After almost six months of waiting, I have finally had the pleasure of attending my first weaving lesson at the White Rock Weaving Center here in Dallas! I am so excited to be able to add yet another fiber-related skill to my list of activities. The loom pictured here is a relatively small but still versatile and portable one. It is the type I will be learning to weave on in the coming months, and the type that may well go back to Columbus with me if I fail in my feeble and unenthusiastic efforts to resist the covetous desire to possess a loom of my own.

I knew this was a serendipitous venture when I discovered a book for sale on the shelf at the weaving center entitled Weaving for Worship. A copy of that book now has a permanent place in my personal library and in it I am reading of how to combine fiber, color, style and design in the weaving of attractive and appropriate fabrics for worship.

This concept of weaving for worship got me thinking about the many threads we weave effortlessly into our worship to create the fabric of our praise to God. The physical space we use offers a background warp that supports a variety of colors and symbols that remind us of our faith stories and our seasons of worship. Much of our worship liturgy is woven straight from the words of scripture found in the Bible. Our hymns and prayers offer subtle accents of song and petition. The sermon offers a bold focal point, while the sacraments work a strong unifying thread around the edges of it all.

An important point to remember is that not all fabrics will look or feel or function the same. In fact, no two will be identical. Just as the fibers and colors and patterns of the weaving can change the finished cloth in endless ways, so the textures of worship are changed according to the many elements woven into it. Both are also affected by the weaver’s touch and what she/he brings to the mix in terms of choices, preferences and interpretations. There is a need for fabrics of many colors and patterns, just as there is a need for worship in many forms and styles. Next time you worship, look around you and notice what the variants are and which combinations you prefer in your own weaving as you express your worship and praise to God.

Intern Kathy