(0507) Daily worship
Bishop Calls Life a Song ‘Waiting to Be Sung’ May 7, 2004 By Kathryn Witte*  | A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose. The Spiritual Image choir from Melrose United Methodist Church, San Leandro, Calif. |
PITTSBURGH
(UMNS) –– Bishop Rhymes H. Moncure, Jr. took a little liberty with the
lyrics of a Jim Forbes’ song to communicate the idea that people’s lives
are like songs waiting to be sung.
“Every one of us is a
one-of-a-kind, precious child of God, with a unique song to sing,” he
said. “The challenge for us today is to find those ways to resurrect our
songs.”
Preaching at the May 7 morning worship service at the
2004 General Conference, the bishop of the Nebraska Conference drew his
message from Ephesians 5:19:
“…as
you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing
and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the
Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ.”
Moncure said singing songs means that words, actions and
thoughts should all be in harmony with the way God intends people to
live their lives. He compared individuals coming together as a symphony
and getting off key when they are out of harmony with God.
Moncure
said resurrecting United Methodists’ song can be found by resurrecting
their joy, resurrecting their hope, resurrecting their courage. He said
joy comes from working together and being a dynamic denomination.
“Sometimes praying together, sometimes crying together, sometimes
laughing together, but all times joining hands together –– that’s
singing your song,” he said.
Moncure introduced the idea
of stones that keep rolling in the way of singing songs. He said these
stones silence hope, joy and dreams and asked, “What are the stones
today that are silencing the songs?”
Alluding to the many
debates on the General Conference floor as stones keeping United
Methodists from singing, he reminded the delegates of the peril of
starting policy-setting conversations with “How much will this cost us
with dollars and cents?” and not asking the question, “How much will
this cost us if we do not go where God is leading us to go?”
 | A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose. The Bering Memorial United Methodist Church Choir from Houston sings during morning worship. |
Moncure
raised “a small warning” about what he called the cliques, caucuses,
boards, agencies, annual conferences and disconnecting congregations and
how they have come to take class action against the emerging melodies
of hope and the songs of life. “What’s silencing our songs today?”
Moncure asked.
Moncure brought the analogy to a personal level by
saying sometimes people defeat themselves. He said paralyzing fear
seems to grip people when they fail to recognize their kinship with each
other.
He called for the assembly to roll away the stones to
see the lyrics of life, the harmony of life and spirit, like a divine
conductor calling the chorus together to resurrect the song in its
lives.
Moncure said that if people were to make their “song”
creating disciples for Jesus Christ, the church would see a
transformation as never seen before. He envisions a transforming growth
of the church in all its many facets.
He exuded empathy for the delegates who were in their 10th day of meeting.
From
his view from the bishops’ podium, he said he sees a room full of songs
— people with capabilities, gifts, talents and possibilities.
Moncure
once again called to the assembly, “Can you imagine what would happen
if there were a mighty release and a resurrection of the songs of life
for us in this General Conference? If we were set free of all of our
fears? And, with a resurrection of hope and joy and courage from the
people of God, the United Methodist Church, we could dismantle the walls
and roll away the stones of our fears.”
Citing Ephesians, he said, “Wake up, wake up, and Christ shall give us the light.”
He exclaimed, “God’s power, God’s might, God’s activity –– it’s in this church!”
The
Bering Memorial Chancel Choir, the Candler Singers and the Spiritual
Image groups led the service with traditional and spiritual hymns.
Robert
Nelson read the invocation incorporating the “Water Washed, Spirit
Born” theme of the 2004 General Conference. Nelson recited “Spirit
Moving over Chaos” while washing his hands in the waters of the
baptismal font on the worship service stage.
*Witte is communications coordinator for the Nebraska Annual Conference.News media contact: (412) 325-6080 during General Conference, April 27-May 7. After May 10: (615) 742-5470.
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