Fifty Voices

On Sunday afternoon,   I accompanied the choir, visiting a retirement home.  We lead a worship service there once a month.  The turn-out is incredible.  Our choir is sometimes between fifteen to twenty members.  Then about twenty five residents come to the service.   My best estimate is there are at least fifty voices.

This time, the set up was a bit different, with the grand piano in the center of the room.   The chair circle in which the residents sat had to be built around it.   The piano, the pianist, and I, the speaker, found ourselves in the center of that circle.

The circle was not very far from the speaker and the piano.   Then we sang the first hymn.  I was completely overwhelmed.  The fifty voices were all singing directly toward me!  It was an incredible experience, and it is hard to explain what it felt like.   Clearly, it was totally different from the sounds of a congregation from the pulpit area.  I felt surrounded with sacred sound, enveloped, uplifted, enthralled, transcendent.

The residents were attentive,  the anthem was lively and got some of the folks moving and clapping.  It was/ is my last one of those services at this time, as my tenure as Interim/ Pulpit Supply ends at the end of this month.  I wanted to do something special for the closing.   So I did the signing motions to the song "Spirit of the Living God".  As one who does not have singing talent,   I do so love signing.

By the third worship service of the day,  I am usually rather exhausted.   But that one was so unique, that I will long remember being lifted up by fifty voices singing "Holy, Holy, Holy".  

That's exactly what it was!