The Voice in Red

Gerald leading the Gathering band in rehearsal.

This morning we returned to Church of the Messiah to lead a dynamic repertoire of music - a classic hymn, a contemporary hymn, praise & worship, Gospel, and our original psalm setting. Over the past few months, COTM has become our second church home.

After the service, an elderly gentlemen asked me, "Do you choose the music for the service or does Tay (the parish priest)?"

I explained, "Tay gives us the readings, we choose the songs, and then Tay reviews them and sometimes makes suggestions."

He replied, "Well, I love the repertoire! It's so uplifting and inspiring!"

I said, "Great. If you hadn't liked it, I would have blamed Tay!"

That exchange totally made us both laugh, but I really loved the compliment. I'm honoured that so many of the senior members of the congregation have pulled us aside and told us how much they love the music. These are men and women who have sung decades of classic hymns accompanied by organ and choir. We're not their tradition, and yet they've connected with our music.

To me, this is just proof that the message of the music can override the genre.

This evening, we had an awesome time of worship at The Gathering. There was a wonderful and natural flow to all the songs, words, and prayers. We sang Psalm 31 as set to Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," featuring church chimes, sax, and lots of harmony.

We debuted Gerald's song "The Voice in Red" - a poetic, moving song about hearing the voice of God in the midst of society's noise.

I love Sundays.

We've rehearsed, created, shared, and tonight, we relax...