When the invitation to write a Lenten theme song for A Sanctified Art came in a season of political and personal turmoil, I found it difficult to imagine singing across significant differences with other faithful people. If I took that risk, what music or text could honor the complexity of our stories and experiences and not do more harm?

I leaned into my experiences of community singing over the past decade, trusting that practices of song-sharing that are deeply relational can foster spaces to know yourself, know others, and be known to them.

What felt essential was a return to the breath which could anchor an invitation to listening and self-awareness. The phrase “breathe, listen, and notice” emerged as I imagined what might help us share our stories and experiences without judgment or assumptions. If all you do while you listen to the song is breathe, that is enough. I also hope that moments of call-and-echo singing can model the back and forth patterns of conversation, as well as offer opportunities for grace-filled learning. If you can’t sing all the echoes the first few times, keep at it!

The piece could be used for gathering or centering, woven through a Prayer of Confession, used as a sung Prayer of Illumination, or offered in response to the proclamation of the Word. No matter how or where you use it, may it invite you to slow down, breathe deeply, and hold the challenging, complex spaces with tenderness and courage.

The song is now live for patrons of A Sanctified Art and I’m happy to share a recording below, produced by George Waltemire and recorded with George and Abby Madden. I also want to thank Felicia Murrell, Jorge Lockward, Erin Counihan, and Chris Shelton, an amazing community of early listeners who made the piece better through their thoughtful questions, noticing, and feedback.

You can purchase the music here (both a notated piano/vocal score and lead sheet).

Help us speak less, slow judgment,
breathe, listen, and notice
what is present in the dissonance, discomfort, and the questions.

Help us rest well, find balance,
breathe, listen, and notice
what is present in simplicity, in slowness, and in quiet.

Help us to lean in, seek wisdom,
breathe, listen, and notice
what is present in the letting go, the learning, and the struggle.