I began our gathering today with this call inviting all to join on the simple responsive refrain ‘Love’.
I began, and lit the candle from ‘the first spark’ and ‘Love’ was declared. I continued and the voice of ‘Love’ gained collective momentum. Then another treble voice – a four year old girl, Vivi*, began to also repeat the phrases I was delivering: the first…the first…the first…the first… her ears attuned and her tongue in ready response.
But Vivi’s grandmother who had brought her was shushing her, trying shepherd Vivi’s participation into what she perceived was the expected form. So I stopped. I affirmed Vivi. ‘Please keep echoing – it’s wonderful, and you are helping us all pay attention to the words.’
So we continued, and the congregation made room – left space, so her echo of my line rang out – and then they affirmed: ‘Love!’
I guess we could say, in our midst Trinity took form:
A first, an echo, a chorus.
A mother, a child, community.
Or, if you like the old patriarchal metaphors,
a father, a son, a spirit
As you read, imagine it: my old trained theatre teacher voice and Vivi’s young fresh spontaneous voice in duet, and the chorus of the congregation – a collective age of several millennia – and these same words expressed in different tones of the joy and richer meaning that comes from multivocality.
This is how intergenerational community is formed – not with simply tolerating or ignoring or fetishising the voice of the child, or the aged, or the awkward, or the strangely gifted – but with advocacy, intention, and affirmation.
Community leaders cannot be half hearted, laissez-faire economists with the precious gifts of growing humans. We must articulate the value of each one of us.
More than saying:
‘Oh we don’t mind if your child (or that creaky old saint) makes noise’
– that’s just tolerance, and it’s arrogant and weak.
We must say, regularly and whole heartedly:
‘Oh, please be yourself, please be as you are in our midst and let us shift our habits, and reshape our patterns, so that you are seen and heard and known and loved, so we are all free to be seen and heard and known and loved, so that we all be blessed, so that we be blessing you so that you be blessing us.’
*Vivi is a pseudonym
A Call to Worship and Acknowledgement of Country
God is Love
From the dawn of creation
Love
From the first spark
Love
The first droplet
Love
The first twitch
Love
The first stirring
Love
The first breath
Love
The first pulse
Love
The first word
Love
The first task
Love
The first call
Love
And so on and on and on and on
Always and always in everything
Love has been
Love is
And Love will be
Love calls us now
To gather – to share – to know – to hold – to mourn – to forgive – to pray – to serve – to feast
God is Love
From the dawn of creation
Love has been present in this land
Stirring and speaking
with God’s dearly loved people of this place
The Tasmanian Aboriginal Community
As they have loved this place
Sacred and spirit filled
Custodians of care and dignity
We acknowledge them with respect
for elders and leaders, past present and growing.
multivocality 