Author: inertus

Gill writes:

The story goes that one day Groucho Marx was getting off an elevator and he happened to meet a clergyman. The clergyman came up to him, put out his hand and said, ‘I want to thank you for all the joy you’ve put into the world.’ Groucho shook hands and replied, ‘Thank you, Reverend. I want to thank you for all the joy you’ve taken out of it.

Sometimes we can be a bit too serious about stuff. Including music and lyrics. No surprise that we get so caught up when music and lyrics move us so much. We cry; we lament; we rage; we ponder. We’re moved to act by music we listen to and lyrics that we hear.

But sometimes, we just need to have a bit of joy. Something to amuse us. Beats that help us to tap our feet. Words that you can’t help but giggle and shake your head at. That’s where Barenaked Ladies (also known as BNL) come in for me. Even their name raises eyebrows for some, I suppose.

Some of their songs are actually incredibly poignant and deep with a melody that moves you like ‘The Old Apartment’. Others raise a smile and wonder at verbal agility like ‘One Week’. The song that I have chosen to share is a BNL ‘absolute classic’ that always brings their concerts to a close. You never know quite what you will get at each concert because the banter between verses is always different but it always hangs together with established lyrics in the verses like:

If I had a million dollars (if I had a million dollars)
I’d buy you a fur coat (but not a real fur coat that’s cruel)
And if I had a million dollars (if I had a million dollars)
Well I’d buy you an exotic pet (yep, like a llama or an emu)

Perhaps the loveliest aspect of this song at their concerts is that the crowd joins in (as you will see in the video) and that feeling of oneness that you get with singing and laughing together is just the perfect end to a concert.

Sometimes we need to lighten up and enjoy ‘stuff’. As a music lover and popular ‘culture vulture’, I need to hear this. As a Christian, I need to hear this. Sometimes I need to see the human side of Christ. The Jesus who laughed and giggled.

The American Quaker Elton Trueblood wrote a book called ‘The Humor of Christ’ where he lists 30 passages from the Gospels that show how Jesus used humour.  It’s maybe because we have heard and read the stories time after time that we are unable to see that Jesus said some things with his tongue in his cheek.  Or maybe because so much time has passed since the Gospel’s were written that we fail to understand the context or irony of the time.

But I think I am with Trueblood on this – Jesus must have injected his teachings with humour otherwise so many people would not have been drawn to him.  The best public speakers are the ones who tell the truth but say it with humour.  And I think Jesus would have been very adept at this.  He knew that there is many a true word spoken in jest.

Humour is what pulls people in.  It breaks down barriers and puts us in a happy place.  Because we feel at peace momentarily, we are open to ideas and thoughts and are even open to being challenged.  It shows that we are human and that are eyes are open.  Sometimes we need to laugh together to reach a place of common ground and the beginnings of reconciliation.

BNL are touring Britain in 2020 if you fancy popping along to see them! Find out more by visiting https://www.barenakedladies.com/.

Jane writes:

It never ceases to amaze me when I listen to new music how much spirituality lies within it and how many time God is mentioned.  I love new music and the thought of hearing something fresh is high on my list of happy places.  Please don’t mis-hear me when I say that, cos I love a bit of nostalgia too, but “new” seems extra thought provoking somehow. 

Kiwanuka is an album filled with fabulous music, arranged and produced to perfection. It has a sweeping retro feel and is one of those albums to listen to in its entirety with the ebb and flow of the music taking you on a journey.  I loved it from the start. 

That said this track seemed to speak to me. There are undoubtedly times in life when we find ourselves in places that are uneasy or uncomfortable.  Places of self-doubt and places where we’re dazed (and confused frankly). The writer here seems to be in such a place and maybe trying to find the best way to carry on.  It looks as if for him the following is part of what’s needed 

The Lord said to me –   
Time is a healer  
Love is the answer – I’m on my way  

It’s quite a set of statements and a bold thing to hold onto.  Sometimes it almost seems impossible but as we journey to a New Year, with a fresh government and a mix of lots of potentially difficult and great times ahead we might do well to notice what the Lord says to us, both as individuals and Church. 

It could be that we need to know that ‘Time is a healer and Love is the answer ‘to help us on our way. 

It could be something entirely different but unless we’re listening out, even when we’re a bit dazed, for God’s word to us then we might miss out entirely on what is right for us right now. 

You can find out much more about Michael here   https://www.michaelkiwanuka.com/ 

Fidge writes:

I’m a huge pink fan! Now, this might come as a bit of a surprise for those of you who know me well – but I’m not talking about the colour pink, I’m a huge fan of Pink the singer.  

The first time I heard her song, ‘What about us?’ it resonated with me on so many levels. It seemed to me to be the song of our time – a desperate cry for so many of us in the world at the moment. On this election result morning there may be many who cry, “what about us?”   

Here are the lyrics:  

We are searchlights, we can see in the dark  
We are rockets, pointed up at the stars  
We are billions of beautiful hearts  
And you sold us down the river too far  

What about us?  

 What about all the times you said you had the answers?  
What about us?  
What about all the broken happy ever afters?  
What about us?  
What about all the plans that ended in disaster?  
What about love? What about trust?  
What about us?  

