Monday, April 27, 2009

West Side Wisdom

I belong to a community chorale. We've been blessed, actually we made a choice, with a wonderful low key, knowledgable conductor/music director who has brought out the best in eighty well meaning voices.

This Spring he challenged us with the Chichester Psalms.

At the last minute, I wrote in the translation of the Hebrew under Leonard Bernstein's beautiful text so I would know what I was singing. It was so deeply theologically, truthfully meaningful, the first time I sang knowing what I was singing, I was completely distracted.

My favourite part was the mid section of the section movement when the sopranos and altos are singing with instructions to represent 'blissfully unaware' the 23rd Psalm against the tenors and basses who are singing intensely about the nations raging and establishing themselves as the rulers of the world.

From henceforth, when I take note of the raging nations I will recall the instruction and beauty of being blissfully unaware.

What can you surrender today so God can fill you with peace?
Love
Deborah