yes we can! (worship intergenerationally)
Don’t worry, I’m not planning to post re: US presidential politics here… but I did think I would appropriate Obama’s 2008 rallying cry (which he, in turn, appropriated from someone else – eg: Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers and, I’m sure, others – as a good songwriter/communicator should)… since it so perfectly reflects what many would feel to be an “audaciously hopeful” claim – that “small and tall” really can worship together. Long-time readers of this blog will know that this is at the core of “what I do,” and that, by a “long and winding road” (to quote yet another songwriter/communicator), I have a particular vocation for writing “songs of faith for small and tall,” helping families and congregations find ways to sing our faith together. I have become so used to this that I sometimes don’t realize just how “audacious” this really is for many people. This was brought home to me a couple of weeks ago, when Julie and I led some sessions (including Sunday morning worship) at a congregational retreat. We have been married for (dare I say it?) 20 years, and have done many things together, but it has been quite a while since we have worked together intensively as co-leaders of sessions like this. Julie is a gifted teacher, with years of experience in Christian education settings, primary classrooms, and now running a piano studio with students ranging from 4 to 74 years old. While we have very different personalities and planning/leading styles, we very much enjoyed the experience of working together and leading these sessions. Judging from the enthusiastic feedback (we’ve already been invited to a similar role at next year’s retreat), the congregation enjoyed it too. Can we worship together, in ways that engage and speak meaningfully to “small and tall” alike? Yes we can! (I’m going to add this as a new offering and “performance option” from SmallTall Music – for Julie and I to jointly lead all-ages, interactive sessions for congregational retreats. We’re looking forward to doing this more often – if this is something that you and your congregation has been looking for, please give us a call or send us a...
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