Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ

One of the amazing aspects of worship on January 31 was how the young adult speakers, liturgical movement participants, and choir members put so much passion and energy into what they shared.  Through music, movement and words, these participants “bore witness” to the power of faith, the beauty of community, and the undeniable call on our lives to live with compassion.  In the language of our Epiphany series, many of us had our “hearts broken open” by their witness.  I am not alone in saying words cannot express how beautifully we we were led and loved.

The truth is that many in this congregation bear witness to the grace and love of God with their lives.  It’s inspiring, it’s uplifting, and it’s soul shaping.

Frederick Buechner, in his 1983 book Now and Then, wrote about the power of God working through our lives.  It has been his long held belief that the most tangible and dependable way we know the movement of the Spirit in our lives is by “listening to our lives.”  He wrote:

“Listen to your life.  See it for the fathomless mystery that it is.  In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments and life itself is grace. ..If God speaks anywhere, it is into the personal lives that she speaks. (adapted)

During the season of Lent this year, we will focus on listening to the “fathomless mystery” that is our lives.  Through stories from Scripture (the witness of God’s people) and our own lives and, we will acknowledge and remind one another how we experience God.  It is our hope that Lent will be a “holy interruption” in our lives  to take time to listen deeply to our own lives and the lives of others – in order to strengthen our faith and deepen our awareness of divine grace and justice.

In the spirit of reminding ourselves of God’s grace, acknowledging the movement of God in our daily interactions, and bearing witness to the power of compassion and love – we will invite a person from the congregation each week to “give testimony” for 2-3 minutes during worship.  The parameters for how you could testify are broad, but we invite you to share a moment or experience in which you felt the Spirit at work.  Some might call it a “God moment.”  Because some of us struggle to see the divine in the daily and mundane, we’ll ask you to tell not just a good story – but a God story – a story that offers a brief reflection on how you have seen, felt and known God in your story.

If this is something you’d like to do, please contact me (271-7212 or winton@orucc.org).  We’ll be doing this for the foreseeable future, so there really is no limit to the number of speakers we can use.  I’m convinced that in addition to Scripture, sermon and powerful music, we’ll all be enriched and encouraged by the words of one another.  What do you think?  Let me know if you have questions.  And, on behalf of all of us who will benefit, thank you ahead of time.