Pentecost: Singing a more beautiful song
Two of
the earliest writings in Western Civilization that folk still read from time to
time, are Homer’s Odyssey and Apollonius’ Jason and the Argonauts.
Both are sailor stories, and both Jason and Odysseus had to deal with a similar,
mythical, problem—the Sirens. These were half-bird half-woman monsters who sang
songs that led sailors to their doom.
Odysseus survived
his encounter with the Sirens by plugging up the crew’s ears with bees’ wax so
they couldn’t hear their seductive song.
Jason
chose a different tact, he had the ship’s musician, Orpheus, play a more beautiful
song, so the crew paid attention to that song, instead of the siren’s song.
And we as
Christians have always been surrounded by many seductive voices and songs, and we
have a choice to make, we could crawl under a rock and not listen, stuff bees
wax in our ears, and at least we would not be tempted—in fact, this is the
impulse of the early church prior to Pentecost and has been the de facto
stance of many Christian movements throughout history.
Alternatively,
Christians are called to sing a more beautiful song. This is the voice of Pentecost,
the voice of so many moments in Christianity that have blossomed and grown
fruit!
There is
within us an impulse to take our story and run off into the desert and hide it,
separate ourselves from the culture so as not to be contaminated
and the impulse to tell our story so well and so often that the whole culture hears it and is enraptured.
Bees wax or beauty!
and the impulse to tell our story so well and so often that the whole culture hears it and is enraptured.
Bees wax or beauty!
When it
comes to Pentecost—The Spirit calls us to sing a more beautiful song!
Pray
The
Spirit calls us to sing a more beautiful song!
Do you
hear that song that the Sadducees are singing? Temple! Temple! Temple!
Do you
hear that song the Pharisees are singing? Separation! Separation! Separation!
Do you
hear the song the Zealots are singing? Death to Rome! Death to Rome! Death to
Rome!
Do you
hear the song the Romans are singing? Hail Divine Caesar! Hail Divine Caesar!
Hail Divine Caesar!
That is
the clangor of the world!
-Trust structures and trust buildings!
-Find self-righteousness in polarization and separation!
-Violence is the solution!
-Make leaders, of any sort, into gods!
Those are
the songs of this world.
And those
Christians holed up in the upper room. They close their ears, like Odysseus’ crew,
hang close to one another, just hoping no one notices them, that they are safe,
that they won’t be drawn to any of those foreign and unfaithful refrains!
And then
comes another song, the sound of wind, which takes them up like a Saxophone, Clarinet,
or Flute. The Spirit plays them with such finesse that their song touches souls
from all across the known world: Elamites from out East and Romans from the West,
Egyptians to the South and Pontic Greeks in the North.
To
Temple, Separation, Death, and Divinity—the Christians begin to sing a
prophetic and saving song:
“Christ is the temple for all people, he is the prince of
peace, our Divine Lord.”
Like
Jason they sing a more beautiful song:
To the
Sadducees—Christ is the Temple.
To the
Pharisees—Christ is for all people!
To the
Zealots—Christ is the prince of Peace
To the
Romans—Christ is Divine Lord!
“Christ is the temple, for all people, he is the prince
of peace, our Divine Lord.”
What a
beautiful song! What an amazing song! Can you believe that everyone is called
to sing it? Sons and daughters, young and old, men and women, enslaved and
freed! The Spirit sings through them all!
And
continues to Sing—When we read through the book of Acts—(and I encourage all of
you to do that, it is a worthwhile and wonderful read)—we see Paul run up
against songs that compete with the Christian song—economic songs, political
and national songs, and religious songs—that all are jangling discord next to the
true song sung by the Spirit on Pentecost!
And to
those small compromises for economic gain, the confusion of identities that Rome
encourages, and idolatry of any sort—the Holy Spirit responds with a more
beautiful song
—Justice, only Justice shall you practice!
You are heirs of God, siblings of Christ!
Worship God alone!
—Justice, only Justice shall you practice!
You are heirs of God, siblings of Christ!
Worship God alone!
And I
wonder today, what Songs the Spirit is calling us to sing?
Surely
our world still sings:
-songs of temple,
-songs of separation,
-songs of violence,
-songs of false messiahs.
Surely
our world still has economic, national / political, and religious songs that
seduce us to this very days!
How do we
sing a more beautiful song?
Sing that
where two or three are gathered, there he is!
Sing that
in Christ there is no east or west, in Christ no north or south!
Sing that
he is the Prince of Peace!
Sing that
for him alone every knee shall bow!
Sing that
God’s generosity is our own!
Sing that
the Spirit is poured out on ALL flesh!
Sing that
we have a Spirit of Adoption and are God’s Children!
Holy Spirit
come, that we might sing a more beautiful song!
Come,
Holy Ghost, God and Lord!
Come,
holy Light, guide divine!
Come holy
Fire, comfort true!
Holy Spirit
come, that we might sing a more beautiful song!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
