Sing to the Lord

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

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When I walked into my parish Sunday, I felt a little dejected.

Firstly, they required a face mask. Due to some health challenges, I’m exempt from wearing one, per our government ordinance. But I was still nervous about making other people nervous, should they notice my uncovered face.

Secondly, the sign on our church entryway doesn’t align with the spirituality I grew up with. The message is painted in at least two places around the church, with a version of the following sentiment: “You are entering the house of God, please enter in respectful quiet.”

When I first met our pastor, I explained that if I were commissioned to write the sign, it would say, “You are entering the house of God, make a joyful noise!”

The church was mostly empty. I sat in the very back. Thankfully I was far enough from anyone that it didn’t make a difference to remove my mask. Up at the front, the cantor led us in a clear, strong, Broadway-type voice. “Sing to the Lord,” stood out to me from the psalm. The homily was about, guess what? Mask wearing.

Then we came to the Presentation of Gifts. The liturgical band started playing Matt Maher’s “Lord, I Need You.” Since I was seated so far from everyone else, and due to the church’s amphitheater shape, I felt free to sing with my full voice, with my head thrown back and hands raised high.

Instantly, I was reminded of another moment a few years ago, when I sang the same song. I was in Indianapolis, in a similar posture with my hands raised, in a group of 20,000 teens. I stood at the foot of the stage, where I had just performed. It was Matt Maher’s turn on stage. My friends and I sang along with joy. There were so many people crowded together that we couldn’t leave without a bodyguard!

When I blinked back to the present at my home parish, I looked around at sparsely-filled pews and a masked congregation. It was quite the contrast between my memory of the Lucas Oil stadium, where the instruction was to “make some noise!” and where people were packed into one, giant, singing, shouting crowd. Yet, it was comforting to know that I was singing to the same God.

The joy I felt in a stadium in Indiana was still offered to me in the midst of a pandemic in Arizona.

Can you think of a time when you were connected with a huge crowd of people in song? Maybe it was at a concert, or at church on Christmas, or at a sporting event. I’ll invite you to join me in reclaiming that joy today. And whether out loud or whether in the quiet of recollection, may our hearts continue to sing to the Lord.

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Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

Kim Moline
Dick Safranski
Jordan Mendez
Julian Padilla
Jessica Cook
Kate Hicks
Sara Chacon
Kelly Wesaw
Deacon Tim & Lily Roberto
Carrie Brzezinski

To become an Amanda Vernon Patron and receive exclusive rewards, signup at amandavernon.com/patron.

Remember; Don't Forget

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

---

I had “home church” this week, and then I went to church in person to receive the Eucharist right after they concluded Mass.

There’s an ache in my heart to celebrate Mass with the entire community. Socially-distancing isn’t the same. I miss singing in the pew at the top of my lungs with my husband and kids. We don’t have a system figured out as a family of how to celebrate the Lord’s supper in a way that is still meaningful and yet within our means of time and energy.

It was challenging last week, especially on the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.

And yet. God provides. After I went to receive Communion in our parish center, I stepped into the church to pray. I was prepared to wear a face mask and only to stay for a few moments, but it turned out that no one was in our chapel.

So I was able to sit in the presence of Christ for an hour to reflect, journal, cry, and rejoice, without fear of spreading germs. It was such a gift. That gift didn’t remove my longing for community, but it set that longing into perspective. Ultimately, my heart’s desire is for union with Christ. And He provides that union in different ways in different seasons of life.

The word that stood out to me from the readings was the one-two punch of “remember” and “don’t forget.”

I believe the Lord is calling me to remember past challenging seasons that He has brought me through. That’s my style of songwriting (to explore a painful experience and to draw hope and joy from it), but sometimes I doubt whether my typical approach is too heavy or complex. I sense the Lord encouraging me to stay the course.

God is inviting me, with my creativity and my personality and my Gospel-music sensibilities, to recall how He has redeemed me. To not forget the wounds of the past. And also to have faith that this particularly challenging season is going to be a beautiful story someday. When I remember all of that, I find so much to be thankful for right now.

Can you remember a challenging time that the Lord brought you through in the past? Can you recall both how you felt in the midst of that struggle, and also the victory after the storm passed? I’ll invite you to join me in remembering His faithfulness in the midst of any hardships we might be facing. Let’s not forget what the Lord has brought us through!

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Special thanks to VIP Patrons:

Kim Moline
Dick Safranski
Jordan Mendez
Julian Padilla
Jessica Cook
Kate Hicks
Sara Chacon
Kelly Wesaw
Deacon Tim & Lily Roberto
Carrie Brzezinski

To become an Amanda Vernon Patron and receive exclusive rewards, signup at amandavernon.com/patron.