The date was June 6, 2006….or 6/6/6….and there was all kinds of anticipation. Not as big as the turn of 2000 and Y2K, but given the times, it couldn't pass without notice. The internet was awash with frenzied doomsday predictions. Heavy metal rock bands and right-wing religious publishers used it for self-serving marketing. One website, with what it calls a "rapture index" which calculates the likelihood of Christ's return, said it was time to "fasten your seatbelts." Some pregnant mothers tried to speed up their delivery dates to avoid June 6, while others chose the name "Damian" in recognition of it.

Of course, the day passed with little fanfare and no rapture. In fact, quite to the contrary, for us it will go down as a day of great celebration in the gift of new life to our congregatio…