Sunday, May 8th, 2022
Spirit Song
Have you ever read The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis? If you have, perhaps you will remember that Aslan created the land of Narnia through the act of singing!
Since reading that story as a boy, the symbolism of song has stuck with me. I've often pondered the nature of music, and whether it might be the “mother tongue” of the spirit. Perhaps music is the natural language of God?
If you stop to think about it, almost everyone has a “spiritual experience” when they encounter beautiful music, even if these listeners are not especially religious. A talented musical performer can sometimes sweep us away to another time and place! Singing a song we love at church can move us to tears, or fill us with awe. Even outside of religion, many have felt similar experiences while singing around a campfire or joining with a choir.
Speaking of spiritual language, perhaps it is more than a coincidence that many religious traditions use music as part of worship. This was certainly true for the ancient Israelites. The book of 1 Chronicles lays out detailed instructions for priests and musicians. Here we read that there were 288 temple singers and 4,000 musicians!
Today's Psalm 137 was likely written by one of these fellows. He and his friends carried their harps away from the burning city of God. How difficult it must have been! Days of forced-march from your home country, leaving the city you love in ruins; your temple destroyed. Flashing through your minds are images of war and murder. To add insult to injury, these pagan captors are asking to be entertained! “Come on, sing us a song,” they cry! When I put myself in the position of our singing priest, it's hard not to join in his pain.
Playing any music would be too painful a reminder of what they've lost! Think of how a few lines from some old song can transport you back to a time of first experiences, first love! Songs are like landmarks to memories, and not always good memories.
So my challenge for us is this: in our moments of pain, when we feel far from God; that is when we are best able to recognize our inner hunger. It's like God is singing over us, drawing us to His Spirit. He is calling us to seek Him and find Him.
The only comfort that will truly satisfy is God himself.
Amen