June 7th – Pentecost – Psalm 104 – Bind us Together, Lord.
Over the next 4 weeks I will use the Lectionary Psalms as a tenuous starting point for my reflections and this week – Pentecost – it is Psalm 104 : 24-34, 35b. This is a hymn of praise celebrating glory in creation and God’s provision for all and in verse 33 we read ’I will sing to the Lord all my life’ and this reminds me of how in my home church we all praise God together through song and what a joyful experience this has become. Now I know us Methodists are well known for our worship through song but in my church our worship and praise over the last 3 years or so has taken a slightly different direction with ALL encouraged to praise together in song. We were two very different church communities who came together in one building and have taken on a new name – ‘Connections’ – and slowly but surely connecting is what we are doing. The original church building was home to a fairly affluent, white, educated congregation and our joining neighbours were predominantly from African refugee background, all steeped deeply in their faith, but many spoke no English. They had been welcomed into their former church by the small, mainly elderly congregation who met there and they set to, being the hands of God in that place, welcoming them and giving them somewhere to call ‘home’. The practicalities of language lessons, housing advice, clothing, furniture provision etc all became second nature to the congregation and a strong community grew together. The closure of their building due to its poor state of repair and relocating to where we all now meet must have been so traumatic for all involved – and this is something that is still taking gentle work – it hasn’t happened overnight. However, we now have our Swahili choir – Tumaini (which means hope) and all the congregation join in the singing (rather appropriate on Pentecost to picture us all singing in different tongues yet hopefully understanding each other) – and what a joyful opportunity it is to sing praises to the Lord together. We have our readings in both English and Swahilli, one of our worship leaders, or young people, translate a ‘pressie’ of the sermon for the none-English speakers and we have an active youth group, who will lead prayers and music whenever asked– we are growing both as a church and as a family community.
At a recent service our minister spoke about the branch and the vine and referred to us all as branches growing together to strengthen one other in faith. On my return from church as I walked up my front path I consciously noticed a small conifer in the garden which has been there for ever, but it was the first time that I really acknowledged that it hosts an ivy – spreading through its branches, not taking over, but both trees strong together, 2 different species of plant growing together in unity and it really made me want to sing out in praise of a God, who through creation, can remind us that He has provided for ALL, and ALL can live in community together.
Bind us together Lord, bind us together with cords that cannot be broken.
Bind us together Lord, bind us together, Oh bind us together with love
(Bob Gilman 1977, Kingsway’s Thankyou Music, Complete Mission Praise 54)
Philippa Hill, Trustee
