Bread of Heaven

© 1988. ‘He gave them grain from heaven, by sending down manna for them to eat. So they ate the food of angels, and God gave them all they wanted’(Ps 78:24-25).

Many of my songs have started from stories & texts in the Bible. This has always been true for Christian song-writers, whether it’s the writer of ‘O Come O come Emmanuel’, Martin Luther or Isaac Watts. When songs are made, you focus on what you want to sing about (obviously!). But what is it? Often easier to examine it later.
Here it goes from talking ‘about’ the Bread of Heaven to talking ‘to’ the Bread of Heaven’. This is a long established way of doing things. First, there’s meditation on the Word, then prayer based on the Word. There’s a recurring ‘chorus’ at the end of each verse: ‘bread of heaven for the life that never ends. In the 1st 3 verses there’s 4 lines of talking about the word, then 4 lines of prayer. The last verse is all prayer.
Which came first – words or music? I don’t know, especially not 20 years after the event! But they probably came together, more or less. I know that the tune is good to sing. A year or two back I was told that a lot of aboriginal people like singing it. That pleased me, and helped me to hear that it’s got a fair bit of relaxed country music in it.
(in All Together Everybody & The Word became a Song [book only])

Pavane for Jesus

I missed out being involved in the Good Friday evening service/presentation at St Stephen's this year. Not for the first time, but this year I was invited to WA for a month (Feb-March), & then for a brief visit to Queensland, especially for Maundy Thursday at Grace College (Rothwell, in Brisbane). But I got back in time to be part of the congregation in a very special service on Good Friday. It included Leigh Newton's terrific song 'Walk him along', the burial song for Jesus.
I thought I'd have a go at writing something that would play much the same role for next year, or some other time in the future. Got onto the idea of a Pavane, which is a slow funeral dance. It can have some specific beat patterns (slow, quick quick slow ...). Haven't tried writing in quite this way before, but it's never too late. And I like what came out. Also along the way I looked at the brief accounts of Jesus' burial in the gospels, & came to focus on Joseph of Arimathea & Nicodemus. Once again, outsiders feature, the 11 disciples are nowhere to be seen, so Jesus is buried by 2 members of the Sanhedrin.

Joseph of Arimathea, boldly to Pilate he went
asked for the body of Jesus, time now to fold up this tent
slowly they walked, not much to say, now this life is gone

once in the night, Nicodemus came with his mind on a quest
now he had come bringing spices fit for a king laid to rest
quickly they worked, dark coming on, soon their work was done

life seemed to end with his dying - even the wind was still
can’t understand, sick of trying - carry him down that hill
carry him down that hill

now Nicodemus & Joseph, secret disciples no more
while some denied and deserted, brave was the clothing they wore
wrapped up his life, held him a while, then they laid him down

words they forgot he had spoken, dreaming beyond their reach
wonder of bread to be broken, fish on an Easter beach
fish on an Easter beach

Daddy, I love you

Sang this song today at church. Felt good. One of the few simple praise songs I've written. I think most of the songs I've done over the past 35+ years are songs of praise to God, but I guess they're not as straightforward as some.
Daddy, I love you, you know that I do.
There's nothing and no-one I love more than you;
The fairest of fair, and the truest of true.
Daddy, I love you, I do oh, Daddy, I love you, I do.
Written in 1977 (mostly in Melbourne, I think), and I still enjoy singing it. Childlike, the idea comes from the Hebrew word 'Abba' which both Jesus and Paul used in speaking of God. It's apparently the word that small children use for their male parent, and more equivalent to our 'Dad' or 'Daddy' than 'Father'.
When I think about you, I can't help but smile
You move with such grace, oh you walk with such style
And I want to follow you mile after mile. Daddy, I love you ...
Taste in music aside, there's a fear of using such a familiar word for the God who's in charge of the universe. We don't think we should be that close. My reading of the New Testament suggests God wants to be called something less formal than 'Father', and I don't find it makes God less awesome by doing so - more, if anything! We cling to the High God of human religion, because we're afraid of the intimate, low god of Jesus.
Daddy, I love all your changes
I love that you're always the same
You keep me from so many dangers
You're the rainbow after the rain
Anyway, the need for inclusive expressions of God may well dispense with all of the above argument.
My words are too little, my song is too small
to tell of your beauty I've no skill at all
but I'll sing about you until the sky falls
Daddy, I love you, I do ....

Wot, me worry?

Petrol's going up .... watch the money ... interest rates ... and health costs ...

Wot, me worry?

In the CEV Bible that I enjoy, almost every paragraph
of this Sunday's gospel (Matthew 6:24-34) begins with some variation of
'Don't worry' — about what we eat, drink, wear ...
And don't worry about tomorrow— it'll have enough worries of it's own.
Kind of cold comfort, that last thought.

