In mid February, Music that Makes Community Facilitators gathered for a playlist party around the theme of “Lent/Spring.”  Here are some of the songs we sang:

Come, come, whoever you are by Dale Zola; text by Rumi
- YouTube video

Kyrie Echo by Breen Sipes
- SoundCloud audio

Blessed are You by David Poole
- MMC website

Held in the Storm Sanctus by Nancy Willbanks
- YouTube video

I Want Jesus to Walk with Me, African-American Spiritual
- Hymnary entry
- Suggestion:  substitute out the words “Jesus” or “walk” for others

Unlearning by Liz Digitale Anderson
- from Sacred Lands Playlist Collection in partnership with the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery
- SoundCloud audio

Let it Go by Susann Frisk; text by Michael Leunig
- YouTube video

Here are more resources on the season of Lent from MMC: https://www.musicthatmakescommunity.org/tags/lent. 

We also talked about ...

- the craft of song leading and how to select songs.

- After singing Return Again by Shlomo Carlebach, we also had a discussion on whether to sing and share songs which have been composed by folks who have harmed others.  Here is a resource the Mennonite Church in Canada + United States put together for having discussions in your context:  https://voicestogetherhymnal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Show-Strength.pdf.

- We also shared what is happening in our current contexts and learned from one another in community.

Another facilitator brought this reading as a meditative prelude to the song What We Need is Here by Amy McCreath, text by Wendell Berry:

Oppression and devastation come in so many forms, but so do resistance and resilience, nourishment and sweetness, togetherness and love. Creativity, too, emerges from chaos. The power of our collective care is ferocious, and we are so much freer than we are told we can be. With and for each other, we have what we need.  - Rev. Anna Blaedel, from enfleshed's Moments for Common Nourishment

Our next Facilitator Playlist Party is Sunday, March 30th.  Let us know at [email protected] if you’d like to receive an invite.