When Music Takes Our Breath Away: The Sounds of Reverence - Full Episode

Welcome, everyone.

Let us be silent and settle in as Frank plays the prelude, which today is Nuvole Bianche by Ludovico Ainaudi.

Nuvole Bianche is Italian for white clouds.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you. . . . . . so so Thank you. . . . . . .

Thank you.

you Tena koutou te whanau o Unitarians te Tāmaki Makaurau.

Tena koutou nga manuhiri.

Nau mai haere mai ki tenei whare karakia o te atua.

Ko Ted Zorn Tokoingwa.

No Charleston, South Carolina, USA aho.

Ko Cooper River te awa.

E noho ana aho ke Tāmaki Makaurau.

Nō reira, ero rangatira mā.

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

Welcome all Church, whānau, and visitors to this place of worship, a place made sacred by our coming together today and by Auckland Unitarians coming together here for more than 124 years.

May this time together be a refuge for the spirit, an interlude of peace amidst the busyness of life, a space to pause, to listen, to reflect on our interconnectedness and to explore the deeper meanings of our existence.

May this service be a time for us to become more attentive to moments of beauty, connection, and wonder, to the ordinary things that can suddenly feel extraordinary when we give them our full presence.

Welcome to those joining us remotely, to those in the building, and to those watching the recording at a later time.

To those visiting us for the first time, we are grateful for you to be with us and that you've chosen to be here.

To our cherished members and regular attendees, thank you for returning to continue our shared journey in the pursuit of meaning, compassion, and understanding.

I hope those in the church will stay after the service to join us for a cup of tea or coffee.

It is our sacrament of hospitality.

My name is Ted Zorn and I'll be leading our service today.

The theme of which is when music takes our breath away, the sounds of reverence.

This service is another in our recent series on arts and spirituality.

Also, by the way, happy father's day to all the fathers here and everywhere.

Being a father has been one of the great joys of my life.

And perhaps appropriately given our focus on music today, my daughter sent me a Father's Day message, which I received this morning.

But she was dancing in the Pike Club on Ibiza, which the Pike's Club happens to be where Freddie Mercury threw his 41st birthday party, and supposedly was one of the wildest parties in rock and roll history.

So there you go.

My opening words are a poem.

called Praying by Mary Oliver.

Praying, it doesn't have to be the blue iris.

It could be weeds in a vacant lot or a few small stones.

Just pay attention.

Then patch a few words together and don't try to make them elaborate.

This isn't a contest, but a doorway into thanks.

and a silence into which another voice may speak.

Rachel, would you please light the candle for us?

From this flame, we receive warmth.

May that warmth remind us of the life within us and the life we share with others.

From this flame, we receive light.

May that light help us to notice more deeply beauty, wonder, connection, and the things that too easily pass us by.

May the warmth and the light invite us into reverence, to be present, to be open, and to remember that we are part of something larger than ourselves.

Thanks, Rachel.

I invite you to recite with me the covenant of our congregation.

Words are on the screen.

Love is the doctrine of this church.

The quest for truth is the sacrament, and service is its prayer.

To dwell together in peace, to seek knowledge and freedom, to serve humankind in fellowship, to the ends that all souls shall grow in harmony, Thus do we covenant with each other and with God.

So it is now time for us to share joys and concerns.

So anyone who wishes to share a joy or a concern, please come forward and light a candle.

Tell us your name and your brief joy or concern, or just feel free to light a candle.