I’ve been a part of choirs for most of my life. I was in a national girl scout choir that recorded a record, I was in the children’s choir at church as a kid and then joined the “Grown up” choir when i was in middle school. I’ve been in conference choirs, community choirs, and even the seminary choir. Let’s just say, I’ve done a lot of singing.
My seminary friend, Brian, who tragically passed away just months before his daughter was born, loved to remind us of the song about all God’s critters having a place in the choir. And, this is the song that has been on repeat in my head since I got the email asking me to share my thoughts today. Do you know it?
All God's critters got a place in the choir
Some sing low, some sing higher
Some sing out loud on the telephone wire
And some just clap their hands, or paws or anything they got now
The verses are silly- talking about the bullfrogs and hippotamus singing base and the crickets fiddling and the porcupine talking to herself. But my favorite verse says:
Everybody here is a part of the plan
We all get to play in the great critter band
From the eagle in the sky to the whale in the sea
It’s one great symphony
Whenever I’m supposed to preach or speak or share my story, and a song gets stuck in my head? Well, I figure that’s the holy spirit giving me some inspiration, so why did this song get stuck in my head for today? I think it’s probably more than a little obvious.
Here at First Christian Church, I have been shown again and again that we’ve all got a place to belong. From my first moments here, I have been welcomed. I was welcomed before I even got to Ames by Mary Jane over Facebook. And then on Christmas Eve Sunday, I came to church for the first time and was immediately welcomed and taken under the wing of Sue and Marv, and then by Deb, and somehow within a couple of weeks, I was part of the singers and a member of the congregation.
The FCC Singers have given me a place to feel like I am a part of this community and that my gifts have a place. It has been a very long time since I have lived in a community where there is a Disciples church that welcomes LGBTQ folks like myself, and having a place where I’m not only welcomed but also celebrated has been a wonderful gift.
But that gift has extended beyond the singers. It extends to the way music happens in this church. I love how there is this big basket of instruments so people can join in the making of music together. I love how Sue adds depth to our music with her drum. I am in awe of the way that music seems to magically flow out of Jenna’s fingers. I appreciate the way Tim knows all the songs and sometimes multiple versions of the same songs. I value the way Janet seems to know exactly the right way to weave a song or a theme into our worship practice.
I have found that this congregation- through the FCC singers and through the music we share together has given me- one of God’s critters a place in the choir. And maybe singing isn’t everybody’s gift, but the way we do music here gives us all a way to contribute even if we’re singing low, high, in tune or out, or just clapping our hands or paws or anything we got now.