7/19/20 Harmony in the Key of We by Nada Kutz

Welcome – Good morning and welcome to this online worship service. Though we are apart in body, our hearts and souls are one.

 

Prelude – “Finlandia” (We Would Be One) – J. Sibelius, performed by Anna Kojovic-Frodl

 

Call to worship – Carl G. Seaburg
Let there be joy in our coming together this morning.
Let there be truth heard in the words we speak and the songs we sing.
Let there be help and healing for our disharmony and despair.
Let there be silence for the voice within us and beyond us.
Let there be joy in our coming together.

 

Chalice lighting – “Music Arises” – Arlen Goff
music arises from depths unknown
often without words but never without meaning
and spirit rises from deep within me
seducing my body to join the song
first a tremor in the soul, then tapping of toes
breath aligns with breath, heart beats in syncopation
and a stuttering buzz in my throat becomes a hum
breath with breath, beat with beat
and music and spirit arise together!
wed with faith and hope and love and pow’r
a song is born, bursting from my lips
in sweet, sonorous symphony
a melody joining with other souls
perhaps in tune, perhaps not
but a song still, arising from deep within
and from… community
spirit moves, soul births song
and hope fills life
and I am not alone
how can I keep from singing?

via GIPHY

Peace be with you and with all living things

 

Musical reflection – One World Chorus sings “One Love”

 

Message for All Ages – “Malala’s Magic Pencil” – Malala Yousafzai

 

Children’s Blessing
We are…
We are blessed…
We are blessed by being…
We are blessed by being here…
We are blessed by being here together.

 

Musical reflection – “How Can I Keep From Singing” (NYC Virtual Choir and Orchestra)

 

Reading – “From Broken Parts, Whole” – Karen G. Johnston
“Shards of glass can cut and wound or magnify a vision. Mosaic celebrates brokenness and the beauty of being brought together.”

“Finding Beauty in a Broken World”―Terry Tempest Williams
I made a beautiful piece of art in a mosaic class this summer, but there were times when I was frustrated at my own limits. The teacher used the tools with ease. When I used them, it was clumsy. Still, the teacher showed me how to use the tool; she never offered to do it for me—which meant that by practicing, I figured it out for myself.
I also learned that there were two ways for us to turn large sheets of glass into smaller, usable pieces: the intentional precision of a pistol-handled glass cutter, or using a ball-peen hammer and a thwack of force. Each method renders very different results, both of which are necessary. The beauty of our mosaics emerged from a mixture of precision and chaos, control and surrender.
I had arrived to class with a design in mind but the further along I got—transferring the design from paper to wood—the less the mosaic looked like my original drawing. Which was all for the better. Vision is essential, but I had to hold mine loosely so the final project could reveal itself to me along the way.
From this class, I gleaned plenty of wisdom for life beyond the artist’s studio:
• As much as you can, surround yourself with skillful teachers, no matter what you are learning. Let them teach you, but don’t let them do it for you. That learning is yours to do.
• Respect the fragments and shards, whether they’re multi-hued glass or your life’s own story. Yes, they offer the occasional sharp cut, but they can offer also beauty and new ways to perceive the world.
• Resist the urge to fully map out the future. Instead, cultivate humility: a sign of strength, not weakness. Find within you the capacity to trust, no matter how small; grow that.

 

Reflection – “Harmony in the Key of We” – Nada Kutz

Hymn – “Bind Us Together” – performed by Diana Pavao

 

Extinguishing our chalices – “We Are the Music” – Renee Ruchotzke
Our first breath is followed by our first song
Lusty, loud and primal
A solo that announces to the world, “I have arrived!”
We are the music.
As toddlers hearing our first reggae beat
We let our spines and hips bend and sway in response
As natural as the beat of our hearts
We are the music.
The drone of the bass notes of the church organ
A vibration in our chests
Tense muscles relax, the breath deepens.
We are the music.
As we push the air from our bellies
Out through the chest and throat
Our changing expressions shape the sound.
We are the music.
As we sing together
Voices blend to create a harmony
Each voice enriched by its connection to the next.
We are the music.

 

Postlude – “Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op 30” – R. Strauss