We are problems that want to be solved  
We are children that need to be loved  
We were willin’, we came when you called  
But, man, you fooled us, enough is enough, oh  

What about us?  

 What about all the times you said you had the answers?  
What about us?  
What about all the broken happy ever afters?  
Oh, what about us?  

What about all the plans that ended in disaster?  
What about love? What about trust?  
What about us?  
  

Commentators have described this election campaign as the most important of our time, others have described it as particularly nasty – full of lies and empty promises.  We know we are living in a divided UK, if not a divided world – everything is either black or white, for or against. It’s easy to resonate with Pink as she asks what about trust, what about love, what about us?  

In and amongst these cries for help, we see glimpses of the fact that humanity is, and actually has the potential to be ‘billions of beautiful hearts’. Recently the Turner Prize nominees formed themselves into a collective and urged the judging panel to grant the prize jointly to the four of them in the name of cohesion and solidarity. Barbara Glasson talks of the hope of Christians in Bethlehem in her recent trip to the West Bank. We probably know our own stories of hope in troubled times..  

On this election result morning, perhaps we need to be reminded of Desmond Tutu’s words that love is stronger than hate, or to recall Isaiah’s words of comfort to the oppressed. For those who cry, ‘what about us’ we might want to pray that we will listen, reflect, be present and in this Holy Season of Advent, be guided by the way of peace, hope, justice and love. 

Find out more about Pink at https://pinkspage.com/home/

Nel writes:

I love Christmas! It is absolutely my most favourite time of year. I also love the Winter; the darkening afternoons, the frost & snow, and the bleak beauty of cold wuthering days.

Almost thirty years ago we were married at Christmastime. The date chosen simply because it’s my favourite time of year! And almost twenty-seven years ago our eldest son was born on December 22nd. I spent a wonderful few days, recovering from a difficult birth, in the Derbyshire Royal where we were visited by carollers and Father Christmas, who left gifts for babes and Mums, before we nervously and excitedly brought our eldest son home, along snow covered lanes, on the afternoon of Christmas Day. One of his middle names is Noel.

But over and above all these delights I love Christmas most because of the miracle. God is with is. The birth of Jesus is the greatest, most incredible event in our human story. As Ann Voskamp writes, ‘the Infinite becomes an infant’ ~ a breathtaking reality. And every year I am bowled over afresh by the immensity of the Incarnation; the joy, the hope, the peace, the promise, the holy love. The miracle. It is such an immense season I take the full forty days of Celtic Advent to absorb myself in the wonder and dwell in the glory until Candlemas!

I love almost all Christmas songs and a large number of Christmas movies; each one somehow capturing a little of the joy, hope, peace, promise, love and miracle of Christmas. I don’t however like mince pies, Christmas pudding, or almost all of the Christmas adverts!

But by far and away my favourite Christmas music is carols. In Sheffield we have a whole range of our own local carols which are simply wonderful, even though some of the tunes are a bit tricksy! Each year people gather in crowded pubs to sing these locally known carols with great gusto and enthusiasm. And I almost picked one as my song choice. (by Kate Rusby, of course)

Instead though I have chosen a classic carol with a beautiful added refrain: Silent Night by Lady Antebellum. I think ‘the dawn of redeeming grace’ is one of the most stunning lines in a carol. And this version of Silent Night is particularly special because it weaves proclamation and prayer so beautifully together with, in my mind, the traditional words sung with eyes lifted up in adoration and the refrain (in brackets) offered prayerfully on bended knees with open hands.

‘Silent night (Oh, what a night) holy night (Praising Your birth)
Son of God (Light of my heart) love’s pure light (Shine down Your grace)
Radiant beams from Thy holy face (To save the world)
With the dawn of redeeming grace (To You we praise)’

We worship Emmanuel, our God with us, with exultation and praise but we also pray, in these days and in this moment, that His redeeming grace will still shine upon us and save the world. God with us then and God with us now.

You can find out more about Lady Antebellum by visiting https://www.ladyantebellum.com/

This week sees the start of a small collection of Christmas-related songs and the first one comes from our ‘Faith in Christmas’ collection of Christmas music that our team did in 2017. ‘Faith in Christmas’ was all about favourite carols and Christmas music that inspired people across East Central region. Seeing that one of the songs was more of a ‘secular’ song, we thought we would share it.

The group, Deacon Blue, are perhaps not the first music makers who jump to mind when contemplating songs associated with Advent and Christmas. I’m not sure how many people would have this song on their Christmas Playlist with it’s fast-paced tempo which seriously lacks any Christmassy jingling bells but since hearing this song in 2015 (it comes from the group’s seventh studio album ‘A New House’), the track has kicked off my annually updated Christmas Playlist.

The words just burst with hopefulness and the excitement and possibility that new birth brings. There is no mention of God or Jesus in the words but the message of Christmas rings clear throughout the song. Of hope. Of change. Of being reborn.

Ricky Ross, the lead singer, explains that he took inspiration from a line in a WB Yeats poem called ‘The Second Coming’. He says ‘there’s a line in the poem about ‘slouching towards Bethlehem’ and the idea that you have to go back to open up new possibilities. Bethlehem is such an evocative word’.

