From Markus Grae-Hauck, Director of Music Ministries
What wondrous love is this, O my soul?
What wondrous love is this that brings my heart such bliss
and takes away the pain of my soul?
When I was sinking down, sinking down
When I was sinking down beneath my sorrow’s ground,
friends to me gathered round, O my soul.
To love and to all friends I will sing.
To love and to all friends who pain and sorrow mend,
with thanks unto the end I will sing.
– Connie Campbell Hart
These lyrics come from hymn #18, What Wondrous Love. No other text I know expresses the essence of a spiritual community in so few words. During this dark time of year in particular, the message of gratitude for the support and friendship we experience rings clear and true.
If you are “sinking down, sinking down” with the pain of your soul, you are not alone. Feeling isolated, disconnected, and overwhelmed is not an indication of having failed; it is a sign that you are alive. And that is all that is required to be part of our community. Come, be nourished, and know that your presence is healing to others.