| The
first time my wife Anne and I visited MVUUF (which was sometime in the
latter part of the last century) we were greeted warmly, our children were
bustled off pleasantly to RE class and nursery, we seated ourselves in
one of the brown pews, and waited for the service to begin. I thought,
“This seems like a nice place.” Someone stood up and said some very
nice opening words. A woman sat down behind a little light brown
console piano for the opening hymn and I thought, “Oh, church music” --
not expecting to hear anything much different from what I had heard in
various churches over the years. Nice music.
But then, she began playing.
It was like when you unexpectedly hear the voice of a friend you have not
heard from in years -- my whole attention was instantaneously drawn to
the sound of her playing. I knew immediately that this was more than
just a nice place. This was a special place. She did more than
just play the notes on the page. She made the song an invitation
to the whole congregation to join together and sing along with full voice.
When someone is able to turn a hymn into glorious music through skill and
largeness of spirit there can only be one response – join in. And
everyone did. -- That was my first encounter with Sonja Johnston
and the music she shares with the members of this Fellowship.
In the years since, I have
delighted in Sonja’s music throughout the year. I have witnessed
the depth and breadth of her music -- how it reaches out and enriches the
entire Fellowship. Hymns, preludes, postludes, original compositions,
choir direction, accompaniment -- any style, you name it she plays it –
all done with amazing technical skill and musicianship. She knows
how to pick exactly the right music to help each event and occasion come
alive.
Sonja is devoted to her craft,
to her art. She knows in her very bones and sinews the music which
is on the page and the music which surrounds us all. But what Sonja
makes seem so effortless does not come without years of work, continuous
refinement and practice. Sonja, good humanist that she is, may not
resonate with the idea, but her music is akin to a spiritual practice that,
when faithfully performed over years, allows the practitioner to access
special places in the human spirit.
Yet, Sonja’s greatest gift
to us goes beyond her skill and technique; it even goes beyond her consummate
musicianship. Sonja’s greatest gift is that she makes music with
a generous heart. While music is practiced often in solitude, Sonja
has demonstrated, by her years of service, that music is ultimately a communal
art. She opens the doors to music and invites us all in. She
knows that music is to be shared, and through the sharing, it brings us
all closer -- closer to one another, closer to ourselves, closer to that
place which is beyond the reach of mere words.
I’ve seen Sonja’s musical
generosity reach out in many ways –- her encouraging others to share their
music with the Fellowship; her obvious delight in watching musicians, young
and old, grow, develop, and perform. One special aspect of her generosity
is her accompanying of other musicians. The skills of soloist and
accompanist are very different and seldom combine successfully in one person.
Sonja is one of those rare musicians who does both excellently. She
knows how to support a singer in their song and help them find, within
themselves, the music waiting there to be sung. She knows how to
listen to an instrumentalist and flow with their line and tempo, sensing
where their music wants to fly and flying along with them, and sometimes,
if they get lost, helping them find their way again. It is a joy
to watch and listen to.
A minister is one who through
special skill and training and long practice, uses her unique gifts to
help a community cohere and the members of the community find the deeper
riches in themselves, in each other, and in the world around them.
Sonja Johnston is truly a Minister of Music.
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