Last Fall, I shared an article in the Son Times about my commissioned choir piece for the choirs at Shakopee High School. The piece “Gather” was based on the poem of the same name by local artist/poet/activist/speaker Joe Davis.
The subject for the piece was chosen based on input from the choir students at Shakopee High School, and they were overwhelmingly in favor of conveying the same message that we espouse at St. Andrew: you matter, you belong, we care. The idea of inclusion, diversity, and human dignity is beautifully captured in Joe’s poem “Gather,” and it was a real joy to set his words to music during the summer months of 2024.
Lest you think I’m simply recycling a newsletter article topic, I was asked to write a follow-up because the date is quickly approaching when we’ll have Joe Davis here at St. Andrew as our guest preacher when we kick off our “Love in a Divided World” sermon series on Sunday, February 22.
When my piece was premiered in Shakopee last May, I was delighted to see Pastor Kristin in attendance (what a supportive colleague!). She caught me in the parking lot after the concert to offer her congratulations, and she said, “We need to do your piece at St. Andrew!” I loved the idea, and I asked Mike Kovic (choir director at Shakopee and St. Andrew member) if we could invite the choir students to come to St. Andrew to perform the piece with our Canticle Choir.
He was in favor, and we set the date last summer. Our leadership team thought it would be an incredible bonus to have Joe here as our preacher on the same Sunday that “Gather” would be performed. The fact that our sermon series for Lent would be called “Love in a Divided World” was proof positive to me that the Holy Spirit is always working in and among these details!
You don’t need me to tell you what kind of turmoil we are experiencing in our world right now. But when young people give voice to their belief that we should be looking out for each other and that all people are worthy of being treated with kindness, respect, and love, it renews my faith in humanity and my faith in the future of our country. I can’t honestly say that I know how many of the high school students will show up here to sing on that Sunday morning.
Many of them have their own churches, or would not be inclined to come to a church at all, but to me, the potential gain is well worth that risk. When a community can come together to proclaim in song a much-needed message of hope and inclusion in this divided world, we all win.
These troubled times put me in mind of a wonderful quote from Leonard Bernstein:
“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”
See you in church (especially on February 22)!
Tim Graf
Director of Worship & Music