In a couple of weeks I will be preaching on the story of Deborah in the book of Judges. This story is course well known for situating a woman in such a powerful position set within a context that has so often been condemned as the bane of women. There is also of course the murdering of King Sisera by the woman Jael who asks him to enter her tent to be refreshed. She offers him milk and then drives a tent peg through his head. Following this account is the Song of Deborah. The song is introduced as a duet (including Barak who leads, somewhat reluctantly) the army of Israel. But Barak is really more of a figure or symbol. The song is definitely offered as a solo.
There are some beautiful images here of how leadership flows into the mobilization of a group. The song begins,
That the leaders led in Israel,
That the people volunteered,
Bless the Lord!
As anyone in leadership knows this is no small accomplishment. This is a song. And so Deborah sings and what happens? God moves.
To the LORD I will sing
From there God marched out and the earth shook and the heavens were wrung of their moisture. Before this song community life was at a stand still but Deborah arose as
a mother of Israel
She saw that war was at the gates but even among 40 thousand not a shield could be found. Deborah's heart goes out to the people as they approach the gates. And what happens?
Awake! Awake! Deborah!
But to what end? She must take responsibility as their leader. She must be laying plans for war. No!
Awake! Awake! Sing a song!
And what comes? Here the translation could be challenged but perhaps,
Then survivors came down as nobles;
The people of the Lord came down to me as warriors.
The people are transformed and mobilized. And there was,
great resolve of heart
And for those who were not mobilized there was,
great searching of heart
For many people were not mobilized with God. But war went on as the kings fought and so did the stars in heaven. The stars fought from their own paths. There ordering is also mobilized for God's battle. The river torrent in its own path also sweeps along and carries away the enemy of God. And Deborah pauses,
Oh my soul, march on in strength
But those still searching and watching are now cursed they have not joined the fray.
But Jael did join. From her humble tent and her humble position she is now most blessed. To took what was at hand.
She offered milk.
She reached for the hammer.
She drove the peg.
She smashed his head.
And there between her feet Sisera,
bowed
fell
and lay.
And far off in a luxurious palace the mother of Sisera looks out and wonders,
Why does his chariot delay in coming?
Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots tarry?
Her plump princesses assure her. Oh don't worry. They are taken their time dividing spoils. They are trying to figure who can have one and who can have two women as their prize. No don't worry mother. He will return draped in fine cloth.
They lay in luxury but they are already decimated.
Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord;
But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.
The battle belonged to the Lord. May we sing that God (and his people) would move.
This is the work of song. This is liturgy. Thanks be to God.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
This is the Work of Song; This is Liturgy
Saturday, December 20, 2008
A Celebration of the Culture Industry
In Adorno and Horkheimer's The Dialectic of Enlightenment we come across a rant of the poverty of western arts seeing as they have become consumed in the larger culture industry. With the rise of the techonological rationale comes the homogenization of expression (in its mass production). All expressions despite input, varying budgets, and plots all come to the same end. With regard to television they write, "Televison aims at the synethesis of radio and film, and is held up only because interested partes have not yet reached agreement, but its consequences will be quite enormous and promise to intensify the impoverisment of aesthetic matter so drastically, taht by tomorrow the thinly veiled identity of all industrial culture products can come triumphantly out into the open, derisively fulfilling the Wangerian dream of the Gesamtkunstwerk - the fusion of all arts in one work." Then referring to producers they go on to say that, "Not only are the hit songs, stars, and soap operas cyclically recurrent and rigidly invariable types, but teh specific content of the entertainment itself is derived from them and only appears to change. The details are interchangeable. The short interval sequence which was effective in a hit song, the hero's momentary fall from grace, the rough treatment which the beloved gets from the male star, the latter's rugid defiance of the spoilt heiress, are, like all th other details, ready-made cliches to be slotted in anywhere; they do anything more than fulfill the purpose allotted them in the overall plan."
In a response to Ben's 10 Theological Theses on Art poserorprophet (p.o.p.) offered an alternative 10 theses based primarly on the work of Adorno. p.o.p. questioned aesthetic form and expression in the west because of its implication in the larger system of death. I appreciated his rigorous response but in the end I felt that they first of all were not really alternative theses at all but instead placed a kind of control on beauty which is simply not appropriate. p.o.p. ended up affirming though limiting much of what Ben was getting at, I think but on his own terms. The trajectory of the Messiah is indeed towards the cross and much of (and perhaps most of) the beauty in this world is born of suffering. Above this though the trajectory of Christ is one of freedom, the most truly free life. I do not see p.o.p.'s articulation allowing for both the judgment and freedom of Christ.
