“A Synthesis” a Homily by the Rev. Dr. Stephanie May First Parish in Wayland December 13, 2015

“A Synthesis” A homily by the Rev. Dr. Stephanie May First Parish in Wayland December 13, 2015

In moments we will hear the choir and orchestral ensemble play Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s “Messe de Minuit.” In learning a bit about the composition, I was struck most by the nature of the piece as a synthesis of the traditional text of the Catholic Mass and the music of popular French Christmas carols. I imagine it might be something like setting the words of our covenant to a popular tune like “It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas” or “Jingle Bells.” Something like:

As we light the chalice, symbol of our faith, Saying all as one the covenant we share. In the search for truth in freedom, and in love, we unite for worship, community, and service OH....chalice lighting, chalice lighting, here we go again. Every week we light the oil and say the covenant.

Odd as such a concoction may sound. . . I admit that I am a fan of melding the old and the new. Sitting here in this room is itself a synthesis of the old and the new. Our building is 200 years old—but to its historic wooden walls and ceiling, we’ve added the modern technologies of insulation, central heating, and a sound system. Simply gathering here on Sunday morning is also an old, old tradition extending back to the earliest days of this 375-year old congregation. Yet, if one of those ancient ancestors were here today, they might be deeply puzzled by the absence of certain talk about God or Jesus or the Bible. . . and certainly disturbed to find a woman up front as the minister!

Such blending of old and new does not only happen here at First Parish, however. Over these holiday weeks, many of us will gather with family and friends to celebrate ancient holidays—often with traditions handed down from parent to child to grandchild . . . perhaps a favorite recipe or certain kind of food that you’ll eat. But maybe today you’re pulling up that recipe on your iPad or texting your cousin to see if he knows what Grandma used to add to her stuffing to make it taste so good. The old and the new blending together.

Charpentier’s blending, however, was not simply a blend of old and new. His composition is a synthesis of the sacred and the secular. Music from the popular vernacular is used a musical motif beneath the sacred words of the Catholic Mass. A private man, we know very little of Charpentier’s own inner life or mindset behind his creations. But we do know that as a young man he traveled to Italy to study music. And, long after Italian music was out of fashion in his native France, Charpentier would also blend Italian influence into his French compositions. From popular music to Italian patterns, Charpentier wove his varied experience together to create his own, unique compositions.

Each of us also has our own varied histories. We’ve lived in different places, had different jobs or hobbies or responsibilities. We’ve read or traveled. We’ve enjoyed friends and loved ones. Each of us has amassed our own particular blending of life experiences through the seasons of our lives. All of our lives can be seen as unique compositions that reflect our particular life story. Comprised of whom we have loved, the places we have called home, our heartbreaks and challenges, as well as the opportunities and moments of great happiness, our life stories emerge as the blending of many elements.

Like Charpentier’s composition, sometimes the particular syntheses of our lives may break the rules of expectation or convention. The Catholic Mass is set to popular French carols. An unwed mother gives birth in a stable. Rather than signal failure, such ruptures of expectations may announce the arrival of new possibilities, new combinations and syntheses of life’s plentiful gifts.

To me the joy of the Christmas story is the synthesis of the sacred and the mundane. It is the celebration of a baby born in the humblest of circumstances in whom all the wondrous mysteries of Life and Love are present. It is believing that our everyday lives need not be divorced from our spiritual longings. It is believing that what we hear on the radio or read on Facebook or otherwise encounter in our everyday lives may indeed have a connection to what we do here on Sunday morning. Like the musical piece we will hear in moments, our lives can be creative compositions synthesizing the elements of our lives into our own unique song.

So may it be. Amen.

Prayer

Spirit of Life and Love We celebrate today the gifts of song and of music that reach within us touching our hearts and spirits. May we be grateful for this gift of music as well as for being present here amidst friends and strangers with whom we share these moments of song and stillness. On this December day, as holidays surround us, may we finds moments of stillness to reflect upon the gifts of our own varied histories— may we find ways to blend the elements of our lives that celebrate the unique wonder of each of us. In a world of billions of people, may we not lose sight of the wonder of each life. May we hold with reverence the plenitude of life forms from the mighty whale, to birds graceful in the sky, to the smallest of plankton in the sea. We rejoice today in the historic effort of world leaders in Paris to move towards actions that will better sustain planetary life. May this be one of many more steps in the fight for climate justice— that we may live in more balance both with the ecosystem that sustains us and with all people upon the earth . . . especially those whose lives and livelihood are most threatened by climate change. May we be a part of a song That celebrates the gift of Life in all its varied forms,

including our religious diversity— Jewish and Christian, Muslim and Ba’ahi, Morman, Buddhist, and Unitarian Universalist. In these dark days as hate too often fills our ears, may we affirm today our love and respect for our Muslim neighbors. May we be voices that welcome the stranger who is seeking shelter and safety . . . even as we denounce all forms of violence that threaten harm upon the innocent. May our hearts remain open in compassion and generosity To all those in need of a haven, a respite from war, from violence, from fear.

May we be a haven here today where our own hearts can be softened and renewed by the gifts of song.

So may it be. Amen.