Dear friends,
It is so exciting to be just weeks away from my first Christmas in Lincoln, and what a blessing to have so many of us together to sing for the upcoming concert and the beautiful services of Advent and Christmas Eve. It's hard to imagine what Christmas would be like without choirs...yet more than half of America's churches do not have choirs anymore. It's hard to imagine what the holiday season would be like without Christmas concerts...yet most community choirs across the country are struggling to fill their rosters. It's hard to imagine what Christmas would be like without carols...though many of our children are not allowed to sing them in their school choirs which must sing about Frosty, the venerable snowman. Fewer and fewer people, organizations, and churches are making a commitment to the treasures of our traditions.
Knowing this, I am even more thankful that we have almost 100 chairs filled in the choir room this busy season! I am thankful that our choir is a place where people who have sung here for 30 years can sing together with others who are not yet 30 years old! I am thankful that we gather to sing of hope, peace, joy, and love at a time when the world needs it most. I am hopeful that we can continue to find ways to evolve and grow as a singing community-- to broaden our reach to welcome singers we don't know yet, to deepen our relationships with one another, to enhance our ability to gather in unity, and to communicate with greater passion and deeper purpose to those who offer us the gift of their listening. The work we do and the ministry we share as a choir are fundamentally counter-cultural: We rejoice in humility. We sacrifice our own glory for the strength of the whole. We give so that we may receive. We succeed by sharing rather than by winning. We treasure our history, our heritage, and our foundation and seek their truths in our time. We serve rather than deserve. We know discipline is a gift we can offer rather than a punishment we are given. We are patient with steady progress and process rather than anxious for instant rewards.
Some would argue that it's a real waste to spend so much time preparing for a piece of music that will be over and done in 3 minutes. Some would argue it's such a waste to spend so much money to produce a program or service that will last for an hour or less. But that's not how God works-- think about it: do we really need thousands of different, beautiful flowers? Do we really need peacocks, zebras, or turtles? Do we really need the picturesque visions of autumn? Do we really need everyone on earth to be a unique, individually-crafted person? Do we really need millions of delicious foods to choose to eat? Do we really need the beautiful songs of the birds, or the unforgettable aromas of grandma's cookies? Such extravagance can easily be seen as waste, as foolishness. But God's extravagance can also be seen as gift, as grace, as possibility, as beauty, as truth, as art. God offers abundance, and God invites us to take part in that creation each and every day. We can offer our uniqueness to create a greater whole. Let's be a choir. Let's sing carols. Let's tell the story. Let's continue to make a commitment to being a part of God's extravagant color in a world that sees too much black and white. Let's continue our commitment to sharing the gift of music!
Our journey continues as we sing THE HILLS ARE BARE AT BETHLEHEM and KEEP YOUR LAMPS on Sunday morning at the 10:30 service. We will meet at 9:30 in the choir room. At 11:30, lunch will be served for everyone in Pilgrim Hall, then we rehearse in the chapel from 12:30-3:00 to continue our progress. I look so forward to seeing you all soon.
Grace and peace,
TT
