Sermon on the Font

Last week I was in a small town for both the installation of their new vicar and for the monthly meeting of the new diocesan clergy.  For the most part, the liturgy went well (there were a couple of areas that bothered me, but nothing substantial) and nobody spilled anything.

At the meeting the following day we got a tour of the building.  One thing that kept coming up were personality issues between the new vicar and the self-appointed Queen Bee of the Altar Guild.  I've heard that there can be some serious contention between clergy and A.G., but I've never really run into it until that day.  One area was that QB kept moving the Paschal candle to where she wanted it, rather than leaving it where the vicar placed it. 

Part of this was that we all noticed the baptismal font was in a less-than-ideal place.  So we all sort of ganged up on the new vicar and got it moved to somewhere more prominent.  Said vicar was then trying to figure out how to incorporate that into the sermon.  I presented an idea that got the creative juices flowing, and that congregation was going to hear a sermon about the new location and how it tied in with the gospel reading for today (the raising of Jairus' daughter and the healing of the woman with the 12-year hemorrhage).

I sent an e-mail this afternoon asking how the Sermon on the Font went.  To both our pleasure, it went well and nobody from the congregation seemed to be up in arms.

*Side Note:  I had a meeting Saturday with my own A.G. to clarify and standardize some practices.  I also told them that story and reminded them that I loved them all very much.  I have a GREAT Altar Guild.