First Songwriting Retreat
Could highly trained musicians and worship leaders write a worship song upon their first time working together? This was the hope as we hosted our first ever worship songwriting retreat in July. Not only did we have that lofty goal, but the new band plans to introduce the song at our upcoming Reawakening Conference for leaders and pastors from all over New England! So there’s a deadline and a high-stakes opener! Idealistic? Yes. Potential for major disappointment? Yes. But somehow, everybody signed up! Miraculous.
Worship leaders from around the Anglican Diocese of New England rode ferries and highways to spend the weekend with us on Long Island at our home and Dandelion Ministries. Our new friends, Ed and Monica Harbes, also share a vision for hosting retreats for pastors and people who need refreshment. They generously opened their home to help us host.
The crew: concert cellist, Sarah Hoskins (and daughter Tess), and worship leader, pianist-singer-songwriter Kathryn Miller (and daughter Juni) from Imago Dei, Bangor, Maine; Dave Edwards worship leader, jazz musician, and music producer from Trinity Church, Greenwich, CT); father-son guitar-piano duo Dan and Isaiah Sylvia (Rector and worship leader of Anglican Church of the Redeemer, Franklin, MA (and Isaiah is a student at Berklee College of Music); and our very own Sean Norris (singer-songwriter who got the ball rolling with the chorus and melody!).
The songwriting crew in front of the Reawakening Conference painting, Recreate
We started by sharing Scriptures that had inspired the theme of the conference: Recreate. I had painted a painting carried by the promise that Jesus creates new life out of death. We were all described by the idea of living in the wilderness, as the Israelites did, and as the New Testament writers depicted (“sojourners” 1 Peter 2:11). Our present, universal suffering make home illusive and comfort fleeting—loneliness, futility, danger and death are close at hand. Wilderness. Yet, this is what Jesus entered into, took upon himself, and redeemed by dying on the cross and rising again. Our Christian hope is that death is not the end.
“When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,
and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the Lord will answer them;
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.I will open rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the midst of the valleys.
I will make the wilderness a pool of water.” (Isaiah 41:17,18)
Jesus fulfilled this promise for you and me.
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37,38)
The Spirit is like a heat-seeking missel, finding us in our wilderness and pouring out Jesus’s grace and love in our driest place. While we live in the wilderness now, awaiting heaven, we have God’s very great promises. They birth faith in us that Jesus is for you and for me. That faith sees Jesus in all things, even in death. It makes us hope, even in grief, even in failure. The Spirit says, Jesus’ grace is sufficient for you; you are his and he is for you. The Spirit brought all these artists together. He gave them a new song of hope from the wilderness that we will all be singing soon.
This kind of collaboration was difficult for the Beetles. Is for U2. There were definitely moments where they disagreed, had to hear one another out, experiment. Yet, the Lord was in it - and continues to be in it. He started this work; he will finish it. They wrote a song that I’ve been singing ever since. I am worshiping to it; I know you will too.
This retreat was unique. Our future song-writing retreats will be more open-ended, likely with all kinds of artists. However, this one felt like a commissioning. There was a night where we all crowded into our attic studio (where the air conditioning is the best in the house!) and just worshipped the Lord - spontaneously, belting out no song sheets. God’s grateful family singing amen and amen. Water in the desert. Our vision coming true. Can’t wait to share it with you.
Hi Kathryn!
I hope you will all join us in October! You don’t need to be Anglican or from New England – you’ll get a lot out of it. Jesus creates new life in our place of death. Sing the chorus again!
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