Church

This morning I went to church for the first time in quite a while, and I really enjoyed it. I mentioned before that I went to a Christian school, and grew up fairly religious. You may think that my, well, delinquency in church attendance may be related to my sexual identity, but not so. It's more a product of my late Saturday nights and busy Sundays. Besides, I am a member of one of the more gay friendly denominations.

I spent my high school days going between school and church. I was in the choir, an acolyte, an usher, and just about anything else I could do. I really do miss it. Part of me misses being busy--I am happiest when I have lots of different things to do. But an even bigger part of me misses the warmth and comfort I felt in church.

For me, the best part of the service is the music. One of things I particularly enjoy is the use of traditional music. The combination of gorgeous sounds and a message of God's love and grace just touches my soul. I tend to be a very left-brain person, but music somehow stirs me in a way that a theological discourse never could.

I simply adore sacred choral music. I lover performing it, and enjoyed immensely the time I spent in church and school choirs. But sitting with my eyes closed just focusing on the performance of others can be such a spiritual experience. One of the most inspiring moments in my life was listening to several international choirs perform several works of J.S. Bach in Leipzig's Thomaskirche, the Church that employed Bach. Should I get to Heaven, that is what I expect it to be like.