There have already been a few accounts of Pastor Ed's incident. And God's divine appointment for Alex Hong's first sermon,but this is my account of what happened. I was asked to do this by a friend... Honestly I didn't wanna do it but I'll try. BTW this is really long... I dont care if you read or not, but this is everything that happened to me that day. You can just fast forward to the climactic part if you don't have patience though. It's your choice.
Alright another morning another Sunday. I felt so relaxed lying in bed...I didn't want to get up,but I'm reminded that my Father is calling me in church. I reach for my phone and check my missed calls... OHH CRAP I NEED A RIDE TO SUNDAY SCHOOL! I call my kuya buzz frantically realizing he had already called me responding to my late night request for a ride. He picks up telling me he just got up also...(sigh of relief) I go to get ready. I had a pleasant morning thinking ahead.In my head I was very comfortable. Now that I look back on this I realize it shouldn't be too comfortable. I sing songs with my kuya buzz as we try getting his "poor excuse of a radio" working. We arrive 30 minutes late... and I quickly get to my seat hoping pastor Henry doesn't spot me out(he did).
I listen to the lesson from my Tito Vic Bonus. I learn about the stewardship of time. I learn to use my body for Christ and how I must present my body as holy and blameless before God. We end the class late again and we all rush to memorize the verse. We end up cheating... or forgeting... oh how we need to pump that Spiritual iron. We sing our sunday school song. those wonderful wonderful sunday school songs. Right after we head outside to fellowship where laughs and edification takes place.
Then it starts. The service begins and I struggle to figure out where I should sit. I choose to sit on the closest table to the front so I could take notes. It was a good day to take notes. We listened to Alain's first praise and worship on Sunday accompanied by Ryan's amazing guitar playing, kuya Alvin's sick beats on the box, wind chime... cymbal thingy and Ate Faye's usual excellent singing. We all sit and watch Alex take the lead in singing hymns ( I was secretly laughing hearing Alex sing for the congregation) and scripture reading. And the big man walks up to the pulpit.
There he is. As prominent as ever. I had just told him his new haircut made him look like a stud.(Okay no I didn't but I did compliment him) To be honest I wasn't completelly attentive to his lesson I was dazed at first watching him up there sort of in my own world. I forgot what I was thinking of. I remember why I sat down on the tables and so I take out a pen.
I write my title Pastor Ed Ormeo
I listen to his words and all I hear is..."All things work together for God's good to..." Tita Daybelen screams...I look up just to see Pastor Ed's voice trail off... he hits the floor.... I hear everyone in the building (mostly the front) yells. They crowd around him and I can't even see Pastord Ed.(In my head I'm thinking STOP CROWDING HIM... I dont know to me it seemed like it made the situation worse. but it just showed how many people love Pastor Ed) I start to see people like Leon and Alex stand up and move a little closer to see if their friend was okay... Melissa whispers to Kristine" PRAY!" I hear Tito Joey yell "Call 911" I don't actually know who called 911 but my father tells me later my mom was the one who called.(Later I thought...wow my mom is quick. She was also the same person who called 911 when Kayla's head was bleeding when we played baseball) Aside from all this what the heck did I do...
I just sat there.
What the heck was going on. I was still waiting. Waiting for his words to continue from where he left off,but he didn't have to. The words he said as he fell were true and didn't need to be continued. The verse he stated as he fell. Romans 8:28 This was happening for a reason. All the people in this Church would be impacted and changed from this moment.. for God's good to those who love Him. God was amazing. I began to pray.
"God you are sovereign. Pastor Ed loves you. We love Pastor Ed. Lord let your will be done above all,but please give us more time."
I open my eyes with my pen still ready to write. I'm still in bewilderment sitting there with my head on my hand leaning on my elbow. Then the incredible happens... He gets back up. (I find out later that he was consicous when he fell. he got dizzy and lost balance...but this has happened before) They give him a chair to sit in and he just sits there and I see the remorse in his eyes. ( I think he didn't want the Church to worry about him and he was kinda hating his body at the moment) The church did love him so.
I was thinking that maybe Church service was over and I was going to cloes my notebook and I heard his voice go "ahh where was I"
WHAT THE HECK! DIDN'T HE ALMOST JUST DIE! I laugh uneasily in my head thinking this is service. This is a servant's heart. This is the reason why Pastor Ed is loved by so many people. In my heart I prayed to God to let the church serve like Pastor Ed. The paramedics arrive while he is preaching and he cracks a joke... oh Pastor Ed..."Do you want to take my blood pressure" The paramedics laugh a bit and retort" We want to take you sir" Pastor Ed stands up and walks to his corner and says "Alex continue the sermon for me."
AHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH
I don't know if I should laugh or not,but Alex's facial expression and body language made me laugh extremely hard. To my surprise Alex stands up and slowly approaches the pulpit. He stands there for a second and says... "This is awkward" he doesn't know where to continue,but he ends up saying" That was service to the church"
Pastor Ed leaving and leaving his example of service to the church impacted me so much. That the sermon Alex continued rang in my head so much stronger and clearer. The church is one family... if one falls we all fall...if one is on fire we are all on fire. You joining a church is your demonstration of love to Christ. If you serve a brother or sister, you serve Christ. Service of the Church. Joining a Church. Christ's love. The love that we have to imitate to our brothers and sisters. I was rebuked. I was convicted. I needed to act on this conviction. I had to apply it.
I look back on my notes and Pastor Ed's words are still written there in black ink. Those words are true through good times and bad times. God is amazing.
"All things work together for God's good."
