, confirmed, married, and then buried
under the shadow of the painted stars.
These representations of the sky, speak an older truth,
of how God revealed his promises to Abraham and told him
that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars-
the symbol of Israel, the symbol of our heritage.
And the suns with them remind us of the One true Light, who
is the life of all men, of Christ.They speak of new days, of the gospel and of our mission to witness to the Light, to Christ.
And suddenly, it seems that I am no longer staring at the
stars and suns on the ceiling of the church,
I am part of the
church, just as they are and we are all called to be witnesses in the world,
just as the depictions witness the congregation.
I stumble and fall once more,
One of the witnesses looks at my form, prostrate in the
narthex,
He doesn’t give it a second thought as I come to,
Silently, he
witnesses my fall, makes sure that all is well and goes on his way.
In that moment, I
know the truth, the one that is found in this place of worship,
I am just another
member, another part of the church, and the peace which passes understanding
envelops me.
Though my fall is witnessed here- in this moment of
weakness, I am made whole- one with the father, one with the Son, and one with
the church.
I am simple one star who may flicker, but who bears witness
to the light, just as the stars and sun on the painted ceiling bear witness to the
congregation and to Christ. 
