The musician and composer who led our Sunday morning worship a few weeks ago, Paul Vasile, leads workshops in paperless singing across the country. He asks a question in those workshops, after the group has learned and sung a new piece together. Not “what did you like?” or “what was difficult?” or even “quick, was that in a major or minor key?” but the simple question,
What did you notice?
Just four days ago, on Palm Sunday, we read the story of Christ’s betrayal and death. We took on the voices of Pilate, of Judas, of Peter, of Christ, of the crowds. We stepped into roles in the narrative, adding our voices to a story that began in adoration and ended in sadness, even in dread, moving from Hosanna to Kyrie, from the soft green of palm branches to the rough wood of the crucifixion tree.