Music 9.26.2024

 One of my favorite Singer-songwriters, J.D. Souther passed away last week. It is both thought-provoking and unsettling. I had already decided to write about music as an interpretive activity this week, and though distracted a bit, will soldier on. 

    People of my generation often say, “Our music is the best!” This comment is also heard by previous generations, following generations, the present generation, and those still to come. Twentieth century innovations like the automobile, the radio, broad distribution of evolving, affordable recording media made music a defining public presence. Prior to the modern era, music was always live. You played it or listened at home, or you went to hear it in some kind of a public venue—church, opera house, concert hall, saloon, salon. That was it. They did not have radios or Bluetooth speakers in their bathrooms, bedrooms, offices, or studies. 

For us music plays and expanding environmental role. Before the twentieth century people paid closer attention to music because any access to it required intent. Listening to music was more like going to a library. Consequently, it was a foreground rather than a background experience. For many of us, music rarely transcends being the background for our lives. Our lives have become increasingly cinematic and virtually all music has become a soundtrack. 

    This may not seem to be a big deal. You may question why I’m bringing it up during a month dedicated to inventory and reviews for next year’s study and preaching. I do so because I am also inventorying my playlists and favorite albums for listening in my study. I try not to allow music to be merely an amorphous soundtrack but to help establish focus for the detailed work of study. Most of what I listen to will not have lyrics. I try to focus on composers, groups, and artists whose work is spiritual, meditative, or intellectually stimulating. I like to read about the composer, songwriting, performer. I try and understand what it is they are hoping to accomplish. How do they view their own art. For me music is not merely background. If exegesis is worship, and the work in the study brings honor to God, then the music one listens to is significant. 

    So yes, even your choices in music should be intentional and they will knowingly or unknowingly impinge on your habits of study and thought. I personally like classical music, ambient music, and “jazz”. These forms of musical expression create an atmosphere of intellectual focus. They are musical genre’s that engage the mind as well as emotion. Did I listen last week to some J.D. Souther? Yep. His whole discography. When I selected that music, I did so during parts of the day when I knew that I would not be “creating.” I can listen to music with lyrics when processing Email or doing routine administrative tasks. Otherwise, I choose music that keeps my mind alert, provides focus, and lacks lyrics. 

    You may be thinking a couple of things. First you may have concluded that I am just weird. That is fine. Others have made the same judgment; I’m a big boy and I can take it. I do, however think you are missing out on things that can enrich your life. Secondly, you may be saying “I just don’t like those kinds of music.” Understood. I used to hate cottage cheese and Brussels Sprouts. I didn’t decide to like them until I had tried them, and I found that my own unfounded prejudices kept me from enjoying and benefiting from something which I found to be enriching. 

Our preferences “for” and against certain kinds of music are often shaped by prejudices against and caricatures of the genre’s we don’t like. And apathy. We don’t know something and consequently don’t like it. One of the matters that we need to consider is that you can appreciate something even if it is not what you prefer. And it is in exercising this appreciatory capacity that we can grow.  In short, you need to listen to more music and choose things outside your normal “preference.” 

    You will find that such an exercise helps you to develop deeper discernment and a more focused and intentional critical approach to all “incoming” stuff. You won’t like everything you hear any more than you like everything you read. Some of us view motion pictures which had rave reviews and we think that they are unentertaining, boring, or bad. There are some genre’s that you may never learn to appreciate. I don’t listen to rap, and I don’t watch “slasher” movies. Others disagree and that is OK. 

    My goal this month has been to encourage you as a preacher-scholar-pastor to process, curate, appreciate, and grow from what you read, see, and hear. Music can be a profound, life-changing experience. Oddly enough, the present generation though they have access to massive catalogues of recorded music often have little opportunity to hear it played live. With unequalled choice, most choose to listen only to what is popular or “hot”. When I was in school, we had local concerts and dances and could hear live music fairly regularly. Ironically, for many growing up in the twenty-first century the only time they ever hear a live band is when the attend Church, and those bands tend to play the same formulaic “hits” produced by the big players in the Worship-Industrial complex.  

