Dearly Beloved,
Truman Capote said that "art is an act of faith." What a gift this last Sunday was between our choir anthem, special music and the unveiling of the mountain murals behind our altar. Art is indeed an act of faith -- of letting go, of surrender, of trial and error and trial again, of finding the meeting point between possibility and reality.
I believe that relationship and the acknowledgment of connection are likewise acts of faith, for in relationship, we bump up against our own limits far more often than we'd like. We meet our own faults and frailties. We also open ourselves up to loss, to suffering and sorrow (our own and others'). But, like art, relationship and connection are full of possibility, potential and the promise of a beauty, a love, a joy that just might be realized.
This Sunday, we celebrate our connection to all Christians around the world. We celebrate World Communion Sunday and remember that we are indeed one body in Christ, that the joy of one brings joy to all and the suffering of one is the suffering of all. As we celebrate those global connections in Christ, we will hear the story of a beloved and familiar hymn: "How Great Thou Art." Sometimes the best way to feel and express that is through our connection to creation and each other and through our experiences of art (visual art and musical art).
Just for fun, you might want to listen to the recording of Elvis Presley's 1972 live performance of this hymn.
Holding each of you in love and blessings,
Thandiwe
