Take a Piece of My Heart

I was a child of the 70s, and as such I attended my share of rock concerts and major sub-culture events. I have memories of seeing such legends as The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, Poco, Jethro Tull, The Greatful Dead....you get the picture. Unfortunately the one person I never had the privilege of seeing in concert was the one I wished to see most, Janis Joplin, who died in 1970 before I was old enough to begin my concert attending career which started two years later when I was 17.

I loved Janis, her raw edgy voice coupled with her honest lyrics stirred something deep and primal in my soul. Through her music she bared to the world her deepest joys and greatest pain. My favorite song which Janis covered along with her band, "Big Brother and the Holding Company" in 1968 was, "Piece of My Heart." It was written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, and produced by John Simon. At the risk of copyright infringement I will tell you my favorite line in the song, "take it, take another little piece of my heart..."

Although Janis was not the first to sing this song and certainly not the last, there is something about the Joplin rendition that for me, reflects deep seeds of hope. In the gravely depths of Janis' voice lurked a plea for restoration and healing. It was almost as if she was giving the deepest part of herself in the hope of rebirth.

I've spent the last several days humming that song and weeping as I have experienced two different events which have given me cause to contemplate what it means to "give one's heart."

The first being one of my beloved parishioners entering hospice this week. I will have the privilege of walking the path along side them as they process and experience what it means to move from this life into the next. Of course at some point on the path we who will remain will reach that place where we must stop and our beloved will continue on taking "a little piece of our hearts."

The other event was within my discernment process as I continue to pray how and where exactly God is calling me to serve. While preparing the power point for Sunday's worship I read the words to one of the hymns we will sing this week, "The Church's One Foundation." Of course I started to cry as I read of Christ's gift of the Church given to us and of the many, many saints who through the centuries have willingly given their hearts and lives for its continued life. It was then that I realized that my heart too belongs to the Church and as one called to a life service I too will give pieces of my heart and life over and over again. A piece for God, a piece for the Church, a piece for this world, a piece for a brother or sister in Christ...

Some of those pieces will hurt, others will be glorious expressions of relationship and growth. All will be a gift, both to the recipient and to the giver. Amen.