So, Jubal, can you think of another one? Interesting little query, huh? I wonder if most people know the basic meaning of the word “Christmas?” Apparently not! “Christmas” belongs in the Jesus was born track!

We sing these phrases once a year…”God and sinners reconciled…Offspring of the Virgin’s womb…Veiled in flesh the Godhead see…Hail the incarnate Deity…Born that man no more may die…”  The good part is that we DO once a year ingest these great theological statements of Christian belief into our hearts and minds through the gift of song…the sad part is that we sing them quickly, without due explanation or significant contemplation…and poof, we don’t sing them again for another year!

In the following link, several people offer their interesting thoughts on Christmas songs and theology.  Not all Christmas carols have totally accurate statements in them, so we should perhaps practice care when arbitrarily singing them.  The authors in this link describe differing views as to how to handle these treasured carols with great care!

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/december/2.16.html

Jubal, as for me, I just wish the leaders would take a moment each Christmas to remind me what I’m singing about!

 So, I found myself at Christmas concerts and services over the past weekend…like many others. As I sat and listened and joined the music of the season, I found myself with more than an occasional moment of emotion. You know, the simple singing of Silent Night, Holy Night is really pretty profound in many ways! I further found myself thinking back over the last couple of years…I wrote a LOT of little black notes on some score paper – hundreds of pages of music…Jubilate!, the Lausanne project in Africa… I thought once again at not only the joy and wonder of music as a listener and participant, but also the joy of creating it! I even went one step further in my thoughts. Many people like music, but don’t have the privilege of understanding, enjoying, and creating music professionally, but I do! Many people don’t even like what they do for a profession, but I have the privilege of working with music and people making music virtually every day. I am blessed! I like music!

Jubal, thank you for creating things that made music so that all these years later, I could have a privileged life centered around music. Even more than thanks to Jubal, thanks be to God!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40287450/ns/world_news-europe

So, Jubal, I suppose you thought this kind of issue had been resolved a long time ago, huh?

Words are hard to come by to express what we’ve all been through together…but it’s been very good, hasn’t it? I’m feeling a mixture of many things…gratitude to God for life, health, and breath to have these kinds of experiences, thankfulness for each of you who impacted these events beyond any of our individual concepts, a surreal sense of wonder that these things actually happened (did we really do this???!!!), a desire to just savor these moments and not face the reality of the list of projects waiting at home…The list goes on, and I suspect you all have your OWN list with some similar variations!

In pondering these experiences, I do find myself thinking about several things to take away from the whole experience. One of those things I’ve thought about is something that I want to reaffirm for all of us…and then leave it as a future challenge for all of us to never forget! The reaffirmation that I know we all embrace is this: God has given many artistic gifts as worthy and creative expressions – and those arts can be used by Him to make strong connections between God and His creation in worship, make strong bonds between members of God’s family, and the arts can carry a strong message of the Gospel to those outside of God’s family in the work of evangelism. Can we all agree on those things? OK!

I believe I have personally seen all of those things in action in Cape Town. I believe that the ear of God has heard from His children in new and fresh manners. I believe that people were significantly connected with each other by the artistic actions that we offered…including us! I also know that we had direct accounts of evangelistic activity that took place through the process of our working together on this project. We should stop and just be thankful that God has been pleased to let us all be involved in those holy actions…He has allowed us to do together…amazing! Let’s be grateful to Him for that privilege!

But what about my challenge? I am convinced that even though many people were drawn to God and one another by way of our artistic expressions, I am also firmly convinced that perhaps most of those same people have not figured out that it was the arts that provided the connection for them. They knew something happened, but I don’t think they walked away consciously knowing that is was the images on the screen, or the vibrancy of the dancers, or the whoosh of banners going by, or the sight and sound of drummers, or the colors of the clothing, or the elegant and reverent manner that the communion elements were processed to the platform…that drew them to a special level of engagement. O, I know they all knew it at some level, but my suspicion is that they’ll not know it enough to go home and try some of those principles and ideas in the context of their churches and cultures where they live. My fear is that they’ll go home and nothing will change in their worship! So, my challenge to ALL of us it this. We have ALL experienced God’s work in our minds and hearts through this process…let’s not let it just be for Cape Town 2010 – a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We DO understand how the arts can make a difference! Let’s share these things at a higher level, with greater conviction, with anyone who will listen. I think that because of what we’ve experienced as truth for us, we have a greater responsibility to make the news known that the arts can and will connect people to their God in worship, in Christian community, and in evangelism. We have had the great privilege to think big in this area…on a huge stage for the world to see. These same things can work on smaller scales in the communities of faith that we all live within. Share ideas with pastors, look around for those who can play a drum, carry a banner, and dance. Be an evangelist for the arts and how they can be used in places both great and small. Challenge others with thoughts in these areas. Write a personal testimony about how you have experienced connection to God and people by using your art. Find some young people who are moldable and train them. Start an arts program in your church. My fear for us is that we’ll use Cape Town 2010 as a wonderful memory…and because it was so big and wonderful we may not look for places that are humanly small, but perhaps equally great in God eyes, to find new ways to risk in our use of the arts to express the wonder and glory of God’s work in our lives! And, it does take some risk at times…what I call “reasonable risk.” I have been so impacted by John Piper’s statement – “if you run from risk, you’ll lose your life.”  High impact often is accompanied by significant risk!

So, have I sufficiently preached to you? I know that my students are going to hear from me with greater conviction than I already had…my church is going to hear a relentless challenge from me to get out of ruts…the places I get asked to speak are going to get an earful…my writing is going to have a stronger awareness of how the artistic action can increase the impact! AND, I’m kind of chuckling up here at 30,000 feet just waiting to hear about one of you charismatics who is going to have a communion procession…or sing a song of confession…or one of you Anglicans who will gather a group of drummers to lead worship!!!! We took some reasonable risks together…and they worked! Don’t forget that…and don’t be afraid to do it again…and again…and again!

So, Jubal, where do you stand with me on this one…for or against?

Yet, in the past 2 weeks I have found the sounds of 3 grandchildren to be ultra-profound. A 9-month old granddaughter…shapes her mouth into a perfect “ooo” form, leans forward, and utters soft, innocent cooing sounds…a 2 year-old grandson who jumps up and down with a big smile, banging 2 empty plastic bottles together while I make up some song never to be remembered (and when the song is over, he actually wants more!!!)…a 2-week old granddaughter who cries loudly, even when I try to make up a soft, soothing lullaby. What creation of mine could possibly compare to the music of another generation being sounded?

Jubal, you should have been there…humbling in the best sense of the term.

Jubal, we were playing percussion on clay pots and all kinds of things that YOU probably never even thought about!

Jubal, you should have seen John Wooden’s basketball teams play. They were really good!

Jubal, so the mass is complete for the moment, now on to Africa!