At church this morning, I admit that I was not paying much attention.  My mind was wandering amid thoughts about my evaluation project, the coffee from the girl next to me right under my feet, and a short night’s sleep.  What I did get from the sermon was that the focus was on a passage in Matthew describing the Kingdom of God as a mustard seed, an almost invisible and insignificant thing that can grow large enough for birds to nest.  The pastor compared this transformation to what is possible for the church, despite all of its flaws and foibles.

Whatever whispers of the sermon I did mange to hear were brought together near the end of the service, as some members of the congregation went forward while the majority stood singing and waiting their turn (a tradition that encourages reflection and choice).  The final song was Come Thou Font, with lyrics that have been sung for generations and a melody line that was updated more recently.

God of Glory, Voice of Thunder
Split the cedars, Bring us under
Oh the shadows of your wings
You give us strength, 
You give us peace

As the chorus was repeated at the end, I was able to close my eyes in comfortable familiarity rather than concentrate on the PowerPoint before me.  My eyes flashed open and a smile arose on my face as I realized, in sudden amazement, that I was standing among hundreds of people singing and since it was noon on Sunday, there were probably thousands and thousands of other believers singing across the nation, possibly even these exact same words.  I looked to the giant stained glass window before me and realized how significant all of these insignificant voices would be to God as He listened and took pleasure in the works of His work.