Life is a Cabaret, Part II

Okay, enough with the singing: What am I getting at?

Well, the role of music in our lives.

Music gets us going. Music consoles us, makes us laugh, provides social commentary. Music cements memories.

Our church songs reflect what we think about God, about the church, about our world. So why do we sing in church?

In our study of Borg’s The Heart of Christianity, Borg talked about Thin Places: those places where the reality of God and our reality interact. Music, for many Protestants can create a Thin Place.

We’ve come to the end of the sabbatical, and because of it, I was reminded again of what we learned 4 years ago: that a church is more than its pastor. That, for the church to be the church, it takes all of us to heal the sick, feed the hungry, comfort the sad and lonely. Knowing that we’re all responsible to make Jeff St. a church, shares the load, and brings a rich diversity to who we are and who we want to be. And the best way I can think of to remind us of that is through music.

We are an incredibly musical and talented church; We’ve had a lot of people sing last Sunday and today. We have music tied to our own liturgical calendar: The Magnificat, Home Grown Tomatoes, Mary had a Baby…Whether you sing solos, duets, or with the congregation, or just tap your feet, music is one way in which we all participate in the work of the church.

Music stitches us together. When we’re together, I listen for Christy’s clear soprano, Andy’s deep bass, the children’s sweet sounds, and all the other voices that make us who we are.

Let’s sing and celebrate our rich diversity and talent, our praises and thanksgiving to God.

Thanks be to God.

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by Kevin, who never left us just when we needed him the most