This was actually not meant to be a very theological post. I just wanted to set up the following videos by Girl Talk. Adorno and Horkheimer expose the monolithicity of western art and Girl Talk seems to celebrate it. If indeed all songs are the same and the details interchangeable then Girl Talk may herald the end of the world bringing them all together in one apocalyptic anthem.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Everybody Knows
I wish had more time to blog on this experience but two nights ago I came home to find a message on my answer machine telling me that someone from my church had an extra ticket to see Leonard Cohen that night. Arriving at the theatre my friend kept ushering us closer and closer to the stage until we arrived at our fifth row centre seats. Leonard emerged a frail man of 75 in his black double-breasted suit . . . but his voice. Johnny Cash maintained a certain texture in his voice into his old age but Leonard Cohen's remains full and robust. Early in the concert I needed to overcome a slight dissonance in hearing some of his more critical songs sitting among what was a majority of hipster throw-back yuppies. But after every song I was reminded of the raw depth of his lyrical ability. The dissonance is of course acknowledged by Cohen himself. This was made plain to me as I heard Everybody Knows with new ears. I am coming to recognize that poet does not look for truth nor for change but rather the poet looks for honesty, simple honesty to the fullness or particularity of their experience.
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
Thats how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died
Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long stem rose
Everybody knows
Everybody knows that you love me baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that youve been faithful
Ah give or take a night or two
Everybody knows youve been discreet
But there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes
And everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
And everybody knows that its now or never
Everybody knows that its me or you
And everybody knows that you live forever
Ah when youve done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old black joes still pickin cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knows
And everybody knows that the plague is coming
Everybody knows that its moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose
What everybody knows
And everybody knows that you're in trouble
Everybody knows what you've been through
From the bloody cross on top of calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows its coming apart
Take one last look at this sacred heart
Before it blows
And everybody knows
Everybody knows, everybody knows
Thats how it goes
Everybody knows
Oh everybody knows, everybody knows
Thats how it goes
Everybody knows
Monday, April 28, 2008
Ben Gibbard on Priorities and the Meaning of Life
Here is the conclusion to a recent interview with Death Cab for Cutie's frontman Ben Gibbard.
I would rather make great records than make great relationships. When I’m at odds with myself, I would rather fuck up every relationship I’ve ever been in and write great records. And not because I need a breakup to provide me with material. Not like that.
It’s hard enough having a relationship with one person, but to have a relationship with three other bandmates that you are so intimately tied to and you spend so much time with—and to have that actually work and function—is just astounding. I have been in a band for more than 10 years now. I never thought I’d be doing anything for 10 years straight, let alone a band, and I feel so fortunate for that. I have been allowed for some reason to do that. But it’s even more amazing that we get along better now than we did 10 years ago.
An ex-girlfriend once got upset when I told her that music is the most important thing in my life. It’s more important than anyone else could ever be. I don’t want to be overly dramatic and say it’s the only thing that gets me up and keeps me going. But people in your life come and go. As you go through your life, you make friendships, you break friendships, you have relationships. Music is the one thing I’ve always been able to rely on. So why wouldn’t it be the most important thing in my life?
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Darkness
Roughly ten years ago I had a dream in which someone said to me, "I saw the shadow of the Holy Ghost." Without going into detail of the dream this line has stuck with me since then. And what has occurred to me recently is that the most significant writers who have shaped my thinking since that time have all dwelt heavily on the image of darkness. I am thinking of Fyodor Dostoevsky, St. John of the Cross and Rowan Williams. But before them and before this dream was Johnny Cash who understood that for there to be light in the darkness you must first be present in the darkness.
I See a Darkness
(A cover of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy)
Well, you're my friend, and can you see?
Many times, we've been out drinking;
Many times we shared our thoughts.
But did you ever, ever notice, the kind of thoughts I got?
Well, you know I have a love; a love for everyone I know.
And you know I have a drive, to live I won't let go.
But can you see its opposition, comes rising up sometimes?
That its dreadful imposition, comes blacking in my mind?
And then I see a darkness,
And then I see a darkness,
And then I see a darkness,
And then I see a darkness.
Did you know how much I love you?
Its a hope that somehow you,
Can save me from this darkness.
Well, I hope that someday buddy
We have peace in our lives;
Together or apart,
Alone or with our wives,
And we can stop our whoring,
And pull the smiles inside,
And light it up forever,
And never go to sleep.
My best unbeaten brother,
This isn't all I see.
Oh no, I see a darkness.
Oh no, I see a darkness.
(Oh) no, I see a darkness.
Oh no, I see a darkness.
Did you know how much I love you?
Its a hope that somehow you,
Can save me from this darkness.
I am preaching this Sunday which is the 1st Sunday in Advent. The reading is from Romans 13,
"The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here."
Friday, November 02, 2007
Hold On
Neko Case - "Hold On, Hold On"
The most tender place in my heart is for strangers
I know it's unkind, but my own blood is much too dangerous
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Well Aged Youth
I recently stumbled across Willy Mason (current video on IndieVision). The video to the right is from his first album. He released this around the age of 20 (jerk). His youth is fairly evident in it. However, his second album, If the Ocean Gets Rough (released about two years later) is ridiculously mature. When I first listened to it I assumed Willy was a seasoned singer/songwriter writing from the crucible of a long and weathered life. When I found out his age I looked into him a little more and found that I he came from a rich line of artists. You could begin to feel in him that there is a genealogy to beauty.