    Listen to more, not less. Appreciate the new and study the old. There may be lots of musical ideas, but there are a limited number of notes. When I learn a new tune on the Piano I don’t ask if it’s a hymn, pop-hit, or classic ‘70s rock. I pluck around, find the key, and either judge it to be good or bad. Good tunes transcend genre because they express timeless ideas. 

    Yes, we are bound by the limitations of time and place. We are a part of our culture. We are found here and called by God to minister when and where we are at. Music, art, and literature allow us to rise above that particularity to see these beautiful lives God has given us in a universal scope. These broader experiences will improve your preaching.

Concepts 9.19.2024

 

    What is on your mind? How does your brain work?  How does your thinker think? What frameworks do you use to address the world around you? When you read a text from scripture what is your analytical perspective? Beyond that, how do you assimilate, evaluate, and appreciate any kind of information that comes to you? In an information saturated age, we need to have predetermined categories and concepts that we use to manage the flow and organize it for the proclamation of the Gospel. 

    You may be wondering exactly what I’m getting at. Let me explain further. Whenever you read a text whether novel, email, or poem you approach the text from some conceptual perspective. This is true of scripture as well. Regardless of the form—narrative, parable, psalm, or saga we all come at the text from some cultural, intellectual, social, and personal perspective. Much of it is based on our personality, intellectual makeup, and education. 

    There are those among us who will always read and understand a text from the perspective of the characters addressed. They primarily see and hear from within the text. Others (I don’t know why) always examine a text forensically from the perspective of author or narrator. Still others, taking a “step or two back” ask the profound question “what’s going on here?”, considering the text from a neutral perspective. And of course, history buffs will always look through the lens of historical cause and effect. 

    We humans are meaning making machines and we don’t always make meaning in precisely the same way. As preachers, teachers, writers, and researchers it is important for us to consider and analyze these conceptual perspectives so that we might gain a well-rounded empathetic understanding of the text in its context, and our congregation in its context.  You may approach the text analytically, even scientifically. Your listeners are not you and your congregation will bring a variety of conceptual understandings to the preaching moment. ignoring other concepts, considerations, and voices which your listeners bring to the preaching event shows a kind of contempt, or at least disregard for how others think. Good communication does not begin in contempt. Communication ceases when you disregard the audience, or when they feel like you are speaking but not listening.

    As is so often the case our hermeneutical task is not to reinvent the wheel but to thoroughly understand how it works. We need to consider applying the text from several angles—and this after we have fully understood what the author intended to write based upon form, genre, vocabulary, syntax and rhetorical effect. We don’t ever want to collapse into a post-modern, deconstructed, reader-centered hermeneutic. We do, however want to be aware of what some in the past called the uses of the text. What the Great Tradition (at least the Protestant side) calls uses, we now commonly call applications. A central task of weekly hermeneutics is developing a conceptual approach to application that is sensitive to the culture of our congregation. To not do so is to risk turning the Word-focused part of worship into a mere academic exercise. 

    Having posed the question let me propose some answers, or better yet let’s call them approaches. To begin with you must know your congregation, their background, education, and interests. Many of us preach to a congregation that is bright, educated, and informed. Explain unfamiliar terns and make comparisons. Make connections between what people know and what they do not. Your people will grow accustomed to being challenged to think during the preaching event, and the result will be greater maturity. 

    Next, you need to understand the community in which your congregation is located. What makes this place different? How has this place determined the intellectual and social horizon for people who live here. An example. Our school district is Grayville Community School District 1. Which is to say, the first school district organized in the state of Illinois. People are rightly proud of that fact and that contributes to the self-image of our town. 

    A third step is a conceptual understanding of the broader social and cultural mindset of where you serve. Yes, this town has unique features, but it also shares similarities with surrounding communities embedded in our cultural matrix. 

