The Joy of Jazz and Jesus
Good Morning Friends,
Last week our music minister of 32 years announced his retirement. It got me to thinking that we still have Shaker music even when there are no Shakers left. The retirement was not a complete surprise…still it was a surprise. He has been a traditional class act for a long time. It also got me to thinking that things are changing so fast that we, as a worshipping community, may have to improvise. I was up in Chicago a few years ago and heard some rap music being used in a worship service and then I took some time to listen to some John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk played by musicians at a local Blues Club. They engaged in a love of being immersed in a connection and affirmation of improvisation. Frankly I was surprised by The Joy of Jazz and Jesus.
Scripture: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. “Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you? “And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. “Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you? “Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’
Matthew 25:31-46 (NRSV)
Scripture: But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
1 Corinthians 2:9 (NRSV)
Message: All kinds of music remind me of how God engages us. But some music can get a bit messy. Faith is messy business too. Most do not understand this disturbing reality… that many…too many…perhaps most not in the pews are in a deep spiritual crisis seeking a new, more personal, and more beautiful form of faith that is a relational form of spirituality. Many are critical of Christianity as they shop for the newest model kicking its tires on a Sunday morning…seeing some churches flat line. That is a hard, uncomfortable truth for some; but that doesn’t make it any less true. Still Christianity is better than we Christians often make it look. And it might be getting even better…but not in the way we might expect. Friends, when we least expect it Jesus will usher in a new musical line that surprises us. Something surprising converges when we experience God in this way. We learn that God’s ways are not our ways. Think about Sarah. She was so surprised at the gift God had given her that she laughed in disbelief. Nehemiah is surprised by the joy of reading scripture again and cries for joy. We are surprised by the choice of David for King. We are surprised by the selection of Jesus as heir to the Davidic Kingdom. We are surprised by the joy of the birth of Jesus and we are surprised by joy in the love of God. We are very surprised by the empty tomb. Friends if you accept Jesus get ready to be surprised. He is preparing us. Friends, Jesus’ second coming is going to be quite a surprise for a lot of people. How good are you at improvising?
Pray for a deeper understanding when our prayers are answered and we are surprised. Pray we learn to live a life of worship seeing God revealed in new mercies, new love, new music and new understanding. Pray we answer the call to service that God has placed on our hearts. Pray we give thanks for the gifts we have received but also pray with thanksgiving for the simple gifts we have given in love of Christ. Pray we discover the greatness in the kingdom of simple acts of kindness. Pray when the money is still in our hands. Pray when we realize that we are in His hands. Pray we be people of the open palm always ready to discover Christ in new ways and improvise a way to join in and be surprised by the joy.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 