"EPWORTH Refocus 50/50: Soundtrack"
- Rev. Bob Thomas
Senior Pastor
the Bible Lesson:
Psalm 40: 1 - 11
When John Owen, the great Puritan, lay on his deathbed, his secretary wrote (in his name) to a friend, “I am still I the land of the living.”
“Stop,” said Owen. “Change that and say ‘I am yet in the land of the dying, but I hope soon to be in the land of the living.”
I have had the opportunity over the years, really a privilege, to sit with several individuals while they die. I had almost forgotten being with a family over twenty-five years ago now as they kept the vigil while the matriarch of the family was in her last hours of life. We had all gathered in her large white frame house on her farm…her grown children and their families, some neighbors and church friends. We took turns in small groups sitting at her bedside. Her breathing was labored and it was clear the end was near—the doctor had come to the house that afternoon. And as we were sitting quietly, one of her cousins began to softly sing. It was a familiar church song so we joined in and soon others in the house came in, crowded around the door and that song turned into another and we sang for an hour or more. When one song ended we’d pause and someone else would start another song and we all joined in. The dying woman whose breathing had been so labored and was so restless in her unconscious state was amazingly calmed as her family and friends sang softly hymns, school songs, and popular songs. One of her grand daughters stood up after we’d been singing for more than an hour and started her Sunday school song: “Jesus loves me this I know…” we didn’t sing it up to tempo but slowly and softly. And I looked at the dying woman’s face as we sang the last refrain and she let out a deep sigh and was gone. I hadn’t thought about that night for years until I read an article this week about The Threshold Choir, which now has about 35 chapters in a dozen states. It was started by Kate Munger in 2000 and had its roots in her experience of helping to care for a friend who was in a coma and dying of AIDS. Ms. Munger spend the morning at her friend’s house doing housework, and in the afternoon, she began to sing to him, and continued doing so for two hours. She writes, “The contrast between the morning and the afternoon [was] profound. I felt like I had really given generously of my essence to my dear friend while I sang to him. I also found that I felt deeply comforted myself, which I know in turn was comforting to him. She shared her experience and idea and The Threshold Choir movement was begun. Each of the chapters has between 60 and 80 members. (The closest one is Cincinnati) This group of women go by invitation in groups of two or three to sing at the bedsides of seriously ill people, many of whom are in the final stages of life. They sing a cappella in homes, hospitals and hospices, selecting their music from a large repertoire of songs and hymns ranging from “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” to “Ave Maria.” What a wonderful idea: Lullabies for the dying, a kind of soundtrack for dying.
But that leads to the question: What it the soundtrack for living?
I can think of lots of options. For some, it may be Neil Diamond’s “Song Sung Blue”…or BB King’s “Troubles, Troubles, Troubles.” Then there’s Miley Cyrus’ “Life’s What You Make of It” or even ABBA” “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!”
The scripture text for this sermon is from Psalm 40. The soundtrack if you will, for the beginning was probably something like: “Nobody Knows the Troubles I’ve Seen.” In the early verses of the psalm, the writer tells us that he was in desperate straits. He doesn’t describe the circumstances, but it was a difficulty so deep that he portrayed it as a “desolate pit” and a “miry bog.” But then he received the help of the Lord, and the psalmist experienced a transformation—from the mire to a solid rock. At that point, the poet said, “God put a new song in my mouth.” Our ancestors have been singing this psalm for over 3,000 years…it is a hymn that sings out, “Here I am, Lord. I come to do your will.” Is there still any better song in this post modern world? Is there any more complete expression of who we are? Of who God is for us? Of who we are to be before God and one another? But how can this song, which has been sung for so long, by so many voices, in so many accents and in so many places—how can this song be new?
Walter Brueggeman suggests that the “new song,” made possible by God, is a surprise of grace. Isn’t that a wonderful idea? “A surprise of Grace.” This new song emerges out of the blue, presenting a new possibility that is inexplicable, forged by the almighty power and goodness of God. When all seems lost or out of control or maddening and frustrating to the point where we seem over whelmed, God can place a new song on our lips and in our heart. We may not fully know how this newness happens, but we can tell that it does happen, we can be grateful for it, and all the while praise God in amazement and relief.”
Now you know the psalmists lived centuries before Jesus came, but this lyric about receiving a new song, a new soundtrack, is what Christianity is all about. Christianity helps us to interpret life, whether in the midst of it or near its end, with a soundtrack that, if not always upbeat, at least has a forward looking, joyous overtone.
[Alternate Materials: 1. Bended and Traditional Material
(for Contemporary illustration skip to #2.)]
1. The traditional and spiritual musical literature of the church is based on heavy real life themes: sin, death, war, social ills, pain, and personal troubles. But these songs are written in the vocabulary of hope, confidence, redemption and spiritual affirmation. The songs we are using for worship today are from our new hymnal supplements “The Faith We Sing.” Our opening hymn is the beloved Navy hymn, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save.” It talks about the strong arm of God who calms even the fierce waves of the ocean deep. We are reminded of Jesus walking on the water, the brooding of the Holy Spirit over the chaos before God spoke all of creation out of the angry tumult and the repeated plea to God: “O hear us when we cry to thee…” The overarching theme of this great hymn text is that our Creator God is strong to save no matter what storm any of us might face on the actual sea or the churning seas of life. And the final stanza is an affirmation of trust in God, our Eternal Father:
O Trinity of love and power,
All travelers guard in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest,
Fire and foe, protect them where so e’er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to thee
Glad praise from air and land and sea.
