From the Desk of Pastor Marsha, December 12, 2024
If you were in worship last Sunday, you may have noticed that we rang the bell a little bit earlier than we normally have been doing. Then Pastor Dirk and I processed up to the front of the sanctuary and sat in the front pews. At 9:30 a.m. exactly, Pastor Dirk stood up and welcomed everyone, and then thanked the Flute Choir for beginning worship for us. Our reasoning for doing this was to encourage people to prepare and enter the sanctuary, and then give our musicians a chance to share their gift of music without so much chatter in the sanctuary.
Preludes and processionals have long been seen as a transitional time in worship, with most congregations having their pianist or organist play music to help people prepare their hearts for worship and to let people know worship is about to begin. At the end of service, they typically provide a transition between the last hymn and people leaving the sanctuary. But what happens is, the time prior to and following worship is a chance for people to chat with others who are sitting by them and catch up with them or maybe even just get to know them.
Neither of these practices is better or worse than the other; both have great value in the life of a congregation’s worship. Here at Zion, we are in the unique position of having not only two great organists and pianists but also four wonderful musical organizations that gather every week to practice great quality music to share with those of us who show up or who are watching on Zoom. As our attendance is growing, there are more people sitting in the sanctuary and therefore more conversations going on.
It was shared with me a couple of weeks ago that it was getting to the point where the music being shared couldn’t be heard very well with all the chatter going on. I shared this with the musicians, and we brainstormed some ideas. This is the solution we decided to try and see how it worked. Personally, I felt it worked well. I think people still had a chance to visit, but when it came time to start the prelude everyone was ready to sit quietly and listen. I know for myself it was an unexpected benefit of helping my own heart and mind prepare for worship after all the conversations and problem-solving I am usually doing on Sunday morning.
It was also suggested that when we get to the postlude, you are encouraged to stay and listen, but you also are welcome to walk out. But if you could hold off on starting a conversation until you get outside the sanctuary doors, that allows those who are sitting and listening to really hear the music that is being shared.
I think we are blessed to have enough volunteers to have coffee time both before and after worship, so there should be plenty of time to connect with friends, get to know others better, and greet newcomers. As well, we are very blessed to have so many people willing to share their gifts of music, and we want to respect that effort and appreciate their gifts. We will see how this works, if you have any other suggestions or thoughts don’t hesitate to let us know what you think. ~Pastor Marsha
