Sept. 29 Reflection: Joyfully Raise Our Voices
Dear Holy Covenant Family,
Hear these words from the U2 song Magnificent:
I was born, I was born to sing for you, I didn’t have a choice but to lift you up and sing whatever song you wanted me to, I give you back my voice, From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise.
On Sunday morning, we will be giving God our voices, voices that God first gave us, by joyfully singing the songs of U2. As the lyrics wash over our hearts, the melodies pour forth from our mouths, and the rhythms permeate our hands and feet, we will be worshiping with our whole bodies. We’ll receive the bread and the cup, the ancient practice of taking our faith inside of us, of feeding our souls with the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
And, of course, we will rock.
As we sing and dance we will be transformed. Transformed not just by the music, but by the God who creates us to sing and to worship. May we be mindful in our transformation that we are called to transform others. As we worship with our bodies, may we go out into the world working to make sure that all bodies know they are loved. That all bodies are treated equally, no matter their country or religion or gender or sexual orientation; that all bodies have enough to eat, access to education and shelter and healthcare and a sustainable environment. At the core of our faith is the call to care for all of God’s children, especially those who are without.
Bono, as a man of faith, answers God’s call and inspires others to do the same through his music and his work. U2 calls on us to help end poverty by supporting the United Nation’s Millennium Goals to end poverty, which are: end hunger; universal access to education; gender equality; child health; maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS; environmental sustainability; and global partnership. You can read more about the goals and how you can be involved here: www.endpoverty2015.org. You can also learn how to be involved with the One Campaign, which Bono founded, to help end extreme poverty in Africa: www.one.org. We’ll be taking up a special communion offering for Water for Life, a United Methodist related organization that provides clean water in Liberia.
Join us on Sunday at 9:30 and 11:15 and invite someone to come with you. Come early and make your way to the front seats so that we provide hospitality to our many visitors. Together, we’ll sing and shout, be inspired by the ancient words of Scripture and the modern words of Bono. We’ll remember where we came from and answer the call to make the world a better place. We’ll be transformed, mind, body and soul, and go out transforming the world as we joyfully raise our voices in all we do.
Rock on,
Kate
