01 Feb On Music

The Grammy Awards are this coming weekend, which has me, again, thinking about music, and what a gift it is to my faith. Singing, it becomes an embodied experience of prayer, turning my breath and the vibrations of notes into divine communication. Listening, it wraps around me with an assurance that’s deeper than words.

It happened last Sunday in the Loft. As the band sang “You Know My Name,” I felt the overwhelming gift of a God who knows us deeply and specifically, as we are, and who loves and delights in us. The song was new to me, and the music communicated this gracious gift more powerful than I possibly can with just those words.

And it happened in the Sanctuary, as the Choir sang a setting of “Be Thou My Vision.” When I hear this familiar hymn, I am reminded of places where I learned it: the church of my childhood in Grand Island, Nebraska, and the little seminary choir where I sang a simple but moving arrangement. The elegant harmonies and soaring soprano line the choir sang on Sunday took these recollections to a new place–they amplified the lessons in love that I’ve been learning all my life.

But it doesn’t happen only in church, or only with music that’s been labeled as “sacred.” There’s nothing like belting Taylor Swift songs with my son in the car, or going to Disney Hall to hear the LA Phil introduce me to new music from diverse composers, or sitting in a darkened living room listening to an old favorite album. It makes me feel alive, feel seen, feel connected. It’s all such a gift.

So, today, I pray that you might have time with some good music. Let it be more than background noise–take in a deep breath, and let yourself listen, even if only for a few minutes. I’d love to hear what you heard and what you felt.

grace and peace,
Pastor Molly