I've Got Soul but I'm Not a Soldier -or- Pull Up a Chair, Close Your Eyes, and Sing as Loud as You Can

"Oh Pirates, yes they rob I, stole I from the merchant ship..."

It all started with Bob Marley and a guitar covered in signatures and shout-outs. "Redemption Song" set off a chain of events that no one could have predicted. Live covers from every genre. Every hand on the guitar, or bongos, or spoons, or bottles, or the dreaded remote control/bottle combo. Loud singing and louder laughing. Closed eyes and creatively scandelous hand motions to creatively hilarious songs.

The playlist was incredible:
The Killers
Bob Marley
Larry Norman
Great Hymns of Faith
Damien Rice
Robert Dugan Originals
Protest Songs

All hilarious, sad, true, joyous, and beautiful in their own place.

I love it. Pick any UBCers... any of us at random and throw us in a room of somewhat comfortable surroundings. What takes place is beauty. What takes place are God-moments. You may not recognize them right off. But sit and listen and watch and learn about love. Learn about a common heartbeat. Learn about differences... and how they bring us all together. Pull up a chair and sing loud with us. Close your eyes and throw your head back and sing. Double over, lose your breath and laugh. Tell your story. See how often and surprisingly God and life intersect naturally, and unforced. Watch things change from deconstruction to redemption in each moment.

So we all sit in the living room. All hoping for the same thing to be true. We sit pining for the same truth. Sure, we have doubts, and questions, and frustrations, and setbacks. Be we also have hope, and love, and peace.

God, thank you for church that feels less like something we do and more like family. Thank you for knowing looks and the kind of laughter that makes you sigh afterword. Thank you for good songs, loud singing, and the ability to allow each other to be comfortable in our own skin. Thank you for church, thank you for your big, inviting, welcoming Kingdom. Amen.