[2. Contemporary Illustration]
2. The wonderful new Contemporary Christian musical literature is based on heavy real life themes: sin, death, war, social ills, pain, and personal troubles. But these songs are written in the vocabulary of hope, confidence, redemption and spiritual affirmation. Chris Tomlin has written a powerful song that our praise band is going to sing in a few moments for us. It’s called How Can I Keep From Singing
It says And though the storms in life may come,( and they will—natural disasters, terrorist incidents, economic worries, war, drug abuse, illicit sexual encounters and urges, prejudices—race against race…sickness personally or of a friend or family member—the terrors that come in the darkness of the night,) To all of that Tomlin writes: “ I am holding on… To the rock (Christ) I cling .” He goes on with amazing words of hope: “I will lift my eyes… For I know my Savior lives.”
The refrain comes back several times it goes like this:
I can sing in the troubled times
Sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step
And fall down again
I can sing 'cause You pick me up
Sing 'cause You're there
I can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord
When I call to You in prayer
I can sing with my last breath
Sing for I know
That I'll sing with the angels
And the saints around the throne
Think about it, right smack in the middle of the worst possible scenario that life can through at us, God can intervene…not necessarily fixing things, but gives us a new song that we can’s help but SING.
(Text Resumes …)
Those are strong words of encouragement and hope, and they also make up some of the lines of the soundtrack that come with our faith in Christ. They help to form the perspective from which Christians interpret life—and death.
All 150 of the ancient psalms were actually the lyrics to the worship music of Israel. Psalm 40 is filled not only with the mention of pits and bog, but also with testimony about God and the benefit to those who rely upon him. “Happy are those,” sings the psalmist, “who make the LORD their trust.” The psalmist is giving an interpretation of life. There is an old saying, “Suffering colors life, but we can choose the color,” which is a way of talking about interpreting what happens to us.
But the Christian soundtrack goes beyond that. It proclaims that it’s not we, but God who gives the color to life, and that color is not the blues!
A couple of years ago I taught “Christian Believer” which is a basic Christian theology course patterned after the Disciple Bible study series. It’s a great study by the way. I am convinced that our theology is shaped by our hymnody. What we sing is what we truly believe.
I’ve just got to share this story I read recently about Mel-ik Kay-lan, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal. Mel-ik was born in Turkey but had attended an English boarding school where he’d learned hymns and Christmas carols during the morning chapel services. Later, as a grown man, he was visiting back in Turkey one December when he was involved in a serious car crash. His ribs were broken, several vital organs were damaged, and he was comatose and near death when he arrived at a hospital in Istanbul. The doctors saved his life, but he spent weeks in the ICU, delirious from fever much of the time.
Periodically, he came to consciousness long enough to realize that he’d been singing Christmas carols loudly enough for everyone to hear him. This was a real surprise to him because he thought he’d left all those songs, along with any religious interests, behind when he’d left the school. But there in the hospital, in his semiconscious state, the carols came back. He says that “in inner Wurlitzer-full of them came welling up” (a Wurlitzer is the brand name of a Jute Box) as he emerged from anesthetic, and they continued throughout his stay.
On one occasion, his fever spiked so high that a nurse placed an ice bag on his head. As he slowly became conscious of his surroundings, he noticed two other patients nearby, both middle-aged men with their heads bandages. With the three of them all being crowned with dressings or ice bags, he discovered himself singing, “We Three Kings of Orient Are.” Later, when a fellow patient recovered enough to leave, “Away in a manger” sprang from his lips unbidden.
And so it went. Later, recovered, Kay-lan looked back and wrote:
“…the carols… purged and simplified my thoughts, helped me surrender to the healing process while surrendering to the carol’s own inner metronome. Carols have the knack of transporting you back to the first moments you ever sang them , which tend to be times of optimism and wonder at the universe—exactly the outlook needed, in such situations, to resurrect yourself in the process.
The soundtrack that comes with our faith in Christ is not always up-tempo. It reflects both the hills and the valleys of life. But it’s also a soundtrack for all of our days—including our time of active living, our final days and our time beyond time in the great beyond.
Last week I reminded you that the Mission of Epworth is to Create Christian Community by making disciples of Jesus Christ. With the formation of Task force 50, discussions are under way to help equip us as a congregation to celebrate in a few short years, 50 years of ministry and service here in this park like setting on the banks of the Ottawa River and then to cast our vision for the next 50 years and beyond to the future God wants to create through us. What new song is the Lord putting into our mouths as a church. I am convinced that Epworth’s strong emphasis on spreading the gospel of Christ through hands on mission service and sacrificial giving is a vital part of our vision. I know that we need to make sure that our worship life is always characterized by excellence and spiritual passion. Christian Education for all ages is a must. Those two ideas together, by the way, will take a two hour Sunday-morning commitment …worship and Sunday school not just offered but worship and Sunday School as a priority for everyone. We know that the future of our church and our community rests in the dreams and hopes of our youth and young adults. Therefore, Epworth’s strong Student ministries are not optional but are integral for accomplishing our Mission. Bricks and mortar are important but the vitality and strength of this church is measured by souls won for Christ and young believers brought to spiritual maturity through intentional Discipleship through UMW, Share groups, Wesley Groups, Spiritual retreats just to name some of the vital disciple making functions of the church. So…what is the soundtrack, you are hearing for our church as we prepare to remember the past, celebrate the present and, move with boldness into our next 50 years? I need your help through your intentional prayers that implore God… “Eternal Father Strong to save…send us a soundtrack of hope. Give us a new song for the next 50 years and beyond.”
Amen and Amen.
