Janelle Monáe performs onstage during the 67th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/WireImage)
The GRAMMY Awards always intrigue me. Even in a year when I’m not familiar with the nominated artists, I am drawn to watch the Sunday evening musical marathon in hopes of discovering new music or witnessing a partnership that on any other day would be impossible. It is a musical nerd paradise! This annual evening of elaborate staging and designer outfits is an occasion for new startup groups and solo performers to mingle alongside artists who have been songwriting, recording, and touring for decades.
One of the most thrilling parts of the show year after year are the collaborations that occur, shattering barriers and genres which often segregate both artists and fans. My favorite team up from this past Sunday evening was the All-Star Tribute to Quincy Jones, following his death this past November. Herbie Hancock, Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monáe, Jacob Collier, Stevie Wonder, Lainey Wilson, and more led us on a tour de force of several of Quincy’s major recordings! It was a beautiful and transcendent moment when all sorts of musical worlds collided. You can watch the tribute here.
Our lives are equally diverse and beautiful. Although we are surrounded by a full spectrum of people and experiences, all too often our likes and dislikes segregate us. We gravitate toward that which is comfortable and familiar, rather than boldly exploring all that life has to offer us. How refreshing it is, though, when we unite with the unexpected.
We witness this in the church, too. Some people choose a church based on the method or mode of a weekend service. Is there a chanted liturgy, an organ, or a praise ensemble? What about speaking in tongues, weekly Holy Communion, or a community based mission focus? This diversity can be a beautiful expression of the creative variety at work among the people of God. It can also divide us.
As you know, the world of music is so much bigger than the GRAMMYs, the Country Music Awards, or any other celebration of famous people and popular songs. Thousands of singers, musicians, songwriters, producers, and engineers were hard at work this past year composing music and crafting beautiful art. So it is with the church. All sorts of folks are immersed in the mysteries of God as they explore how to work together with and for God’s purposes.
Journalist Thomas Friedman contends, “Several technological and political forces have converged, and that has produced a global, Web-enabled playing field that allows for multiple forms of collaboration without regard to geography or distance - or soon, even language.”
Now, more than ever, these same opportunities have become available to us as the body of Christ, too. We are able to have dialogue and partnerships with people of other cultures and faiths in our own neighborhoods as well as across the continents. Global collaboration is not only a possibility, but a reality for communities and persons of faith as we connect in meaningful ways that we could not have imagined a generation ago.
So many exciting collaborations lie before us as a church. We welcome new families and individuals into the Lord of Life community and are thrilled to share our space as the mission hub for Vida Eterna Iglesia Luterana (VEIL). We continue to forge strong partnerships with the Faith Alliance of West Chester, Family Promise, Tikkun Farm, and several recovery groups. We’re eager to take 35 people to Appalachia this summer to partner with Appalachia Service Project in making homes warmer, safer, and drier. The Holy Spirit is building bridges between communities and people, fueling new partnerships that will give birth to something new.
How is God inviting and guiding you into collaborations in the coming year? Who will we encounter as we travel through 2025? We do not know, but we move forward in hope for our collective melodies and rhythms to become part of a new song.
Let’s sing together,
Pastor Lowell