The song captures the despair and fatigue of our human lives. The second verse introduces the notion that only a miracle will save us. A miracle that has already happened. A miracle that transcends time and space. A miracle that lifts our hearts and souls. All we need to do is to go back to Bethlehem – ‘to begin again’.

You can find out more about Deacon Blue, their new album in Spring 2020 and their upcoming tour in 2020 too at https://deaconblue.com/

Gill writes:

Every time we go away (as Paul Young might sing), I spend a bit of time creating a playlist for our holiday. I ask family members if they have any songs they would like; I add songs that I particularly like and then I think about where we are going and choose songs that seem to connect with our travels.

If it’s France, it may contain ‘Lost in France’ by Bonnie Tyler; our Switzerland list included ‘Foot of the Mountain’ by A-Ha; ’99 Luftballons’ by Nena is always on our Germany playlists and ‘State Lines’ by The Shires was played every time we crossed a state line in the USA. Well, until we got fed up of it that is.

In 2017, we took a road trip around Northern Europe which included driving the Oresund Bridge from Denmark to Sweden and back again (not on the same day – we spent a few days camping in Sweden!). As fans of ‘The Bridge’ TV series and it’s gorgeous theme tune, ‘Hollow Talk’ by Choir of Young Believers, the track was a non-negotiable for the playlist. And of course, as we drove over the bridge to Sweden, the song accompanied us as we gazed out at the sun sparkling on the Oresund Sound and the huge, huge pillars loomed 204 metres above us. It was everything we’d planned the experience to be like.

However, it was the return journey that offered me a ‘God Moment’. The crossing of the Oresund Sound involves a 4km tunnel under the water as well as the amazing bridge over it. The tunnel comes after the bridge bit when you drive from Sweden to Denmark. As we drove into the tunnel, Emeli Sande started singing:

“I believe in miracles
Cause it’s a miracle I’m here”

I’d never really heard the lyrics properly before (it wasn’t my song choice) but the words made me think about every life being a miracle; it made me think about being privileged enough to be able to have the holiday we were having; it made me think about the amazing parts of the world that we were visiting; it made me think about God as Creator.

And then suddenly the next lines took on a new meaning:

“Something like flying
Hard to describe it
My God, I’m breathing underwater
Something like freedom, freedom
My God, I’m breathing underwater”

Each one of us exclaimed ‘wow’ (or words similar). We’re literally breathing underwater as she is singing this. What a coincidence! Or was it? I might have put the playlist together but it wasn’t intentional to play this song like ‘Hollow Talk’ had been.

There will be plenty of people who would explain it away using synchronicity theories and a raft of other theories. And there will be others who would say that there is not such thing as coincidence. Some might describe it as a ‘God-Incidence’

There are some who might call it providential. I wouldn’t describe myself as someone who’s comfortable with a God who plans and intervenes in my life because that would mean that God hasn’t given us free will. I think I hold with the idea that God created and sustains creation with love so that there are moments where we glimpse and understand more about God and God’s care for us. Our eyes are opened and we see the interconnectedness of creation. This was one of those moments for me.

It’s perhaps easier to see God in the natural things in creation – mountains, seas, flora and fauna. We see God in the faces of others; the words of others; the actions of others. Actions of others. I have a tendency to think of actions to be kindness, hospitality, caring and so on. But actions also includes vision, skills and abilities to create things for ourselves and others. Humans are fantastic at creating some amazing and life-changing things just like our Creator. I found myself experiencing the Oresund crossing with the same awe and wonder that I had walking through Yellowstone Park. And the words in the song just capture that sense of awesome. Freedom. Liberation. Connection. Just wow.

You can find out more about Emeli Sande by visiting https://www.emelisande.com/

Jane writes:

I’ve always found the balance or remembrance and advocacy for peace around Remembrance Sunday quite a challenge. Knowing that two of my Grandfather’s brothers were killed on the Somme and the impact that war had on a real family, it seems so important to remember but, at the same time, all the military emphasis reminds me that war is real now and I’m not sure that as a country and society we handle our responsibilities well at all.

So when I first heard this Mass for Peace it made a real impact on me. It shows so well musically this contradiction and forces the listener to engage with the complexity of what it means to be a person of peace. I’ve also been fortunate to see it live and the soaring voices are so cleverly arranged and take you off to a place of real contemplation.

In its midst is a “call to prayer” from the Muslim tradition as well as many many references to the Christian, Jewish and secular worlds (Tennyson, Kipling and the like.) While it is the most fabulous journey from beginning to end, all sorts of ideas wrapped in the Christian Mass, the section I’ve chosen here is the Agnus Dei

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Grant us Peace

In these turbulent political times that simple prayer seems so pertinent.

As we gather to remember this weekend, let us think about ways to strive for peace and to be beacons of that peace to others

The whole of The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace can be found here – a good starting place is about 5min 14 seconds in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOf4aqIPSyU

You can find out more about the composer, Karl Jenkins, here http://www.karljenkins.com/