October 2019: Oh when the saints/ I'm gonna sing

9/23/2019

October is such a glorious golden month in New Mexico. If your kids are anything like mine, they are already busy planning for Halloween. In addition to offering ample opportunities for creativity and fun, our preparations for Halloween (and the constellation of related celebrations surrounding it--Dia de los Muertos, All Souls Day and All Saints Day) offer opportunities to explore other important aspects of our spiritual lives, as well.

How do you and your family understand, experience, and embody the relationship

between authenticity and disguises?
between fear and courage?
between the living and the dead?

At St. Mark's, our celebration of the season is punctuated by a Dia de los Muertos Celebration (evensong, feast, dance, and ofrenda creation) on Saturday, October 26th and culminates in our All Saints Sunday celebration on Sunday, November 3rd.

Our Song(s) of the Month celebrate our confidence in the continuity of life--of praise, worship, celebration, and relationship--between earth and heaven.

These songs can be sung in sequence (one after the other) OR they can be sung together in harmony.

 I wonder what the relationship between these two songs might have to teach us about the relationship between authenticity and disguises, fear and courage, life and death?

Oh when the saints go marching in

Oh when the saints go marching in

Oh I want to be in that number

when the saints go marching in

I'm gonna sing, sing, sing
I'm gonna dance, dance, dance
I'm gonna sing, I'm gonna dance, Allelu!

When those gates are open wide
I'll be standing by your side
I'm gonna sing, I'm gonna dance, Allelu!

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Song of the Month

In early 2019 I began serving as assisting priest at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Albuquerque. St. Mark's is home to a diverse and rapidly growing faith community as well as a Montessori Preschool that serves ~50 preschool children and their families.

One of my first areas of focus at St. Mark's will be to explore creative ways to support the spiritual growth of St. Mark's families, not only at church and school, but also at home throughout the week.

We'll begin our exploration with a "Song of the Month." Each month we'll offer a simple song as an "anchor" for spiritual reflection and growth throughout the month. Parents and other adults in the St. Mark's community are encouraged to learn the song and access further materials for reflection online. Children will practice the song each week in Children's Chapel. Children will be invited to share the song with the entire St. Mark's community during worship (as the offertory anthem) on the 4th Sunday of each month.

If you are the parent/caregiver of a very young child (age 0-2), your child will still benefit enormously from daily exposure to the "Song of the Month". Even though they aren't yet singing, you can be sure they are already listening to you and learning! Experiment with incorporating the song into any part of your daily routine--waking, sleeping, bathing, dressing, diaper change, etc. From an early age, you can help your child establish a pattern of life in which prayer, spiritual practice, and song are a natural part!

If you are the parent/caregiver of an older child (age 3+) try incorporating the song and one short, thematically linked reflection question, action, or prayer into your daily routine--maybe at mealtime, at bedtime, or even during your daily commute.

If you are a teenager or adult with no young children at home, find a way to work the song into your daily routine--perhaps while your showering, driving, or cooking. Discuss the theme or reflection question with a friend or partner--or set aside some time to journal, draw, paint, blog or reflect in some other creative way on your own.

Sunday School Teachers and Small Group Leaders: Consider incorporating the "Song of the Month" or one of the relevant reflection questions into your own sessions, classes, or meetings each month if appropriate.

Everybody: Have fun! Sing out! Experiment! And above all--share your experiences and insights with one another and with me!

October 2019: Oh when the saints/ I'm gonna sing

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Song of the Month

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