'Don't be afraid' is one of the most common phrases in the Bible (Fear Not / Do not be afaid ...). 375 times, I was told. Whether it's from an angel, a prophet, from God or Jesus, it's a cautionary word, always with the intent of reminding us just who's in charge here. I guess it features in lots of songs I've written — I need to keep hearing it! Not usually in those words, but songs like Father Welcomes, Comfort Comfort, May the feet, Walkin down the road all have this idea. And it's at the core of:

Wherever I go, whatever I do,whoever I am, I'm going with you.
No matter the time, no matter the place,
however I move, you walk at my pace.
On every day of every yearthe weather may change,
but you're still here.

Happiness, Wholeness, Healing & Prayer

Came home tonight (the last 3 ks in serious rain) from the weekly session at ALC. Bob Kempe's doing 6 weeks on the impossibly wide 4 above subjects. Of course, you never cover any of these subjects in any complete way.
Time & again I get thinking about a song or two. Especially one.
I wrote it in St Louis in May-June 1994. Dorothy & I were there to do some singing, but the touring had a slow start. This kind of time allows for the writing of songs. This time in Janis & Gerry Frick's home.
1. If I touch your clothes, will you take my pain,
give me back my health and strength again?
If I touch your clothes, will I feel alright?
Can you change despair into delight?
It was based on the gospel reading for a coming student service (Mark 5). Always done as a performance piece, not as a community song, though we did get people to sing along in the chorus sometimes.
Jesus, you can heal me, touch me now.
I don't understand but you know how.
Even when you have no word to say,
just a single touch and I'm OK, I'm OK.
I think I should I should try it again sometime. It's got both stories from that reading in it & they're really good for thinking/meditating ourselves into.
2. If you touch my hand, will I start to breathe?
Break these chains of death and set me free.
If you touch my hand, will my heart respond?
Will I start to sing your brand new song?
Fairly simple melody, though syncopated. The rhyming pattern for both verse & chorus is AABB. (Do I use that much? — don't think so)
3. If I die with you, Jesus, in your shame,
can I come with you and rise again?
Keep me close to you, branch upon your vine,
let my life be yours, and yours be mine.
Feels like a more direct, almost testimony, kind of song than I usually write. Especially lines like 'Jesus, you can heal me, touch me now' and 'let my life be yours & yours be mine'. And the last line of the chorus — 'just a single touch & I'm OK'. I'm better at singing prayers than speaking them. A lot of us are!
(the song's on God. Version 1.0)

Football, not church!

Trinity Sunday, & we didn’t quite make it to church. Got to see Adelaide double Melbourne’s score down at Footy Park. The Trinity might have been Brett Burton, Nathan Bock & Kurt Tippett!

We missed hearing some great readings of course:
‘In the beginning …’ (Genesis 1), ‘O Lord, our Lord, your greatness is seen in all the world’ (Psalm 8), & the end of 2nd Corinthians – ‘The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ …’. And the last verses of the gospel according to St Matthew, which include both the commissioning words (‘Go then to all peoples everywhere & make them my disciples …’) & the comment that ‘some doubted’. Just like some of us do!
Trinity songs have been staple diet for the church for a long time, but they don’t appear much in modern songbooks. Why? Maybe it seems too much like an intellectual exercise. But kept in proportion, it can make the life of faith a whole lot richer. It can set us on the road to seeing God in so many different ways & places.
How shall I call you? Maker of heaven … lover of children …spirit of comfort … master & servant … Glory to the Father, the Son & the Spirit, forever & ever. Amen.

Getting Ahead (of Yourself)

'What's the most important thing about telling a joke Timing!'
So I decided, with encouragement (from way back!) from my Web Designer / Web Manager Beth Christian, to try and do a frequent (maybe even daily) blog.
Thought I'd start by doing reflections on the readings for the week. Based on the pattern I had with my pastor / colleague, Wayne Zweck, from 17 years ago - Gospel on Tuesday, Epistle on Wednesday, Old Testament on Thursday & Psalm on Friday.
All well & good if you get the week right! I started this week on next week's readings.
Hmph!
Tonight Dorothy & I are singing at the state gathering of the Church of Christ. Just 4 songs, but I always think it's more than worthwhile to sing just 1 or 2 at big gatherings, especially when people come from far & wide.
We'll sing a couple of the old favourites - Father Welcomes & Pentecost Prayer - & also do a newer favourite, 'For you deep stillness'. Then we'll do one from our collection Intimate.
I wrote Father Welcomes for our daughter Kristin's baptism. 35 years ago. When her & Shane were planning their wedding, over 6 years ago, she asked me to write a song for the day. (As if 1 good song isn't enough!) Their main reading for the service was 1 Corinthians 13 (surprise!), a reading I'd already done several songs for. But then - I got to the end of Chapter 13 , 'these 3 remain: faith, hope & love, but the greatest of these is love', & read on to 14, verse 1: 'So, make love your aim'. Presto!
'Make love your aim' turned out to be just what the daughter wanted, & sounds especially good with Dorothy's great singing & Tom Belcher's great piano playing.
Thanks, Kris!
Oh, & an extra reason to sing 2 songs for Kris tonight - she's told us she's pregnant, a first, due just 3 days before Christmas! Whoopee!

