From the Rector…
Sunday night many of us gathered together in Joshua Commons to lift up our voices in song. It was a raucous time filled with laughter and joyful noise. At the start of the afternoon, a few people asked if I really thought we would sing for two hours straight—and we did, for the most part, taking a break about halfway through. We sang hymns we know and love, explored different ways of singing to achieve various effects, and learned a little bit as well. The time flew by! Before we knew it, the clock struck 6, and we had to stop.
Not a single person told me they didn’t enjoy the sing-a-long, and most people asked if we could do it again. (We can—and we will!) For two hours, we talked, sang, ate, drank, and enjoyed the revelry of our time together. There was no pressure or distractions; people weren’t checking their phones or worrying about the chaos of the world. We were all tuned into one another and to why we had come together. The feeling was electric with joy.
It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to immerse myself in such a delightful experience without my worries and fears hanging thick in the air. Sunday afternoon felt a bit like singing into the veil—the thin place between heaven and earth. It reminded me that we are enveloped in the Good News of Jesus, if we simply take the time to look for it and participate in it.
I usually approach Lent from the perspective of a “sinner in need of redemption,” but Sunday reminded me that I am a child of God, just like everyone else in the world. And this year, I need that reminder. The past month has been filled with a certain amount of chaos and disruption. On the national level, there’s the movement to reorder our government. Regardless as to whether you support that reordering or not, it is an unprecedented effort in our lifetime, causing significant anxiety. On the church level, we are facing a budget deficit we haven’t had to contend with in the seven years I’ve been here. The decision-making and work of budget cuts are threatening and disheartening, contributing to a certain amount of anxiety in the church. On a personal level, I am still grieving the loss of Banshee, “Church Dog.” I know how disruptive grief can be, and I feel that disruption every day. So, this Lent, I really don’t need to be reminded of what a sinner I am—I’m very aware that I am but dust and to dust I will return. What I need is to be reminded of my hope and joy in God’s love for me and for all of humanity.
I don’t believe I am alone in needing that reminder of God’s love for us as his children. That need contributed significantly to the joy we all felt in singing together Sunday afternoon. Singing became a way for us to knit ourselves together in community and lift each other up through our song. It is my hope for this season of Lent. By choosing the devotional, Lift Up Your Voice, we get to sing together every day of this season. We might not do that in person, but simply listening to the music or singing the hymn of the day in the shower will draw us together in unity and strengthen the body of Christ here at CoA.
I invite you to join me on this Lenten journey of remembering our hope and strengthening our spirits as we continue to face the chaos and destructive forces of this world. Music has always been an act of resistance to life’s burdens. The psalms were sung throughout Israel’s history and could not be silenced, even when she was held in captivity. The Civil Rights Movement rallied around singing spirituals of freedom in the face of injustice. The Vietnam War spurred incredible music of protest through folk and rock artists alike. Hip-Hop music continues to highlight the struggle for social justice. The power of music as resistance is not just in its transformative possibilities, it also helps us remember our identity. As followers of The Way, music reminds us who we are and whose we are—beloved children of a loving God who will not abandon us.
I hope you will sing your way through Lent as a powerful reminder of how much you are loved, and as a source of courage to love others.
Light and Life,
Candice+