Lovely. And kudos for explaining the benefits your family is experiencing so well.
There are several aspects to singing grace that I like better than the forms I've encountered in saying grace. I don't remember ever having thought of it that way before, but singing is something everyone can do together, all at once. In my family, we sang sometimes, but more often grace was either offered up by a parent or something that we said one at a time, around the table while holding hands. (A mild squeeze of the hand signaled when one person was done and the next could start.)
With song, each prayer is known to last for a set (short) time. The prayer can't be hijacked for passive-aggressive promotion of someone's personal agenda du jour. It remains a prayer, not a sermon. And then there's the pure power of music. Win-win.
In my experience as a child, grace was always something spoken together as a group, whether at school or in homes of religious friends. The idea that it was something one person said on behalf of everyone else was introduced to me as an adult, and struck me as kind of exclusionary.
With song, each prayer is known to last for a set (short) time. The prayer can't be hijacked for passive-aggressive promotion of someone's personal agenda du jour.
It's almost like you spent time in my house, growing up. *grin*
We only said grace for special occasions, like major holiday meals. And there were some notable aggressive graces said over the years, probably topped by the year that my sister's husband prayed that God would give my brother the courage to propose to his longtime girlfriend - who was present.
Freelance prayer by amateurs can be dangerous.
Sung grace is something I picked up at Girl Scout camp. I knew that would be better.
Okay, first you found out about the ministerial transition from my LJ, and then the RE blog. It's time to call Mickie and interrogate her about your presence on various communication databases, because this is ridiculous.
The weird part is that I do get Becky's RE emails. Maybe this was in Happenings and I just didn't see it?
(The transition happened just after we moved and I didn't update my address with the church; that was totally my own fault. They had sent me the letter, it was just that the post office had to reroute it to the new place which delayed it.)
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syntheid
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 02:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 03:02 am (UTC)I know the tune for Alex's grace from Nursery school because I've heard it before, but I was wondering about the other one.
Awesome idea.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 03:27 am (UTC)Yes, it's the Doxology, also known as Old Hundredth. ("Praise God from whom all blessings flow...")
Awesome idea.
I have been surprised by how much we enjoy it.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 03:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 03:55 am (UTC)There are several aspects to singing grace that I like better than the forms I've encountered in saying grace. I don't remember ever having thought of it that way before, but singing is something everyone can do together, all at once. In my family, we sang sometimes, but more often grace was either offered up by a parent or something that we said one at a time, around the table while holding hands. (A mild squeeze of the hand signaled when one person was done and the next could start.)
With song, each prayer is known to last for a set (short) time. The prayer can't be hijacked for passive-aggressive promotion of someone's personal agenda du jour. It remains a prayer, not a sermon. And then there's the pure power of music. Win-win.
Thanks for the link to your guest column!
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 10:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 01:20 pm (UTC)It's almost like you spent time in my house, growing up. *grin*
We only said grace for special occasions, like major holiday meals. And there were some notable aggressive graces said over the years, probably topped by the year that my sister's husband prayed that God would give my brother the courage to propose to his longtime girlfriend - who was present.
Freelance prayer by amateurs can be dangerous.
Sung grace is something I picked up at Girl Scout camp. I knew that would be better.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 01:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 01:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 01:30 pm (UTC)(The transition happened just after we moved and I didn't update my address with the church; that was totally my own fault. They had sent me the letter, it was just that the post office had to reroute it to the new place which delayed it.)
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 01:59 pm (UTC){repeat until believed}
Cannot fix another part of the church. Cannot fix another part of the church...
btw, nice blog post.
no subject
Date: 2008-11-13 11:42 pm (UTC)The description of chaos melting into intentional family time is vivid and skillfully written.
You rock. You know that, right?