As I read the news from General Conference and some delegate blogs, I am impressed by the legislative process and the evidence of detailed planning for this important event. This should not be a surprise as we are Methodists. The worship experiences must be awesome! I encourage others to follow the happenings at GC and to be in prayer for the delegates.
I was part of a training team for a Safe Sanctuary workshop in Florence this past Saturday. We had some challenges, but we were pleased with the response of the participants. We not longer have to spend a lot of time convincing people that such policies need to exist. Churches just want to know what they should include and how to implement them. Much of what we discussed may be found on the SC Conference website. One frightening statistic that we quote certainly reminds me why I am spending several days doing this training. It is that by the time of conviction, pedophiles average over 200 victims.
Yesterday, we sang Whispering Hope during our worship. It is one of those hymns that you love or really dislike. If it evokes good memories of persons and events of the past, one probably feels a tug at the heart when singing it. If it has not been part of ones faith tradition, it probably is not appreciated as it does not reflect current tastes in music. All of this reminded me of how important it is to carefully select music when planning worship. Personal favorites may not be the congregation's choice for inspiring worship.
1 comment:
I never think about "Whispering Hope" as the "Arsenic and Old Lace" of the contemporary hymn selections because I rarely absorb it as a tune, but, rather, as a poignant, metered, succinct and evocative melodious poem. It is a highly charged piece of reading that personifies a message easier to digest than any of the faddish,in-your-face contemporary heavy metal Christian rock songs that nobody seems to be willing to admit are too low brow log thumping to successfully pull the comforting blanket of Sacred over a chilled audience of spirit seekers.
"Come then , O come, glad fruition. Come to my sad weary heart." These few words convey a deep and true understanding of the mental and spiritual states necessary for us to repent and receive salvation.At a time when hope seems so dim for so many, the idea of it,soft as the voice of an angel breathing on us until the dark midnight is over, is not only comforting but extremely contemporary. I'll take "Arsenic and Old Lace" over "Miss Saigon" any day. Tom
Post a Comment