Dear Westwood Family,

There continues to be so many things in our world that break my heart – personal griefs, concern for the state of our democracy, devastating impacts from a changing climate, and (even this morning) the wrenching news of a shooting in a Catholic church school in Minneapolis that happened while the school was in worship. I pray earnestly for God’s mercy.

But also: I’m a fan of Taylor Swift, and this has been an exciting couple of days, since yesterday when she and Travis Kelce shared word of their engagement – along with photos of a luscious, flower-filled garden proposal. It’s a joy to see a singer and songwriter – whose albums have so effectively narrated experiences of love and loss and identity over the past 20 years – experience this moment that looks like deep joy.

At least since her “Love Story” used Romeo and Juliet to tell the story of teenage dreams that are at odds with parents’ rules, she has used her life, great literature, and the well-honed craft of storytelling to create music that lets us be fully human. She takes her own lived experience seriously, which is a part of what I think makes her so compelling: insofar as I see myself in her experience, she takes me seriously, too. Even better, her Eras Tour showed us that it’s possible to still claim all the seasons in life that we’ve come through, without needing to cringe or apologize for what we were like when we were younger.

Just two weeks ago, in her two-hour-long appearance on the Kelce brothers’ New Heights podcast, one of my favorite moments came when they were talking about how she and Travis met after he publicly shared on social media his desire to ask her out.  She saw the post about his failed attempt to meet her when her Era’s tour came to Kansas City: “I was like, if this guy isn’t crazy – which is a big if – this is sort of what I’ve been writing songs about wanting to happen to me since I was a teenager.

Travis’s next line was so good: “I was sitting there at the Eras Tour listening to everyone one of those songs, like, ‘I know what she wants me to do.'”

Taylor was singing a vision of what she wanted, and Travis was listening. He paid attention, and then just did it. After building a relationship marked by deep appreciation for each other, guided by mutual respect, he filled his backyard garden with 1000 roses and asked her to marry him.

Now, flower-filled engagement posts are not the fullness of God’s Beloved Community (and I’m almost always down to examine cultural practices for problematic dynamics of gender and power) but for today, I am definitely finding encouragement in the power of singing, and listening, and living.

I think this is a significant part of what we do when we come to worship: we share music and prayers that help us see and believe in a version of the world that looks more like God’s dream. Drawing on scripture, with poetry and music and story, our worship gives us a space to describe the world we long for. We sing about amazing grace, so that we can dare to receive it. We pray for God’s will to be done on earth, so that we remember to seek clarity about what that is. We tell stories of people being healed and fed, so that we have courage to feed and heal others. We sing about resurrection so that we can be fearless in our pursuit of love.

That we worship matters – the singing of the songs gives glory to God. Our worship also forms us. And when we’re ready, if we’re willing to listen, it gives us a guide so we can embody the world that God dreams of.

grace and peace,
Pastor Molly