On his website there is such a self-awareness. Regarding his family's house-turned-studio we read,
3+ generations of personas and artifacts have passed through its moist, shady, and mostly mold-free interior, thus decorating its shelves and air molecules with a rustic and volatile stew of thought and melody. . . . [If] you think Willy Mason is some species of hot writer/musicianer, wait till you hear/read/see the unwieldy heavy brain matter of the ancestors/heroes/contemporaries he has ripped off over the years and is now shamelessly peddling.
Here is "The World that I Wanted" off of his new album. Sorry for the poor visual but the audio is alright.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Ears to Hear
As Mr. Beldman quickly pointed out the idea that sound carries a clearly primary position in either the OT or NT in encountering God is slightly naive. However, I would like to add two quotes that offer further consideration of the primacy of sound (particularly music) in how we encounter reality.
The first is from Rowan Williams in Where God Happens,
The language of worship reminds us of one theological reason why language matters to Christians. In worship, we try to 'put ourselves under the Word of God,' as the saying is; we try to bring minds and hearts into harmony with with what God has said and is saying, in Jesus and in the words of Scripture. We remember that God made all things by an act of self-communication, and when we respond to his speaking, we are searching for some way of reflecting, echoing that self-communication. . . . To borrow an image that appears in some of the ancient Hindu texts, we might think of the creative Word as spoken into the vast cavern of potential that is the first moment of creative existence; from that darkness come countless echoes of the first eternal Word, the 'harmonics' hidden that primal sound."
The second quote is from Anne Lamott's Traveling Mercies where is describing how to drastically different people came to find a moment of unity and intimacy. She writes,
I can't imagine anything but music that could have brought about this alchemy. Maybe it is because music is about as physical as it gets: your essential rhythm is your heartbeat; your essential sound, the breathe. We're walking temples of noise, and when you add tender hearts to this mix, it somehow lets us meet in places we couldn't get to any other way."
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Music as a Life
In some attempt at being creative I decided that instead of just "sharing my story" to the Sunday School class at church I tried to figure out what the soundtrack to my life would be and explore how these songs reflected the various stages of my life.
(all links have videos from the artists)
Junior High
The first time I had any real investment in music was in Junior high when my best friend introduced me to Led Zeppelin. I bought all the albums, had t-shirts, biographies, even watched their horrendous movie "The Song Remains the Same." Looking back now I can't see how their lyrics would have drawn in a barely pubescent teenager. They certainly were good musicians and some of their lyrics quite poetic, however, I imagine the greatest impact Led Zeppelin had on me was to forge a special friendship between me and Greg. Music provided identity and a medium for our early time together.
High School
Its pretty difficult to pick one song for high school in the soundtrack of your life. For some reason Beck Loser (wow is he young there) came to mind. First, it was/is dang catchy. Then I realized that at that age there are probably not to many people doing two things. One admitting they are not perfect (I don't know of too many teachers or adults who display that trait well to teenagers) and the other taking ownership of being a "loser" and thereby taking the power away from anyone who might try to call you that.
Post-High School Pre-Adulthood
I came up with two bands here, Zao and Deliriou5. This time of life for me and perhaps many others reflects passionate pursuit. Finding something you believe and wanting to be uncompromising in your commitment to it. This was the time when my faith was really beginning to take root in how I understood myself. Though a little different on the surface I find both these acts draw in that type of response. Another commonality is the emphasis that experience plays in their live acts. There is a feeling that you can, at least in part, be living your commitment just by participating in the show.
The College Years
Here I entered the reflective melancholy phase of music where Damien Jurado became a big influence. His music let uncomfortable realities linger to be absorbed and reflected on. However, his music and message always had a redemptive presence either in his lyrics or passion. This music allowed me to accept that all is not always well and that the roof will not come crashing in if we acknowledge this. And if the roof does come falling in then there is hope to rebuild.
Today
Today I am exploring music again. Music that is still rigorous in self-awareness but much of it also explores expressions that I am not as familiar. Artists like Boards of Canada, The Decemberists, and The Postal Service are right up there these days. This is also why I have added "MySpace of the Moment" which is to inspire me to keep checking out new stuff.
Faith and Music?
Isaiah 42 (as well as several Psalms) ask us to sing to the Lord a new song. In Isaiah this is in the context of God delivering the people. But God's deliverance does not look like what the people expect. I see "the song" as possibly introducing the people to a new movement of God and that if they recognize and take seriously the song they may also recognize the movement.
Any reflections of your own . . . ?
PS the video to the right is for you rudy!!
Monday, February 05, 2007
Previously Unreleased
I have been in a bit of cultural rut when it comes to exploring new emerging experssions. Recent times have found me charting paths past all the great, and other than great, artists staking claims on the web. Thus the introduction of IndieVision and MySpace of the Moment. These sections will be updated regularly with whatever catches an ear or an eye.
I hope to post some of my recent reflections on the "Soundtrack of My Life" that I shared with my sunday school Class this week.
