For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12 (KJV)
 
Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. Psalm 108: 2-3 (KJV)

Absolutely radiant, that is how I remember him on that warm and sultry summer evening in 1970 when I saw him perform - Ray Charles, the legendary singer-songwriter, one of the most popular entertainers of all time. A master of many genres that he amalgamated into his own unique sound, he was known as the "father of soul." He claimed to have been born with music inside of him and that night I understood what he meant. From the moment he entered the room with that resplendent smile and sat down at the grand piano, the whole atmosphere was immediately set aglow, charged with his warmth and dynamism. His dark glasses bore mute witness to the enormous challenges he had overcome - poverty, blindness, racial discrimination, heroin addiction, the premature deaths of a sibling and both his parents - but there he was in concert, looking fabulous. His presence was captivating, but his music more so. The wonderful melodies and harmonies sounded forth in waves, carried aloft by his deep, emotion-laden voice and piano accompaniment. All the while, he rocked in the rhythms and gazed above, a look of sheer rapture on his face. He was simply magnificent.

If Ray Charles could make the heart soar, Jacqueline Du Pre could plumb the very depths of the human soul. Like him, she was a unique and highly gifted musician. In her performance of her signature Elgar cello concerto, filmed in 1966, she was luminous and utterly enthralling, but you would never guess from outward appearances alone what brilliance lay deep within her. Simply dressed, plainspoken, and somewhat shy, she never tried to draw attention to herself. Though her natural enthusiasm, energy, and kindly manner were unmistakable, her focus was entirely on the music. She strove for technical excellence and expressive power solely in order that she might share with her listeners the beauty, meaning, and ecstasy she felt inside her. For her, music was life itself, a force that could not and would not be denied, despite the progressive multiple sclerosis that would soon take its toll. Yet still she persisted, allowing herself to be filmed in performance even as the ravages of the disease became increasingly obvious, until her illness eventually forced her to lay down her beloved instrument for good. Even then, she tried to help other musicians. She served her muse to the very end.

Both musicians, despite their widely different orientations and styles, overflowed with personal vitality and produced music of riveting quality. Both felt compelled to communicate what they experienced in the depths of their being, regardless of the rather formidable social and physical barriers that stood in their way. For they shared an understanding of what has been known since ancient times and celebrated in every culture in the world - that music is central in the life of humanity and has always been.

The Church, of course, has long given music a prominent role in the worship service, both as a vehicle for the liturgy and rituals, and a means of creating an atmosphere conducive to prayer and mediation. But for us to rely exclusively on sacred music to give meaning to our spiritual lives would be to impose limits on what Martin Luther called "one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us." And to use secular music only for its entertainment value would be to miss so much of what it has to offer.

For music predates language and is the most basic of all the arts, reflecting as it does the pulsating rhythms, weaving harmonies, and surging melodies that live at the innermost core of the universe and at the center of human existence. It expresses both the height and depth of human feeling, echoes the order and beauty of the forms that surround us, and gives voice to spiritual truths of all kinds. Music by its very nature promotes unity, healing, and restoration, and encourages growth and transformation. It constantly brings the human being into balance, working on all aspects of our nature, providing whatever is needed. It can stimulate our imaginations, awaken our intuitions, lift our moods, advance our intellects, relax our bodies, and fortify our wills. It unites us with people of different times and places, and draws us into community with those around us. It connects us with the divine, with elemental meanings and mysteries that otherwise might have eluded us. What greater gift could we ask for to support us on our spiritual journeys? We do not hesitate to ensure that we have food for our bodies on a daily basis. Well, music is manna for the soul and just as vital and nurturing.

Dear Lord, thank you for your miraculous gift of music. May we learn to understand and appreciate it in all its glory and life-giving power, daily immersing ourselves in its healing melodies, harmonies, and rhythms, that we may reconnect with the spirit of truth and beauty that dwell at the heart and soul of the universe and thus be drawn closer to God, to nature, and to one another. Amen.

Contributed by Diane
Sunday June 29, 2008
Liturgical Year A Week 31
Sunday Gospel reading:
Lectionary 13 (Proper 8)
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost