Food for the Journey
October 7, 2021
Story of Faith title
by Karen Hanson Sande, Director of Music
Psalm 8:1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
The harvest moon and night sky a few weeks ago were so beautiful, the radiant moon rising above and illuminating the city, harbor and forests. Can you imagine the millions of creatures who were looking up in awe? And the billions over the centuries seeing it as if for the first time?
It reminded me of an anthem Mike chose when he first became our choir director: a setting of Psalm 8 by contemporary composer Dan Forrest, “Adonai, Adonenu – O Lord, our Lord.” At first sight reading, the piano accompaniment was amazing, yet I didn’t understand it and couldn’t comprehend the whole. Parts of it looked like individual random notes, so that each time I practiced it, it was as if I’d never seen it before. Kind of like pointillism in painting, where small dots of color don’t form an image until you view it from a distance. But I opened it up nearly every day, began to see patterns, aural memory kicked in, and it came together with choir and violin in one of the most beautiful anthems our choir has done.
Psalm 8:3-4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have set in place. What are mortals that you care for them, O Lord?
These verses remind me that in spite of the troubles of this complex world: the human pain and suffering, the harm done to animal and plant life, the damage to the earth caused by our greed and careless way of life, God does care for us and is working for good through us.
O loving, renewing God, teach us to walk humbly with compassion for all of our neighbors. Don’t let us let us give in to despair, but call on and inspire us to repair our relationships, rebuild our broken systems and work to renew and protect our earthly home.