Dear Friends and Members of UU Fellowship of Corvallis:
I am sharing lyrics and a video with you, below. The phrases have nourished me all week, sliding in and out of my awareness, enveloping me like an occasional hug.
What I see in my mind’s eye with them is this memory from last Friday, January 23 in Minneapolis: the tall, slender, long-brown-haired woman who is a rabbi, standing at the pulpit of a Lutheran church, with Swedish words in the stained glass above her, and Spanish posters on the altar.
What I sense in that environment in my memory are coats, more coats, hats, mittens, and backpacks all around me on wooden pews as tired clergy colleagues sing together. The words sound muddy at first. But with repetition, and the rabbi’s patient smile and steady voice, we get clearer about the lyrics. The meaning begins to sink into my heart, and I feel relief and courage.
She taught us this song when we arrived at 9 am. Later, at 11:30 am, after hearing that someone had been abducted three blocks away, she leads us again. There is less space for horror to grab us when we sing this song together.
“We will not underestimate
our power any longer—
we know that together, we are strong.
Like drops of water shape the rocks
as they rush down the falls,
we know that together,
we are strong.”
To give proper credit, I looked up the composer and share this background with you: Rena Branson is a Jewish composer, ritual leader, and educator who uplifts personal and collective healing through song. Rena founded A Queer Nigun Project (aqueernigunproject.org), which organizes community singing events for LGBTQIA+ folks and sends Jewish spiritual audio content to people who are incarcerated in NYC jails.
My wish for all of us at UUFC is that power of song continues to hold you in the coming days, weeks, months, and years.
—Rev. Alex