At church on Sunday we kicked off the fall season. Sonja and I are helping to teach--along with Melissa Socolow--the K-2 class. We did our best with a very energetic group of 8, with a list of 13. Boy, oh, boy--if they all show up! The Tower of Babel was our text for the day. Teaching little kids is not, shall we say, my strong point. It is a good challenge to find ways to communicate simply without giving it to the merely simplistic.
Then at the opening of the service, standing with Sonja, singing. What a miracle happens week in and week out in the community art of congregational song. It doesn't much matter to me the form--in this case it was organ and four-part harmony on "When In Our Music God Is Glorified." A few minutes later, we were singing a simple round accompanied by piano. In both, I just felt the utter joy of the moment of praise and worship, my body working with the body gathered together to sing to the Giver of our days.
And then, as we do at the start of every service, we were led in the Prayer of Confession. This is a major moment in a service, and I regret when a clear moment of confession and absolution is not present. My pastors write the liturgy which in less competent hands could lead to heresy but in their steady hands what in fact happens is that I find it very hard to simply go through the familiar ritual words by rote. The ritual is familiar, but the words are not. Sometimes the words don't cut to the bone and I find myself reflecting on the effectiveness of the words rather than being convicted by them. Not this week. While you might not find this as compelling as I did, here is what we said together:
"God, we are so attached to our possessions, we have trouble sharing them. We are so connected to our pleasures that we cannot feel the pain of those around us. Most merciful God, loosen us from the grip of the world, so we might feel your healing touch. Sever us from our sin, so your Spirit might bind us to you. Reshape us, redeem us, renew us, so we may take up our cross and follow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Chris. Amen."
Possessions, pleasures and my sinful, white-knuckled grip will take language as strong as "severing" to be effective. And yes, it will most certainly be painful to again submit myself to the scalpel of judgment that always precedes God's offer of mercy.
The Elm City Girls Choir under the direction of a rather young director, Rebecca Rosenbaum, sang beautifully and well. Their rousing final song, "Walk In Jerusalem," made me want to stand and testify, like they would in a more neo-pentecostal church. Instead I bobbed my head and clapped along. Our pastors' daughter sings in the group and will be a mentor-teacher for my daughter who begins in the young girls choir this fall.
I could go on and on. I just was struck this week by what a gift church is. So many people have been turned off by some bad experience, or think they have to have all their beliefs straight before they can come, and so they miss out on the full-on joy what among the best things in life. I'd bet our church would be pretty empty if you asked us all to have our beliefs straight first. Most of us, I'd bet, have a healthy sense of doubt as part of our life of faith. But nonetheless, we're willing to take the leap of faith that believing requires, and are more than willing to claim life over death and reconciliation over enmity.
anon.
