During the past month of June 2024, Covenant explored the use of drumming and a variety of percussion instruments to interpret the scripture reading each week during our series entitled, “Summer with Samuel.” Each week, volunteer members and visitors were invited to a brief introduction rehearsal 15 minutes before worship.
In week 1, young Samuel heard the voice of God calling him in the night. Here, I created a soft conga drum beat that reflected the gentle heartbeat pulsing in the evening accented with various percussion to mimic the gentle evening wind and the cicada. In week 2, we introduced the regal drumming of the King’s court with the tension of the people demanding a “true” king. Their pattern was finally silenced by the sovereign voice of God represented by a 3-fold strike of the gong. In week 3, Samuel is instructed to visit Jesse and find the next King who is pure of heart. When he visits Jesse and reviews all his sons as candidates, we first meet young David, the shepherd boy. For this reflection, I created a tribal drum call that fades away to a cowbell and melodic recorder representing the young shepherd boy. In week 4, we revisited the dramatic battle between young David and the giant Goliath. For this reflection, we created a drumming battle between 2 groups positioned on opposite sides of the sanctuary as they battled it out until the side of David was victorious. Lastly in week 5, we witnessed the final coronation event of King David over all the unified Tribes of Judea. For this regal event, we created a triumphal drum core that announced the royal celebration, again ending with the confirmational approval of God symbolized through the striking of the gong.
In similar fashion, each week we strive to select hymns and musical meditations (instrumental or choral) that reflect and reinforce the scripture message for the day. We invite you to approach each worship service with receptive hearts and minds to experience the focused, unified experience.