    People come from somewhere. We are a product of places. Congregation, community, and culture will give your preaching cultural resonance. Now, this can be tricky. We don’t want to preach from our context but to it. But even to address the very congregation before you, you need to be a part of the broader community. 

    This requires paying attention! Particularly in the twenty-first century, when it can be difficult to even find truly local sources of information. Newspapers have died and because local radio stations are a part of syndicates, they tend to only barely local. There are sources of information available. Even social media when used rightly will give you an understanding of these people who come to hear God’s Word proclaimed every week. And when they come, if you’ve done your homework and lived authentically in your community, Your message will be able to bring them closer to God and more deeply informed about their faith. If all you do is skim the text and skim the community the only concepts you will master are boredom and irrelevance.

Flood of Information 9.12.2024

    We live in interesting times. In the 21st century information is both cheap and valuable. We have all the information we need—indeed more than we need. It is scarcely possible to fully process all the information that comes to our attention any given day. Computers of all kinds; desktop, laptop, tablet, and smartphone are constantly available to answer our every question and to fill every possible information gap—but the flood rushes on.

    Over the last couple of weeks, I encountered two interesting stories in the New York times (Which I specifically read for these kinds of stories). One was entitled America Must Free itself from the Tyranny of the Penny. It was a hoot. Irony and satire illustrating a real and frustrating problem. Here is the link. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/01/magazine/worthless-pennies-united-states-economy.html

    The second interesting article had a more distinctly theological slant. In fact, I used this article about the Shakers in Sunday School last week citing their expression of what I described as a “theology of extinction.” Again, here’s the link.  https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/05/magazine/shakers-utopia.html

    I have some 6,000 electronic resources in my Bible software suites. Many more thousands of PDFs. There are books on my shelves awaiting my attention along with fresh Emails, texts, and other electronic sources. In preparing for this week’s preaching, writing, and teaching I have everything I need within a few steps of my desk or clicks of my mouse. 

    And that is no guarantee that I will use all this available information wisely, accurately, or appropriately. Access is not wisdom, and abundance does not imply clarity. And for all the talk of artificial intelligence most of us simply need to take the time to apply the God-given “natural” intelligence that we’ve been given to the tasks at hand. 

    During September and October as I think about this year and prepare for next, I will spend a lot of time considering this flood of information that confronts all of us as contemporary preachers. Do I need more? Do I have the right kinds of resources to help me understand the text more accurately and communicate it with greater clarity? How do I keep my head above water—just in my professional domain of Biblical Studies, Theology, and Ministry?  Here are a couple of thoughts. I may be repeating myself. That’s OK I need to hear and remember these things as much as you do.

    To begin with, I know I have said or written this dozens of times, “Put a screen on your funnel.” This is good advice I picked up in college and have used for more than forty years. To this basic truth I would add, “filter with a purpose.” Like many of you I have many interests. I have to carefully restrict the amount of time I give to information that “interests” me as opposed to the information that helps me to be a better preacher. There is a time and a place for those interesting bits and pieces. As you read, scroll, or flip you need to always have some idea how you might possibly use the information. Is it for general reference?  Is the topic relevant to something I am soon preaching? Is there a direct or indirect theological corollary? 

    Next, I would reframe the issue this way. “Yes, there is a flood of information. Who controls your floodgates?” Just because it lands in one of your in-boxes or, just because it’s on you reading list does not mean it is an immediate priority. And when you do read it, you are in control of the depth of the process. You can quickly skim books or articles or read at depth and take notes. You can even read for entertainment or choose to forget something. There are simply some things that we need to forget as quickly as we read them, some books we need to quit in the middle, and some matters we should just drop. Not because they are not interesting—but because they are.

