Thoughts for Monday 11th May, 2020

Psalm 102:1-17; Exodus 13:17-22; Acts 7:17-40

 Monday 11 May  - Rev. Jerry Eve

 In 2011 the Scottish book publisher, Canongate, brought out individual editions of Biblical books. To mark the 400th anniversary of their original publication, they were all KJV; and Canongate commissioned famous people to write prefaces for them. The Irish musician, Bono, for example, was asked to introduce the book of Psalms.

 And it was very interesting what he had to say, I thought. For he likened King David to Elvis, and described the psalms as the earliest example we have of what we call Blues music. Lead singer of U2, one of their songs is a setting of part of Psalm 40. Simply called ‘40’, there’s a memorable refrain – ‘And I will sing, Sing a new song.’ Other songs by Bono and the band include GloriaYahweh, and Grace, and these are equally religious.

 When we look to our psalm today we see what he means. The Blues is essentially melancholic and sad, and here in a number of similes (the word ‘like’ is used 10 times in verses 3-11), the psalmist refers to himself as like: smoke, fire, dry grass, a wild bird in the desert, an owl in abandoned ruins, a lonely bird on a housetop, and the evening shadows.

 The lines, ‘my tears are mixed with my drink. You picked me up and threw me away;’ are essentially ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ all over again: ‘since my baby left me . . .’ etc. We don’t know, however, what the musical accompaniment was like. In more recent times, in the same way that Blues scales have flattened notes, so too does the so-called Jewish mode which, instead of the 2nd, 6th and 7th notes of the scale, flattens the 3rd, 5th and 7th.

 Both make whatever’s sung sound like a lament, and one example I really like is Graham Kendrick’s, ‘Jesus put this song into our hearts’. For, although the words are wholly positive, and it ends with a ‘Hey!’ the music leaves us feeling, as Bono and U2 once put it, ‘But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.’ Which is good. It’s the same feeling as the one we get when what’s called a plagal (rather than perfect) cadence is used for the three-fold Amen at the end of a service of worship; providing us with a comma (i.e. to be continued) rather than a full stop.

 Do have a look at our other two readings for today, but our prayer is by Sojourner Truth (1797 – 1883). Born into slavery in New York, she escaped to freedom to become an abolitionist and women’s right activist. And if this isn't the Blues . . . Let us pray:

 Oh, God, you know I have no money, but you can make the

people do for me, and you must make the people do for me. I will

never give you peace till you do, God, Amen.

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