But sometimes all it takes is a song while you do the dishes. I hope that when she’s feeling lost or unsure in her faith, she’ll be able to pull out these words and remember.įor many of us, we can make teaching faith to our children complicated and often desire something tangible, like memorized Books of the Bible. My hope is that she’ll let that song take root in her heart, too. “ Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you, allelu, alleluia,” Perhaps my favorite new practice I have begun since my time in choir is starting to sing “Seek Ye First” as a lullaby to my daughter at bedtime. When parents ask me about how we go about teaching our faith, I usually respond, “talk about it together, worship together, grace at dinner goes a long way.” But now I have a new tactic, sing about it. I know so many of us want to give the gift of a rich spiritual foundation to our kids. It made a home in my heart and rose up to my voice whenever it felt like it. What is most surprising to me about choir was how many times I found myself singing “Seek Ye First” outside of practice while I did the dishes, on a walk, in the car. The first hymn the Novice boys (and myself) learned was “Seek Ye First” which the boys proudly and marvelously sung at our worship service in Advent.

This year, I started attending the Novice Boys practices, our choir for boys as young as first grade, and learned basic music education from our choir directors – the shape of the notes, the letters of the staff. Harris, which included a whole bunch of delightfully spirited preschool and kindergarteners singing things like “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” and my personal favorite, “Cauliflowers Fluffy.” My musical education ended with the recorder so being in a room with the youngest choristers was a perfect fit for me. When I began working here as the Children’s Minister in 2019, I started attending children and youth choir practices. Just think back to being able to attend a music concert with a crowd of people, or the joy that washes over us when a good song comes on the radio, or the way that simple chant can make us breathe a little deeper.

Music has a way of getting into our hearts and creating a visceral response in our bodies.

Abby VanderBrug on Sunday, March 14, 2021.