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Spirituality
April 20 – May 3, 2013
Spiritual Reflections A little light in the darkness by Lynne Hartke
The children filed in for the finale of our weeklong festival at A World of Music. The kids had worked hard for their individual classes of musical theatre, singing, guitar, dance and rhythm. Now it was time to sing the last song, a song about letting their light shine in darkness. Daniel sang for his mom and two aunts. Sam and Eden sang for their brother, parents and grandparents. Dominic and Javier sang for their mom and baby sister. Voices raised. Faces shining. The children held battery-operated candles and sang to a packed crowd of family and friends with cameras flashing from all corners of the sanctuary. Julie sang for only one person. Her dad. And he wasn’t even at the church. He was lying in a room across town under hospice care. Julie’s gaze and voice focused on the cell phone her mom held above the crowd, capturing her daughter’s words.
Sometimes in our wanderings of faith, we step into a moment when we find ourselves rubbing shoulders with the divine. When the dust and weariness of our earthly travel falls away and we can see briefly, yet clearly, into the other side. Author Mary DeMuth calls this a thin place, “a place where heaven and the physical world collide…where eternity and the mundane meet. Thin describes the membrane between the two worlds, like a piece of vellum, where we see a holy glimpse of the eternal.” I found that thin moment, in a
young girl, who when faced with the unimaginable, offered the gift of herself. Her voice, a light in the darkness. “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lamp stand, that those who come in may see the light.” Luke 11:33 NKJV Lynne Hartke is the wife of Pastor Kevin Hartke of Trinity Christian Fellowship in Chandler, 50 S. McQueen Rd. For information about A World of Music, a children’s music festival held at the church, call 480-963-7698 or visit worldofmusicaz.com.
Spiritual Reflections Share your spiritual reflections... The spiritual leaders of SanTan Sun area churches, temples, mosques and other religious and spiritual gathering places are invited to contribute their Spiritual Reflections in essay format by sending their thoughts, enlightening insights and other writings of a spiritual nature to News@SanTanSun.com. Be certain to put “Spiritual Reflections submission” in the subject line, and keep your articles around 200-300 words, or they may be edited for length. Include your first and last name, title and facility name, address, phone number and website. Spiritual Reflections are printed on a space-available basis, and submission does not guarantee print. The opinions represented in this column are those of the author and not that of the SanTan Sun News.
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Don’t miss these performers
A classic music event featuring a concert pianist and a guitarist is set for 2 p.m. Sun., April 28 at Chandler Presbyterian Church, 1500 W. Germann Rd., Chandler. Klara Kukumi-Zawilak, a concert pianist, made her chamber music debut at age 8 on the stages of the Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Tirana, Albania. As she grew up, she won silver medals four years in a row at the Albanian Young Pianists Competition and second place in Los Angeles. She divides her time between teaching at Mesa Community College, performing in concerts and her family. Alexander Zawilak is on the staff of Scottsdale Community College as an adjunct guitar professor. While in high school, he played in the St. Johns University Jazz Band, and studied jazz at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. While in high school, he also began to explore classical music. He played cello and upright bass in the St. Francis Prep String Orchestra. The church is also having a rummage sale on Sat., April 27 to raise money to send youth to Montlure Presbyterian Church Camp this summer. Donations should be brought to the church by Wed., April 24. For more information, visit chandlerpres.org.