Welcome. A new year is beginning at First Parish. Welcome is such a multi-faceted word. It can be a noun, the act of greeting someone. It can be a verb, the act of reaching out or accepting something happily. It can be an adjective, descriptive of something gladly received. None of that fits for me. To say, “Welcome” means in this context, something deeper, “Let’s start anew into a spiritual journey called, ‘UU Values.’” This implies much more that a mere greeting. It is a a commitment to coming together toward a spiritual connection.
Our choir will soon be singing Welcome Welcome, a new choir anthem. It includes, poetically, “Bring your sorrows, and tomorrows. Let all hearts now gather near. Laughter, grieving, all receiving, everyone has honor here.” Yes, a deeper dive.
Thinking of poetry, I am finding, after the class, Music and Worship, at the AUUMM conference in July, how poets can bring us together. This thought prompted me to read Emerson’s essay, “The Poet.” In it, he honors a good poet for being an original thinker, for bringing us toward something new. “The poet has a new thought: he has a whole new experience to unfold; he will tell us how it was with him , and all men (I would say “all of us” rather than men) will be richer in his fortune. For, the experience of each new age requires a new confession, and the world seems always waiting for its poet”.
I challenge myself and you to delve into poetry for renewal, which can be a beginning in itself. We have much to share with poetry being that sweet spot between the spoken word and music.
Music in September:
September 13th: Guy and I will be playing a piece by William Grant Still, Incantation and Dance for oboe and piano.
September 20th: This service introduces a new song to sing the children to their classes. It is written by a UU composer, Bruce Pollack-Johnson, called Know That You Are Loved. Our choir will assist in this effort.
Charlyn Bethell
Charlyn’s professional training has followed two paths: as a professional oboist and as a music teacher and conductor. As Music Director at First Parish, she joins these two paths of her musical life, conducting the choir, coordinating guest musicians, and performing on oboe.