I lead chapel this morning. I had my friends, Dori Ferr and Martin Nater, come play guitar, and we started with a rocking version of Psalm 91, "The Shelter of the Love of God."
Actually, I started with Linda Worster's "Just because you are you" which is an amazing, loving song, and which got lots of comments afterward.
Then we sang "Shelter." I'm not sure where it started, but Martin likes to cut out the guitar during the last chorus, then cut back in for the finish. So there is this spell of just pure voices lifted in song. Usually people are singing with all their hearts by then, and the effect can raise goose bumps. It's a little startling, and then really cool.
And it worked! We had a smallish crowd, and many had not seen the song before, but by the third verse, we were all together. And that chapel has such amazing accoustics, that even a tiny handful of people sound really good.
Yay!
My talk flowed well. I think I kept it short and sweet. I was very nervous and self conscious, but they tell me it didn't show. Dori read Psalm 91 from her pew, and Melody Ferr read a short passage from Swedenborg. We prayed, and finished with "On Eagle's Wings" which is basically Psalm 91 set to music.
Yay!
It felt great!
I had set up the chancel with 7 candles, and had placed the big pulpit Bible open and propped up on the central chancel altar. I felt so at home then!
As people were walking out, Prof. Sarah Dille said that she'd like to have a complete Swedenborgian service for chapel some time. Neat! I'm just not sure what that would look like.... General Church or Convention? Traditional or Contemporary?
If I lead a traditional General Church service, how weird would that be? It would be so familiar and so strange. I'm a woman! I've never experienced a woman leading one of those services.
It's so interesting....
Anyway, I'm off to email Linda Worster to tell her what a hit her song was, and to order more CDs.
Thanks for listening!
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