    You control the filter. You control the flood gates. There are times when you will need a finer mesh. There are occasions when you need to close the gates and deal with the “pool” that you have. If all that we ever do is consider the size of this problem without applying realistic solutions we will find ourselves in the rut of “Too much to do, too much to read; not enough time.” That is simply unnecessary. This is something you can get better at. Last week we talked about inventorying books and reviewing reading lists. This is an extension of that process. So much of the information we use in the twenty-first century is electronic that we need to use sound methods of organizing and curating that material to ensure that we learn what we need to know to improve our approach to the text and current exegetical discussions. 

    What greatly concerns me is that when overwhelmed by the flood, many simply settle for the next thing they see or the turn-key substitutes for doing the hard work of preparation. That may get you a sermon for this week, but it hardly will build a life of fulfilling ministry.

Taking Inventory 9.5.2024

    We have made the turn at Labor Day. It is time to kick off the Fall season and to get a head start on next year. Temperatures, at least here on the banks of the mighty Wabash, have moderated a bit this week and our Fall calendar is getting cluttered here at Church. 

    It is an opportunity for each of us to look forward as well as reflecting and reviewing the past several months. Summer has been busy. Camp and extra activities take time to plan and execute. Our church had a float in the Grayville Days parade. We had to get together to fabricate it. Then came the hour(s) waiting and actually “marching” in the parade hurling candy at bystanders and offering the perfunctory “parade wave.” Fireworks lit the sky Sunday evening and then Monday, I was here behind my desk in my study.

    I added an item to my to-do list for this week. Review Reading Plan and current “to read” list. Actually, it’s not so much a “list” as it is a pile here in my study and another pile next to my chair at home. Anyway, this is a part of what needs to be done this month in preparation for compiling and composing my Sermon Calendar when October comes around. I need to take inventory of what I have done and what still needs to be done this year so that I can fully engage in my preaching and teaching both to end this year and to invest the time needed to prepare for next year. 

This week I will be taking inventory of my reading. Like most of you I read many, many books throughout the year. I tend to not “keep a list” of what I am currently reading for preaching and teaching--what I call “work reading.”  Such studies and commentaries on current preaching are just a part of the prep time. In addition to that reading I try to read at least one book a week, often more. These books tend to inform and enrich my preaching even when there is not a direct correlation to current exegetical projects. 

I begin several research and writing projects throughout the year. One research project began with one focus and merged with another project that began with a completely (at the onset) different focus. That folder contains 234 items, mostly PDFs and journal articles, and it is now one new, larger “project”. I know that I’ve already read some of the tens because I cleverly marked them with a “red” tag. Even with artificial intelligence it sometimes helps to just keep things simple. 

This is the “stack” of books behind me. It is kind of a mixed bag of theology, technology, and sociology. Most of these books won’t take too long to read. Others will require notes or carful marginalia. As I said, there is a similar pile at home. It is a real pile. There are also books which I have “staged” at various times over the last couple of years (And various parts of the house). If you only have books in your library that you have already read, what will you do when you crave print and you have nothing in the queue?

    I’d like to clear the decks of these items as soon as possible but there is a full schedule of preaching and teaching materials which have priority. I begin teaching Old Testament Survey next week so I have been spending as much time as I can in that literature. I am preaching from the book of Hebrews so that means continuing exegetical, study, and commentary work. There is always more to read. There is always more to understand.  I’ve already done some preliminary survey work for 2025 so that I can begin the process of preparing an inventory of the tools that I will need next year. One year tends to bleed into the next which is why a clear review and inventory is essential from time to time. 

    And you may, perhaps, ask “why?” Because it is essential to have the right tool. Ongoing reading and study are necessary for framing and contextualizing the truth of scripture. To preach well each of us must understand both the Word of God and the world in which we live and serve. We shouldn’t pander to felt needs, nor should we be blithely ignorant of what people encounter. We should be able to anticipate questions people may have about their faith and the issues of the day which infiltrate and weaken the witness of the Church. Why read? Why take inventory? Because this is serious business for serious people and leaving it to chance is bad stewardship. What He asks of stewards? That we be faithful.