Even though I’ve been a World Church minister for twelve
years, there are still many moments when I’m offering ministry that I feel
“less than” and not up to the task. This
past Women’s Retreat in Red Cliffe, Utah was no exception.
Charmaine Chvala-Smith was the guest minister and she is so
talented and wise and kind and just the person that I always wanted to be, and
she and I were helping to plan out our time together with the other women. We decided that we wanted to explore all
kinds of ways of tapping into the divine—through art, scripture, and song.
Charmaine was in charge of the art and scripture part. We took big sheets of butcher paper, had a
friend draw around our bodies, and then we could decorate our bodies in any way
that we felt called to, I have NEVER, in my life, been in a room full of women
where it was so quiet! Everyone was working diligently and peacefully on their
body creation! It was certainly a spiritual moment.
For the next session, we explored scripture in ways that,
perhaps, many of us had never experienced before. We stepped into a Bible story and found
ourselves looking around us for new insights, new smells, new sounds, new ways
of “feeling” what the characters in the story were feeling. It was an awesome experience!
And then…it was my session!
Remember how I said I felt “not up to the task”? Well, my part was all
about song, and going deeper with God through song. Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy
singing. In fact, when I lived in
Australia, I tried out for Australian Idol, made it through the first round,
and then was disqualified because I’m an American! So, I can sing. But, I’m not (in any WAY, SHAPE, or FORM) an
excellent and trained singer. But, I
should have relied on the spirit, because whatever you offer (just like in the
parable of the talents), God takes and makes beautiful and bigger than you
might have thought. We talked about the
Taize community in France and what song means to them, and then we practiced
it. We sang a few songs out of the
hymnal and while the unfamiliar words and notes were hard at first, soon, I
could feel that we truly leaned into them, and allowed the music to take us
where sometimes we are vulnerable enough to go.
We sang, we lifted our voices, and we were carried away. What an AWESOME experience.
I’m so grateful for a God who takes what we have to give and
multiplies it. I’m grateful for the
reminders that God is ever present.
