“My life flows on in endless song;
above earth's lamentation
I hear the sweet, though far-off hymn
that hails a new creation…
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?”
from “How Can I Keep from Singing,”
Anon, in Bright Jewels for the Sunday School (1869)
Dear friends,
Author of Composing a Life, Mary Catherine Bateson describes each of our lives as a piece of music. Paraphrasing her words, “We look ahead planning and choosing a variety of tunes—interests and activities what we weave together to create a perfectly balanced, beautiful harmony. And we look back and sing, again and again, to ourselves and others the songs—the stories—of our lifetime—the songs we compose as we interpret the meaning of the things we did and the things that happened to us.” That metaphor strikes a chord in me!
And though “my life flows on in endless song,” sometimes, in the midst of the melody of our lives, we hear a new tune. We stop and listen to hear how the music will change and how our song will fit in. Happily, I heard the strains of a new melody that led me here to Edwards Church. You heard it, too, and invited me to join this community of faith as its associate pastor of faith formation and outreach. I’m thankful for such grace-filled pastoral leadership and the faithful work of the search committee that orchestrated the search process. Thank you all for your warm welcome and the opportunity to join my song with yours.
Each of us sings our own song. I want to hear yours and how you have composed your life. Catch me on a Sunday morning, visit me in my office in Jonathan House on a Tuesday or Wednesday, call me for a cup of coffee, or send me an email. Let’s find a time to sit down and “sing” a bit together!
Because God is in the music, too, if we listen carefully. In the giggles of the children, the voices of our youth, the chorus of old friends and the sounds of new ones, in the cacophony of the world around us, God is calling us to take note of new tunes and harmonies so that we can blend all those melodies together in this place. I look forward to hearing your song and listening together for God’s call to us to make beautiful music and ministry together.
Gratefully,
Karen Nell
Composing a Life by Mary Catherine Bateson (New York: Grove Press, 1989)