And All That Jazz

Another cross-posting from this week's Second Page article.

What a Sunday! I want to thank Ray Fargason and his friends for blessing us so richly with the joyous sound of jazz in our worship.

The timing couldn't have been better. Last week we said goodbye to three very special congregation members - Randy Juergens, Bill King, and Janelle Bevers. In addition, a number of Second Bers attended another funeral service Stephanie Nash and I officiated on Wednesday. It was a hard and very emotional week. We needed a little jazz to lift our spirits up come Sunday. As the band started in on Amazing Grace, there were faces smiling, feet tapping, then hands clapping, and now the choir processing, and everybody singing praises to God. And the words to that old Psalm filled my mind, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."

In our liturgical tradition, every Sunday is supposed to be a "mini-Easter" - a proclamation of resurrection over death. After so many losses, this Sunday was indeed that for me.

But as I have reflected on this past Sunday's worship, I realize it was not only those in mourning who found the worship so powerful. There was a certain quality drawing all people in. It was jazz - yet it was Baptist. It was old and familiar - yet it was new and exciting. It was liturgical - yet it was electric. It was high church - yet it was warm and inviting. It was true to our roots - yet it was branching out. It was what this week's adult retreat leader Phyllis Tickle calls "participatory" worship.

And when Cloud 9 dropped me off at home Sunday afternoon, it occurred to me that in three years we ought not to be saying, "Wow, remember that Sunday way back when? That was a really great Sunday. We ought to do something like that again one of these days."

No, it is my hope that we will be saying, "Remember that worship. That was during the season of Epiphany. And that worship was an epiphany for us. That was when we started down the road. That was when it dawned on us that we were called to have the most unique and life-giving worship service in all of Lubbock week in and week out."

That is my hope.

We are in the early stages of our search for a new pastor of worship and music. Dixie Marcades has just joined the search committee, which already consisted of Ray Fargason (Chair), Kathleen Campbell, Nancy Weiss, and me. As we move forward with our search, we welcome your ideas and input. If you have comments or suggestions about what it is that we ought to be looking for then please write us.

Above all, please be in prayer for us as we seek the Spirit's guidance and look forward to the person with the gifts and graces to bring us a mini-Easter every Sunday morning.