Dear Friends,
I think it is safe to assume that we were all astounded this past Sunday by the talent of two fine musicians – our own talented pianist Grace Tian Meng and her friend Sophie Tang, whose violin performance blew me away. Many of you expressed similar feelings of exhilaration.
As I wrote in one of my papers when in seminary, “Unitarian Universalists may not have a common language or way of expressing their understanding of God, a Guiding Principle or whatever it is we think is most sacred, but we sure know it when we experience it!” Energy that electrifies me and moves through my body, the awe and wonder I feel when in the presence of exceptional creative expression . . . these are gifts of the spirit for me – the human spirit . . . the Spirit of Life. They help create for me what I think it means to have a transformative worship experience.
To be the recipient of such an amazing gift didn’t require anything more on my part than to simply bring all of me to that moment and place: mind, body and spirit.
In reflecting later on a performance of Bach’s Second Brandenburg Concerto, Unitarian Universalist Minister Rev. Robert Walsh asked, “What have I done to deserve this? I have not been kind enough; I have not done enough justice; I have not loved my neighbor, or myself, sufficiently; I have not praised God enough to have earned a gift like this.”[1]
Yet, Walsh notes that all of life is a gift that we have not earned and for which we cannot pay. He writes, “Since we have not earned Bach – or crocuses or lovers – the best we can do is express our gratitude for the undeserved gifts, and do our share of the work of creation.”[2]
So, thank you Grace and Sophie for sharing your gifts with us . . . and reminding us of the extraordinary beauty and wonder that can unexpectedly show up for us on a Sunday morning – and each morning – if we simply show up to greet it.
Warmly,