I will sing and make melody to my God. Psalm 27:6
The sun was shining. The water was calm. The breeze was gentle. It was a glorious boat ride on a glorious day.
We were out on a boat on the Sea of Galilee–the sea where the disciples fished, the sea where Jesus calmed the storm and walked on water, the sea beside which Jesus taught and healed and prayed. One of our friends and colleagues, Sarah Hubbell, had just led a simple and moving Holy Communion service. As we came forward to receive the bread and cup, the boat captain–a recent and fervent convert to Christianity–began to sing “How Great Thou Art.” One of my favorite hymns.
I opened my mouth to join in. Nothing came out but a few squeaks. That morning I had noticed I was starting to lose my voice–stage one of the cold I had picked up on the airplane. When I spoke, my voice was a little raspy but okay. Singing, I discovered on that boat, was a different story.
I took a deep breath and tried again. More squeaks. My third try was equally unsuccessful. I gave up. I was frustrated. There we were, on the Sea of Galilee, singing one of my favorite hymns, and I had no voice.
Then an amazing thing happened. I mouthed the words–and what I heard all around me was the song I could not sing. Twenty-six glorious voices lifted up in praise. My frustration melted away. When I could not sing, I could allow the community to sing for me. Voice or no voice, I was in that song.
That moment offered me a vivid reminder of the healing power of community. When we have no voice, the community can sing or speak on our behalf until our voice is ready to join in the chorus. When we can feel no hope, the community can hold hope for us until we are ready to carry it ourselves–until we are ready to carry it for someone else.
My voice is slowly coming back, and soon I will join the chorus of praise with gusto. But I will remember the power of allowing the music of community to hold me and heal me. –Debbie Clark
O God, we sing praise to you–praise for communities that hold us and sing for us, communities that invite us into the song. Amen.