The Lord is my Judge

Tricky - making judgements is part & parcel of life.
Am I driving safely? Do you put the meat in first, or the vegetables?
Will the pot plant be OK, or is it too cold to put it outside?
Some of us are too quick at passing judgements, on others or on ourselves. But this week’s epistle, from 1 Corinthians, says “Don’t do it!” It’s not my job, your job, anyone’s job. It’s up to God.
Jesus said not to judge in his sermon on the mount. I’ve always liked his parable about the weeds growing in the wheat. The lesson is the same: don’t judge, don’t pull out the weeds. You might pull out some good stuff, your judgement might be faulty, leave it to the angels, leave it to God.
Some of us will never learn this lesson properly, so we need to keep praying, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us”.

God & Possessions

That's the heading for this week's gospel reading in the Good News Bible.
It's a tricky reading for people like you & me — computers, TV, radios, cars, house, clothes, shoes, books, games, guitars, piano .... And then there's the undefinable: education, relationship networks, upbringing ...
And there's pets — two 4 month old kittens are watching me from the neighbouring chair (each of them first had a turn sitting on my lap)!
Jesus actually said we can't serve both God & money. He had a lot to say about money — more than he did about heaven.
So what do we do?
We could give our money & possessions away, live simply, do a St Francis of Assissi. That'd be a strong reponse. Or we could do what most of us manage: don't live too extravagantly, give regularly to church & charity, feel a bit guilty about our average life. And ... we could try to worry less — about health, war, job loss, home invasion, personal attack. Easier to do when none of those things are personally impacting on us.
The word "worry" happens at least 6 times in these 11 verses. Let's grow a bit more trust, bury some worries, be more open-handed.
"Don't worry about tomorrow - it'll have enough worries of it's own. There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings."

Spirit of God, you're with me

In 1987 I was turned on to a terrific little book by Mark Altmann, then a Sem Student. ‘The Holy Spirit: Shy Member of the Trinity’ contained 4 lectures, 2 by Frederick Bruner, 2 by William Hordern. One of Bruner’s led to a song called ‘Listen to Him’, both of Hordern’s to ‘Spirit of God’. The combination of this little book, the purchase of a new synthesiser, and the uncertainty of personal direction led to 3 songs in one month. I don’t usually do so well.
I'm doing an edited version of these thoughts the day after Pentecost 2008. The band played the song (and the congregation sang it) during communion yesterday at our church (St Stephen's Lutheran, Adelaide).

‘Spirit of God’ contains the chorus-prayer for the Spirit to bring its 2 greatest gifts of faith and love. The verses are a kind of exposé of the Spirit:
1. the Spirit fulfils Jesus’ promises
2. the Spirit brings life, new birth, through baptism
3. the Spirit gathers us into community
4. the Spirit brings new behaviour, grows ‘good fruit’ in us
I’m not sure if I had it at the front of my mind when I wrote, but I guess it’s a song expansion of the teaching that the Spirit calls, gathers, and enlightens the whole Christian Church on earth.(from Luther’s Catechism, 3rd Article re the Creed).

Hordern’s 2 lectures are titled “The Theology of the Cross and the Holy Spirit” and “The Holy Spirit and the Theology of the Cross”. Hordern asserted, and I agree with him, that we are surrounded by triumphalism’. He looks at the Holy Spirit in the light of a theology of the cross.
I attempt to do the same in the song, emphasising:

• God comes to us. We are unable to rise to heaven
• Heaven is guaranteed for us through humble means like water and word
• God’s strength, not ours
• Trust in God, God’s power over evil, &God’s promise to be in us & with us.

I also attempt to communicate a Theology of the Cross in this & all my songs by using ordinary language as much as possible (not ‘holy’ words) & music, melodies, chords… that are not too emotive and conjure up a ‘religious’ feeling. This is kind of an ‘anti-popular’ thing to do — but then so is a Theology of the Cross.