Poem:

Due to the fainting problem, I often faintin church. In fact, this has happens so often that when someone else fainted in church, it took my mother, who is a physician a few minutes to realize that I wasn't in church that day.

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.