Rev. Dr. Jessica Margrave Schirm
Senior Pastor – Grinnell United Church of Christ – Congregational
For many folks, summer is the time of year when things slow down. But for our family – a baseball family – summer is when our schedule is the most demanding. Iowa is the only state in the nation where high school baseball takes place in the summer months, rather than during the spring. And recreational baseball and travel baseball follow suit. Our three kids play on a combined four different teams. This means that we are heading to multiple games or practices nearly every night of the week and all day long on Saturday and Sunday – sometimes driving hundreds of miles across the state weekly. All this to say we are in the car A LOT.
The car I drive is nearly 12 years old, even though we’ve only owned it for two years. As such the sound system leaves much to be desired. It doesn’t have bluetooth connectivity, or even an auxiliary connection port – so playing music from my phone is out. It does have a six disc CD changer – but who knows where all those burned CDs are from my college days! When I bought the car it came with a “free trial” of Sirius XM radio – which I was sure I would let expire – who has money to pay for frivolities like that? But I discovered that I rather enjoyed the 80s on 8 and 90s on 9 and the Dave Matthews Channel and the Broadway station. Gabe, my middle kiddo (age 12) has turned me on to the new music that is played on The Pulse. When it was time to pony up for an actual membership, I was able to negotiate a deal – and even though I practically have to sell my soul to keep that low, low price tag every time my renewal date rolls around, I find it’s worth it for as much time as we spend on the road.
If you know me even a little bit, I’m sure it comes as no surprise that the station that holds the #1 spot on my XM dial is the Beatles channel. This past week as we were driving from one side of the state to the other, from one ballfield to another, I was singing along to a Beatles tune when Langston, my youngest kiddo (age 7) said, “Mom, why do you know every single Beatles song that comes on the radio?” I immediately replied, “Because I had a good dad.”
And that’s the heart and soul of it. I was born a decade after the Beatles split up, but I was at least ten years old before I knew that because I had a good dad who made sure the Beatles anthology was the soundtrack of mine and my brother’s childhood. From our weddings (In My Life and All You Need is Love), to my ordination (Here Comes the Sun), to my firstborn, Anderson’s (now 18!), nursery theme (Imagine), to the theme songs for the births of our firstborn children (Beautiful Boy), to our dad’s funeral (In My Life and The Long and Winding Road) there’s not been a pivotal moment in my life or my brother’s life that hasn’t been shaped by the Beatles catalog.
This year on the XM Radio Beatles Station Annual Memorial Day Top 100 Countdown, as chosen by the listeners, All You Need is Love came in at spot #44. A poor ranking, in my opinion, as AYNIL should always make the top 10 – but as I was listening to the countdown driving from Des Moines to Cedar Rapids, or was it from Cedar Rapids to Pella…who knows…I was listening to the words more closely than I have in a while. In a world as hard and violent, broken and besieged as ours – to tell someone, “All you need is love,” feels trite. It is shockingly banal, so out of touch it is almost cruel.
But – as is the case with almost all theology – when we lift that part out of context it necessarily falls short. The Love that John and Sir Paul wax so beautifully poetic about is not meant to stand alone. This Love is the transformational piece that turns the impossible into the possible. By itself it doesn’t do much, but when that Love is married with singing – there’s no song that can’t be sung. When that Love is paired with making, there’s nothing that can’t be made. When that Love is matched with saving, there’s no one who can’t be saved. When Love enters the chat you can learn how to play the game. When Love takes the stage you can learn how to be you if you give it enough time.
This Love is active and knowing, it embodies space and time. It takes on flesh and dwells among us. And that becomes enough. Thanks be to God. Amen.
With all the Love we need,
Rev. Dr. Jessica Margrave Schirm
Senior Pastor – Grinnell United Church of Christ – Congregational
There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be
It’s easy
All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need
All you need is love (all together now!)
All you need is love (everybody!)
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need