| November 21, 2013 | |
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CONTENTS
One song
Opening prayer |
Gilbert Romero leading worship at the "Great Multitude Symposium."
 Making joyful noise together.
 " Our individual parts created a
song of praise that worshiped
the one God we all shared."Photos by Mandy Garcia
| One songBy Mandy Garcia
"Play something for us," said Gilbert. "Anything at all."
I was sitting at an upright piano amid several other musicians and bystanders, a first-timer with this pick-up band, and I was drawing a blank.
"How about, 'This little light of mine,’" said Gilbert.
"How about in C," said another, and "Isn't that a one-four-one pattern?" came from behind an amp.
Suddenly they were speaking a language I understood, and they wanted me to play a song I’ve known since childhood. I could do this.
The bass picked up the low end, the guitar kept the rhythm, the keys filled the middle, and many voices carried the familiar melody to the roof beams. It certainly wasn’t flawless, but it was filled with laughter and joy, and that was all that mattered.
It finally sank in: I wasn't on my own. I was part of a group that had accepted me before I began. We were in it to worship God.
This realization was one I recalled over and over again at the “Great Multitude Symposium," the Intercultural Ministries gathering in Virginia last month. I walked in unsure of what to expect, nervous about feeling out of place, embarrassed by my white skin and ability to speak only one language. But once again my nerves were unjustified.
The group was beautifully diverse, representative of many cultures from all over the church, every member valued. My midwestern culture was different than my brothers’ and sisters’ in the east and west. Within each of our regional cultures were various ethnic heritages, and we each had our personal understandings of culture within the Church of the Brethren.
But through conversation, teaching, prayer, and breaking bread, we “picked up our instruments,” so to speak. We came with unique sounds, each player with a unique part, and we played the same song, together. Sometimes one would be louder than the others, sometimes there was liberty taken with rhythm, lyrics, or chord structure, but we sure made a joyful noise. Our individual parts created a song of praise that worshiped the one God we all shared and, regardless of our background or culture, we were in it together.
Read more coverage of the “Great Multitude Symposium” at www.brethren.org/intercultural . Find pictures from the event at www.brethren.org/greatmultitude . Support this important ministry of the Church of the Brethren at www.brethren.org/give .
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www.brethren.org/adventoffering |
Opening prayer
Giver of Life,
Come to our barren places this day.
Help us to quiet ourselves long enough,
to move from a vision of scarcity or
skepticism to discover something
unexpected growing within us.
Bless us this day, like Zechariah,
with a new song of hope.
Amen.
—This prayer is one of several worship resources written by Erin Matteson for the Church of the Brethren Advent Offering. Read them all at www.brethren.org/adventoffering .
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www.brethren.org/messenger |
“Scripture is awfully clear—what matters to God isn’t what you have, it’s who you are.
Since we are each created in the image of God
we are expected to live our lives in the fullness
of that image. And when we do, healing springs
forth like a gushing stream, and we will be
refreshed by God.”
—Christy Waltersdorff in the November edition of Messenger magazine.
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 | Do you have a story about how you and your congregation practice stewardship? E-mail it to mgarcia@brethren.org !
eBrethren: Stories of Brethren Stewards, is produced every other week by the Church of the Brethren's donor communications team. Send feedback to mgarcia@brethren.org
or call 847-742-5100 ext. 361.
Thanks for reading!
Watch for our next issue on December 4, 2013. |
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