Dear Caldwell,
Last Sunday we heard the choir sing “Steal Away to Jesus,” a moving old spiritual to which slaves and other African-Americans labored, worshiped and even planned their escape to freedom. God’s people have always sung their faith, and singing and working for the Kingdom have always gone hand in hand. The term “liturgy,” in fact, comes from two Greek words that mean the “work of the people.”
We sing for other reasons, too. Singing gives voice to our emotions and yearnings for God. Singing helps us relate to who we are, whose we are and whom we serve on a different level than just using our brains or our hands to be in touch with God in Christ. Sometimes, rather than singing ourselves, we listen to others sing and let the music speak to our spirit. (On some Sundays, we may remember a piece of music or a hymn more than the sermon!)
This coming Sunday, we will indulge in singing. Our music leaders and the choir have organized a worship experience that walks us though our new PC(USA) hymnal, which is titled “Glory to God.” Thousands of songs were considered over the eight-year period it took to complete it. The new hymnal is more global, multicultural and multilingual in its selection. One fun fact from Zach Thomas. Five songs from our “Lift Every Voice (LEV)” supplemental hymnal could be found in the outgoing PC(USA) hymnal. The new hymnal contains 15 songs that are also in LEV, so it’s more Caldwell in that sense, alone. The introduction to the book reads in part: “We know the familiar songs will sing anew. We know the new songs will speak truth …. We pray that as we sing together from this hymnal, we will come to have a deeper sense of our unity in the body of Christ. We pray that the Holy Spirit will bring surprises and breathe new life into our churches through this new hymnal.”
We will have years to fully explore our new book but Sunday will be a chance to celebrate its arrival. We will also celebrate how so many of you have already embraced it, before you’ve even seen it. We originally hoped to defray half its cost by inviting you to purchase and dedicate a copy for our pews racks. As always, Caldwell did more than expected. EVERY copy of our new book – 290 copies in all – have been paid for by you and dedicated to those you love and honor. WOW! Thanks be to God.
As for last Sunday, our youth led us in the Souper Bowl of Caring as we used our spoons to fight hunger. Congrats to them – and to you – as we raised $605 for Loaves and Fishes, a local hunger ministry. I am pretty sure that is a new record for this event at Caldwell. In worship, we considered how the Beatitudes (the opening to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, nine sayings that start with the words “Blessed are they …”) can help us empathize with others whose lives are different from our own. One of you referred me to a related article about faith by syndicated columnist David Brooks, in which he wrote “there is a silent majority who experience a faith that is attractively marked by combinations of fervor and doubt, clarity and confusion, empathy and moral demand.” The full article is here
One of you asked for the translation of the Beatitudes from Rev. Dr. Eugene Peterson’s translation, called The Message, with which I closed my sermon. It is below.
Finally, we have many prayer concerns but I raise up two in particular: Prayers for peace and healing for John Crowell, who learned today he is not an immediate candidate for what he hoped would be a life-changing medical procedure; also, prayers for Fred “Scotty” Powers, who undergoes exploratory surgery Thursday morning to investigate a mass.
May the Lord be with you this week, whatever you encounter, as you travel “in good company” from Sunday to Sunday.
In Christ, John
The Beatitudes as in The Message
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
“Count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.”