Archives for May 31, 2015

Devotion

SPANISH

Santo, santo, santo.
Mi corazón te adora.
Mi corazón te sabe decir:
Santo eres Seńor.

ENGLISH

Holy, holy, holy,
my heart, my heart adores you.
My heart is glad to say the words:
You are holy, God.

"How can this be?" My sisters and brothers in Argentina sing the same hymn that I sang every Sunday as a child, albeit with a new and more melodic voice.

Recently, a friend and I visited another pastor friend shortly before he died. When we entered the lounge area Peter was sitting with his eyes closed, unable to hold his head up, but listening peacefully as a man from his church softly played familiar hymns that were so familiar to our pastor friend. Peter had moved beyond the world of words, but he still lived in the world of music.

My sister Celeste, who is a fine musician, and I once teamed up to lead a worship service for the residents of an adult day care center. Interest went to zero as I started speaking—some wandered off, some began to read the newspaper and others simply put their heads on the table and went to sleep. But when my sister began to sing, everyone came alive, returned to the tables and put down their newspapers. Music is a great communicator.

Today we celebrate the Trinity, feeling the inadequacy of our words, but confident that we can join in with the choirs of the Argentine Church and singing congregations throughout the world. We end this week, still centered in our question of wonder: "How can this be?"