After I led the services at UUCM on January 26th, several people expressed their surprise to me. Most of you knew me as the music director, but not as someone who could stand in the pulpit and deliver a sermon.
We all tend to categorize the people around us, because it makes life easier. This person is someone with whom we play tennis, that one we call up when we need a sympathetic ear, another one can give us great advice on bargain shopping, and a fourth one lives in the house next to us but is not very interesting otherwise.
If we pay attention, we can be amazed by our colleagues and friends and even our family members all the time. Nobody is just the personality (from the Latin persona = mask) that is familiar to us. Everyone has stories and skills and passions that we know nothing about.
One of my favorite parts of working here is meeting with a member of the congregation who is going to lead a service. Aside from hearing about the topic they are going to focus on (and discussing how the music choices can relate to it), I always learn something completely new about the person; and it significantly changes my perception of them.
What a privilege it is to get to know different sides of you fascinating people!
Happy February!
Markus Hauck
Music Director