If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.
Brie gave the message which deftly tied the "Open My Hand" theme with helping the disadvantaged that she heard clearly articulated in the Deuteronomy as she reread it preparing her message. Her message was a call for expressing God's mercy in our lives, a theme which echoed throughout this evenings service for me.
A first time visitor and I talked after the service. He was grateful for a Wednesday evening service because it was hard for him to attend worship on Sundays. He also commented on, in his words, how Jesus was at the center of, and absolutely felt present in, the worship with us this evening. Pastor Michelle and her husband Robert shared the musical leadership in this evening's vespers.
Personally, I entered into the sanctuary in a somewhat foul mood feeling apart and alone even after I had enjoyed a good dinner conversation beforehand. The sacred space of the community I experienced the past few Wednesdays was gone. I did appreciate Craig sittijng next to me. There were some rather petty reasons for my unconnected feeling. I knew them and recognized those reasons for what they were but simply knowing reasons does not necessarily change how you feel.
When the vespers reached the prayer God of Mercy Hold Us In Love it reminded me of an interfaith discussion my wife described to me that she attended with Jane. My wife related her experience with a breakout One to One session last Sunday afternoon where they were asked to tell a story about God's mercy they had experienced in their life. Mercy is a Catholic church focus this year. Pope Francis has declared 2016 a Year of Mercy - an opportunity to encounter the mercy of God
I agreed with Mary that telling a story of God's mercy in your life on the spur of the moment is hard to do. I appreciated another point she made - that an individual may not label the mercy that is granted in their lives as mercy. Compassion doesn't necessarily announce itself, grandstand, nor is it always asked for or recognized as mercy when it occurs.
Back to what happened in the evening's service. There was a lullaby-like feel I don't always hear in God of Mercy Hold Us In Love. I swayed and felt rocked as Robert and Pastor Michelle traded verses and everyone sang this prayer to Matt's tranquil piano accompaniment. Others swayed too. As we alternately softly hummed and asked for divine mercy, I imagined some were caught in an overwhelming individual and collective holiness. My "apart" feeling, at least for that moment, dissolved. I was caught in, and overwhelmed by, the vespers and those gathered.
After the service I was ready for. and gifted by. the first time visitor's kind observations and for the choir time after the service, where we practiced singing together, both with our individual parts and in unison.
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