My son Adam attends Veritas School in Newberg, Oregon and was a member of the Concert Choir last year. Their choir, directed by Sally Mehler, won the  OSAA 1A/2A Oregon State Choir Championship.  He has not been in the choir this year because of his very busy schedule. However, he has been able to work with Mrs. Mehler and rearrange his activities to re-join the choir this week – We are so pleased for him!

Here are come of the pieces performed by the choir at the State Choir competition.

“Masters In This Hall”

[The camera centers on Adam at time-marker 1:14]

“If Ye Love Me”

[The camera centers on Adam at time-marker 44 sec.]

“Bonse Aba”

The translation is “All who sing have the right to be called the children of God.”

[The camera centers on Adam at time-marker 1:07 - He must be a popular and photogenic guy!]

I love the cello and Christmas music. What a combination!

From Silence to Song - Peter Leithart

Peter Leithart in 2003 published his wonderful book, From Silence To Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution, which exegetically and theologically demonstrates the importance of David’s tabernacle worship on Mount Zion, both to Old Covenant and New Covenant worship. While I am not convinced of Leithart’s entire thesis (i.e. I think his arguement that weekly worship before David did not involve singing is an arugement from silence, and seems unlikely to me considering the fact that we have songs given to us previous David that were sung in a worship context), Leithart’s work is unique and groundbreaking in terms of its discription of the importance of Davidic worship prophetically.This book is must reading for all serious students of the Bible and its teaching on music in the church.

Last week an article was published by Leithart in First Things, How the Church Lost Her Soundscape, about contemporary Christian worship music. He introduced his subject by saying,  “I am not assessing the quality, theology, or sincerity of contemporary worship music. I merely observe the fact, and offer a preliminary interrogation of its cultural sources and effects. What ideas, standards, and forces shape liturgical music? And, what does the church’s musical culture say about the church and its future?”

” Culture is a gift from the old to the young, and the younger generation’s grateful reception is a sign of honor for fathers. Cultural transmission has been thrown into reverse, also in the church.”

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My son Ben recently introduced me to the music of Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, now known as 2CELLOS.

“Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser are accomplished musicians, both having played the cello since childhood. They recently completed their studies, Luka at the acclaimed Royal Academy of Music in London, and Stjepan at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. The meteoric success of 2CELLOS started when former cello rivals Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser decided to join forces. In January 2011, they uploaded a unique duo cello version of “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson onto YouTube [below]. Within just a few weeks, their video became a huge viral sensation, receiving over 5 million views from across the world” (from their official website).

I was listening to one of my Pandora stations and heard the old 1967 Buffalo Springfield song, “For What It’s Worth”

I was struck by how this poem describes the same phenomenons of “pretesting” we see today in the OCCUPY movement. The continuity of wisdom is fascinating.  In the midst of the excitement that something good may be happening, so often in these protests there is confusion, conflict, miscommunication, lack of coherency, and self-righteousness. What is interesting to me is that for some in the OCCUPY movement it is a way to relive the glory days of the 60′s protests. But it is mostly a new generation of activism that has failed to see that unity is not the general outcome of such protests. It may produce some noise and interest, but not solidarity and meaningful and lasting changes. Those are the gifts of God who transforms both hearts and minds to conform to His Word.

Take the time to read the lyrics while enjoying a trip back into the 60′s style of music.

There’s something happening here
What it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware

I think it’s time we stop, children, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down

There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind

I think it’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down

What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side

It’s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away

We better stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Stop, hey, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Stop, now, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down
Stop, children, what’s that sound
Everybody look what’s going down