Director of Worship Anne Albert, right, shares thoughts from the PAM Worship & Music Conference. With her is Assistant Organist Rebecca Pugh. Director of Music John Alexander also attended.
“We become what we do.” The wise words of Margaret Aymer, preacher at the Presbyterian Association of Musicians Worship and Music Conference this summer, have been echoing through my brain since her closing sermon Friday morning.
We become what we practice persistently. She drove home her point by appealing to us as musicians and artists — how much practice, and persistent practice, has gone into honing our crafts and making us the musicians, artists, preachers, and worship leaders that we are? And likewise, how willing are we to practice the qualities of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, that we might be clothed in love and to then become that love, poured out for Christ, for others, for ourselves?
“Clothed in Love” from Colossians 3:12 was the conference theme, each day focusing on a difference article of clothing that binds everything together in perfect harmony. Our benediction always included these poignant words from Colossians:
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
I was struck by how counter-cultural these qualities are, and how desperately needed they are in our world right now. Each day the worship hit home again and again, as we heard all kinds of music from the children and youth choirs to the 400-person adult choir, to handbell and drumming ensembles, instrumental ensembles, to singer-song writer David LaMotte, to the writing and improvisation of Tom Trenney. Our own brilliant John Alexander accompanied the choir, taught an organ seminar, and helped to lead the Hymn Festival.
We encountered rich liturgy at every service, expertly crafted by David Gambrell, and experienced meaningful art created by people of all ages that is focused on these undervalued but dearly needed traits. Margaret Aymer wove all this together in her sermons, inspiring us to clothe ourselves in love.
In closing worship today Margaret called us to become what we do; to both clothe ourselves with love and persistently practice compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Are we willing to practice compassion in the face of greed and selfishness, to apply humility, kindness and meekness in a world where bullies and tyrants reign? Do we believe that Jesus calls us to persistent patience in the face of evil and despair? Do we trust that clothing ourselves in love can be the change in the world we long to see?
I am grateful for my time at Worship and Music Conference this year. It was a gift to be in a community of artists, musicians, preachers, teachers and Christians who are eager to shape our world with love through their art and their actions. May we all strive to clothe ourselves in love and may we become what we practice.
