The choir recently sang the song Draw the Circle Wide by Gordon Light and Mark A. Miller for the special music moment of our worship service.
The song has a beautiful melody—and the lyrics are reminiscent of a prayer.
The chorus is wonderfully simple: “Draw the circle wide. Draw it wider still. Let this be our song: no one stands alone. Standing side by side, draw the circle wide.” Those words capture the heart of the Gospel.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus was constantly widening the circle. He welcomed those whom society pushed aside. He shared meals with people others refused to sit beside. He touched those considered untouchable. He crossed cultural, religious, and social boundaries that many believed should never be crossed. Again and again, Jesus demonstrated that God’s love is always bigger than our expectations.
The image of a circle is a beautiful one because a circle has no corners where someone can be hidden away and no “head of the table” where some are more important than others. Everyone belongs equally. Everyone has a place. As a church, we continue to ask ourselves an important question: Who still needs to hear that they belong here? Sometimes drawing the circle wider means welcoming a newcomer. Sometimes it means listening more deeply to someone whose experience differs from our own. Sometimes it means extending grace when it would be easier to judge.
The beautiful truth is that God’s love is never diminished by being shared. It only grows.
When we gather to sing each Sunday, our voices become a living expression of that widening circle. Every voice—trained or untrained, young or old, joyful or weary—adds something unique to our song. Together we become a small glimpse of God’s kingdom, where all are invited and all are loved.
May Draw the Circle Wide continue to challenge and inspire us. May it remind us that the work of radical welcome is never finished, and that Christ is always inviting us to make room for one more person. And may we continue to draw the circle wider…until everyone knows they belong.
Musically Yours,
Mark Kuroski
