I don't know about you, but The Faith We Sing felt especially important to me this season, particularly in the time and place we find ourselves in today. To take a moment, an hour or so in worship each week, to uplift songs of resistance from a broad spectrum of cultures and traditions felt like a gift.

Song has always been a vessel for our people: a vessel that carries stories, brings different voices into the conversation, and reminds us that there are more perspectives than the ones of hatred and violence that too often dominate the headlines. I believe we learned from one another this season. We found hope, righteous anger, and resilience in the words shared by our guests, our musicians, and in the conversations we had after worship.

A quote I often return to is this one:

"During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night, and it was the dance that kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for." - Dan Savage

We are fighting for our collective freedom, our collective lives, and for justice to roll down like waters across all of creation. May we remember our humanity in the midst of this struggle toward a better and more hopeful world.

It may seem silly to promote a Silent Disco Party in an article like this, but in many ways, the silliness is the point. We must remember what it means to be human to play, to laugh, to have fun, as though our lives depend on it, because in many ways, they do. We will burn out. We will not be able to sustain this work for the long haul if we forget about our bodies, our joy, and our need for rest.

Remember: it is the dance we are fighting for. The freedom to be fully alive. The freedom to let go. Joy is not separate from the resistance, but it is deeply part of it.

Whether you attend the Silent Disco or not, nurture your muscle of joy this weekend. Celebrate for any reason. Celebrate waking up. Celebrate the friends you have. Celebrate the warmth of the sun on your skin. Celebrate because you can. Celebrate the beauty you see around you, no matter how small or how great.

It's worth it. I promise.

With love and joy,
Pastor Eli