Rhythm and music

I'm here to talk to you out of a dream. That's where this speech was made- in a dream before hundreds of people, standing up on stage, asked to fill in some time while performers are organized. (Do not ask me why this was requested of me, as I am neither a good performer nor a good public speaker. Also, normally I do not remember my dreams, but these words stayed in my mind for a day and a half.) I stepped forward. Standing before those multitudes of faces, I held music in my hands. It had no identifiable shape or form, but it was there in my hands all the same. 

I stared out to the crowd, holding music, and I said this:

My friends, I am here to talk to you about music. You are all here for the purpose of listening to music, but do you know its importance? We take delight in a good song, in well-constructed notes or pitch-perfect voices. Yet music is more than this. A song might be technically perfect, and yet people may pass it by, because it is missing something. There is more to music than technical perfection. 

You see, music is a distinct and un-overlook-able part of life. Have you ever found yourself matching your steps to a beat? Have you ever whistled a nameless tune? Can you hear the music everywhere? It is everywhere, you know. Can you see it here? 

Music, you see, is in more than the instruments we make. The earth is filled with musicality. Music is in the creaking of the old oak trees as they groan back and forth; it is in the wind that disturbs them. Music is in the thunder of horses galloping across the fields; it is in the quivering grass beneath their hooves. There is music in the cooing of a newborn and the returning murmurs of his mother. It is there in the thunder and the lightning; it is there in the soft snowfall. 

Music is the soul's expression of what is most beautiful and good in life. It is a reflection of God, Who is most beautiful and most good. We listen to music and, as Beethoven said, it strikes fire into our hearts, and brings tears to our eyes. Through music, we can laugh, or cry, or vent, or share our delight. Music speaks the words that would otherwise remain unspoken. Listen and hear those words. 

Thank you. 

My Jesus, I love Thee

William Featherstone (1846-1873) was just sixteen years old when he wrote these words. This hymn is one of my favourites. The words are so full of praise to God. They make my soul resonate with praise, and when I sing this hymn I long to sing it on and on and on, for I never tire of the words. 

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;

For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.

My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,

And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.

I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,

And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;

And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight,

I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;

I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

Day by Day

Day by day and with each passing moment,

Strength I find to meet my trials here;

Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,

I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure

Gives unto each day what He deems best-

Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Lord Himself is near me

With a special mercy for each hour;

All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,

He whose name is Counsellor and Power.

The protection of His child and treasure

Is a charge that on Himself He laid;

“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”

This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in every tribulation

So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,

That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation

Offered me within Thy holy word.

Help me Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,

E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,

One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,

‘Till I reach the promised land.

I have always loved this hymn for a nearly inexplicable reason. Somehow there have always seemed to be lines between the lines; whenever I sang or read this hymn, I was struck with this sense of great faith in the midst of great tragedy. It is not a hymn that I can sing or ponder without being deeply moved, near to tears - and I never really knew precisely why, but to me the writer speaks from a position not of simple, easy knowledge of the promises of God, but of God's faithfulness despite pain and suffering.

So I looked it up.

The hymn was written by Lina Sandell, a Swedish woman who has been likened to Fanny Crosby in that she wrote many great hymns in her lifetime. When she was twenty-six years old, she was with her father on a ship to the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, travelling across Lake Vattern. The ship gave a sudden lurch and her father, a devout minister, was thrown overboard.

He drowned before Lina's helpless eyes.

This hymn was written after that tragic event. Lina's faith in God's sovereign help and unchangeable promises grew and flourished in spite of it. In this hymn she shows a resolute hope, clinging to the promises of God that, as she says, He has laid on Himself. God protects His children from now into eternity. We may go through trying times and even death, but we can trust our Father's pledge. We can cast our cares upon the One Who bears them all.

What, Music?

I have lately been pondering the lack of a certain type of song in what we sing at church. There are plenty of great, truth-filled songs, whether hymns or newer stuff. Most of them deal with the character of God, or with our (personal - more often "I, me" instead of "we, us") relationship with Him; but I have found sometimes - especially as I often choose what music the congregation will sing on Sunday - that there is very little music to be had when it comes to several themes.

For instance, recently the theme for the music was "a holy fear" - and how many songs carry that theme? Most don't deal with fear, but with love, joy, peace, rest, etc. Then there is the fact that a lot of the songs are more relational than practical - they deal in who we are, or who God is, rather than what we ought to do (what God has commanded us to do) in light of our state. The great truths in Scripture were always followed by practical instruction.

So, I don't know what I'm rambling about. Sadly a lot of church songs today constitute nothing more than fluffy Jesus-is-my-friend platitudes. I am thankful for the old hymns and the new music written by men and women devoted to truth and doctrine.

The big disclaimer here is that I have not listened to all the music that is out there; I could just be missing the piles and piles of music that deals with what I consider to be missing.

So, a question for you: do you find that church music is missing something? If so, what would that be? What topics would you find useful/uplifting in congregational music?

The Gift of Music

I just finished reading "The Gift of Music" by Jane Stuart Smith and Betty Carlson. It was a book that featured some of the great composers of history, and their influence upon life, culture, and especially music.

It was a great book. It gave brief introductions into the lives of nearly fifty composers, from Schütz to Shostakovich.

The neat thing about each of these composers was their outlook on life, and how that affected their music. Bach, for instance, believed that everything he could do with music was a gift from God, and he made a point of glorifying God every time he composed.

"I feel strongly that all the arts, and particularly music,

should be placed in the service of Him

who has created and given them." ~ Martin Luther

Other composers also had faith in God, and devoted their music to His glory. They used it as another means to praise Him.

Psalm 101:1

"I will sing of steadfast love and justice;

to you, O Lord, I will make music."

Yet others, though, were atheist, nihilist...there was a full range of beliefs among the great composers.

It was interesting to see what their outlook was on life, and how that influenced their music. Some resorted to near-chaos within their songs, trying to make sense of senselessness, while others preferred the order and beauty that they felt reflected the order that God had created.

Some of them died in despair, others with peace.

Many of them died poor, but left a lasting impression on the world through the music they left behind.

I enjoyed this book, since I enjoy music.

As the authors put it,

"We are not speaking of something unimportant, although some may feel that art, music, and literature are the extras in life. Alfred Einstein in his book Greatness in Music made this startling statement: 'Artistic greatness is both more permanent and universal than historical greatness.'"

Now that I'm done reading it, I think that I will start back at page one. :)

Out of the Mouths of Babes and Infants

It happened while I was practicing the songs I have to play on Sunday. I was going through the list, making sure I knew how to play each song reasonably well, correcting mistakes in timing and such.

I came to a song I really like. One that is well known:

Two little girls came running into the room. "Come on, let's sing!" They said, their high-pitched voices full of excitement at the fact that they knew one of the songs I was playing.

They began singing along, asking me where I was. I pointed to the line and listened as they attempted to sing the words.

Mostly, they didn't.

They missed lines, substituted others, and made me smile at their tries. There was one word, however, one Name, which they sang with gusto:

"Jesus!"

You know what? Even though they flubbed their way through most of the song, and had things out of order, I think God delighted in that just as much as He does when we sing all the words right.

They sang from their hearts, praising Christ.

In Christ alone, my hope is found...

Whether or not I do everything right.

Whether or not my life is in order.

Whether or not I am perfect.

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

Thank you to two little girls who reminded me of something precious.