Dearly Beloved,
Thank you for this last Sunday. For celebrating with me and holding me in my tenderness. If you weren't in worship Sunday, I encourage you to watch the service on Facebook. You'll want to watch Bernie Depperschmidt's special music (starting at minute 17) and my sermon (minute 36).
Now that it finally feels like summer, it's hard to believe that we are shifting into autumn. This coming Sunday is the first of our autumn season: A season of song. Please bring water with you from your home or travels for us to bless as part of our living water worship. We'll use that water for baptisms and other rituals throughout the year. In addition to bringing our waters, the song to center our worship will be "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." This is a hymn I have loved since the first time I heard it. My favorite renditions are this one by Sufjan Stevens and the version Macy Warner did at my installation almost 4 1/2 years ago now.
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace.
Come thou fount of every blessing
I love this idea of my heart being tuned. Of ceaselessly flowing streams of God's mercy. Of a fount, a fountain, a waterfall of blessing. Celebration is not one of my spiritual gifts, and so I also love the reminder to sing God's praise, to lift my voice in gratitude.
How does your heart get tuned? What activities, places, or people help tune your heart? True confessions, Sunday morning features pretty high for me. Along with the wilderness. And singing. Loudly. Or playing splash with my kiddos on a hot weekend afternoon.
How have you experienced God's ceaseless mercy? Where might you be needing that mercy. What else in your life calls for celebration? And how do you sing? With your voice? With your hands (I saw some amazing prayers that had been quilted, painted, sketched, carved, crocheted and photographed in our art show)? With your feet? Or good ingredients? What does celebration and singing God's praise look like?
I look forward to pouring my water in with yours on Sunday -- a reminder of those streams of mercy. And yes, hopefully my heart will get a tune-up! How about yours?
With much love and peace,
Thandiwe
