Muse Devotions

As musicians we sometimes take music for granted. We sometimes forget how other worldly it really is.  Many of the things we enjoy are really focused on us, but music is one of those things so universal that it can only be thought of as reflecting the creator. Indeed there is music in all things in creation. Here’s a new thought for you. All of creation is really one giant harmonic and rhythmic symphony. Under the surface creation is pulsating. There are registers of sound beyond our hearing – but do you suppose God created them for his own delight? The universe “hums” and sings at many frequencies and with an infinite variety of sound and rhythm. Any exploration of creation will eventually uncover God’s song. In this post I want to talk about the “sub-atomic symphony of creation”.

Now before we go on I feel I must warn you that I’m about to discuss science. While this might sound a bit dry I promise to try and keep you engaged. Yes I know that for some of you a discussion of science means sticking your fingers in your ears and humming something unintelligible.  I would only ask that you stay with me long enough to hear me out. I promise I will put away my pocket protector and focus on drawing you a picture you can understand. I’m not a scientist, nor do I play one on TV, but I hang on on Wikipedia a lot, and we all know if it’s on the Internet it must be true. Let’s begin.

Let's start with a little poem I whipped up for the occasion of this post.

I have little motto that I love to say,
It keeps me sane it keeps me safe and on the narrow way.
I say my little motto whenever I am piqued
By any sort of churchy thing that shows up on the street.
It's not a brilliant quote - or something you can't miss.
Instead it's rather silly and it simply goes like this:

I was wrong, I am wrong, I will be wrong again.
I was wrong, I am wrong, I will be wrong again.
When I'm tempted to be stubborn about temporary things.
I was wrong, I am wrong, I will be wrong again.

A few things you may not know about me. By the age of 18 I had memorized 14 books of the New Testament. By the age of 28 I had emerged as a brilliant (though insufferable) speaker.... erudite... charismatic...witty...razor sharp. I could hold a crowd with skill beyond my years. I loved to decry the evils and hypocrisy I saw around me. I reveled in a defense of my faith. I was a skilled apologist. I could quote from authors like Barth, Buber, Schafer, Tozer, Meyers, Moody and Lewis with equal zeal. I was a passionate preacher, a fervent intercessor and a fiery prophet who believed and practiced the gifts of the Spirit. I was a published author and popular speaker. My star was ascendant. If you had asked anyone who knew me 15 years ago (Pastor Tracy can testify to it) they would probably tell you that this is exactly how I saw myself. Note, this is not how others saw me - just how I saw myself. Of course if you know me now this might sound like a different person to you - at least I really hope it does. If it doesn't please have a long talk with me sometime. Among the many things that were off-kilter in my inner and outer life, one of them was certainty.

Now I want to make it clear that this little poem is a send up of the things I love about choir and my friend and pastor, Sean Keith. Yes, I'm trying to be funny, but in an endearing way. With that thought in mind, enjoy my little parody of Trinity Worship Choir's Night Before Christmas.

Now before you read this post I need to warn you. This post deals with the scary topic of death. That doesn't sound like a very "devotional" topic. If you are intrepid and fearless and you think something might be gained then read on. But if you are squeamish or if death scares you, then you.... should especially read on ;)

Do you know what a pedal tone is? It is typically a throbbing, rumbling low note that is constant in a song. The chords and melody of the song go off in their own direction while the pedal note keeps rumbling along underneath the composition. A pedal tone has a drawing factor - like a suspended note. It is typically the tonic or dominant in the key and it demands that the music return home to it at some point. A distinguishing feature of a pedal tone is that sometimes it matches the chord being played in the other voices, and sometimes it is dissonant, but it always pulls a composition back to the "key center" - sort of the home base for a song.

Take a moment and listen to this short clip from Toccata (don't worry - it's only about 30 seconds). At about 20 seconds there is a great example of a pedal tone. If you want to see and hear it played by a virtuoso master check out this awe inspiring YouTube Video.

Why am I rambling on about pedal tones? Because they serve to illustrate a lost sensibility of modern life. We no longer feel the nearness of death.

I was eighteen and entering college full of hope and aspirations. My dad and I had not always seen eye to eye but I had appreciated his plain wisdom and down to earth advice. This was that moment - the moment of wisdom. He was about to hop into the car with Mom and take off for home some 500 miles away, leaving me completely on my own for the first time in my life. I asked him if he had any words to live by. With a doleful look and his best pastoral voice he said words I will always remember. "Son," he said, "don't do anything stupid." With that he was gone, while I, with the predictability of a Tom Hanks Oscar, completely and utterly failed to live up to his advice.