In most worship services, the piano is the trusted companion. Its bright, resonant tones project confidently through the sanctuary, leading the congregation with strength and clarity. The piano can carry a congregation into shared proclamation, Its chords ringing out like a chorus of voices, its rhythms guiding the body of Christ into unity. On ordinary Sundays, this is the instrument that anchors us, summoning us to “make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth” (Psalm 98:4).
But on this Sunday, commemorating Archbishop Oscar Romero as a Holy Disruptor, the voice of worship shifted. Instead of the commanding presence of the piano, the sanctuary was bathed in the warm, intimate, and gentle tones of a classical guitar. The nylon strings offered a sound at once human and tender, a whisper of grace inviting us not to raise our voices so much in unison but to sit, reflect, and listen.
Our guest musician, María E. Olaya, a Colombian guitarist, composer, and teacher based in the Portland metro area, carried us into this sacred space. María is no ordinary performer; in 2024, her composition “Pasos en Si” (Steps in B) reached the semifinals of the prestigious Fidelio Guitar Composition Competition in Madrid. She once wrote, “For me, music has always been a means for genuine connection with others, a means to experience transcendence and connect to our humanness.” Those words came alive in her playing.
For our Communion Song today, María once again offered the congregation her rendition of Ábrete Corazón by Rosa Glove. In a moment of pure musical grace, the congregation was drawn into deep reflection as each arpeggio rose and fell like a prayer. Every note was played with intention, every phrase imbued with emotional depth. The guitar’s soft resonance became a vessel for mercy, opening our hearts to the Spirit’s quiet invitation.
How fitting this was on a Sunday where we meditated on the thought that: eternal life is not found in rigid formulas but in love . “You shall love the Lord your God … and your neighbor as yourself.” When Jesus asked who the neighbor was to the wounded man in that famous parable, the lawyer could not say “Samaritan.” He could only stammer, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Ábrete Corazón gave us that mercy in sound. Its lyrics, “Open up, heart … remember how love heals, how the spirit cures, how the tree blossoms and life endures,”. These lyrics carried us deeper than words alone could reach. Where the piano usually proclaims, the guitar whispers instead. Where the piano leads, the guitar invited us to follow today. Where the lawyer hesitated, the guitar sang freely about all this: love, mercy, healing, and endurance.
Pastor Emillie's sermon opened her sermon with the afterward story around the raising of Lazarus and the plot to kill him after Jesus raised him. She pointed out how this shows the Gospel will not be good news for everyone, which led to Oscar Romero's assassination while celebrating the Eucharist.
On this day, we glimpsed Romero’s prophetic truth, that the Gospel itself is a holy disruption. Sometimes it thunders like a piano, shaking and railing against the walls of injustice. And sometimes it comes as gently as a guitar, planting seeds of mercy in the silence of our hearts.
Thanks be to God for both voices, proclamation and whisper, thunder and tenderness. And thanks be to God for musicians like María Olaya, who remind us that worship is not simply sound, but Spirit.
Today God’s living mercy was made audible among us.
Sermon: https://youtu.be/oJ2Tkifoqcs
Recording of Today's Service: https://youtube.com/live/okEmiQXyIDo Service begins at 14:30
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