This coming Sunday, we have the dramatic conclusion of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt, some musings from Paul on ultimate unity in Christ, and some interesting thoughts about forgiveness from Jesus—all of which makes for some pretty amazing playlist material. Let’s jump in!
First and foremost, the Jewish high holy days are beginning, with Rosh Hashanah beginning on the evening of September 15th . Given that we as Christians are deeply rooted within Jewish traditions and thought surrounding our understanding of our faith, we begin with a beautiful musical interpretation of Psalm 24 (“Achat Sha’alti”), which echoes some ideas found in our reading from the letter to the Romans. Moving on to our Hebrew Bible reading, I’m struck by the darkness that surrounded the Israelites, that protected them from the Egyptian army—what was it like to experience darkness as a comfort, as a protector? (“De Selby, Part One”). We then encounter Moses splitting the Red Sea through the power of God (“Red Cow”), allowing the Israelites to get to safety. The Egyptians, however, are swept away and drowned in a final dramatic scene (“The Sound of Silence”). I can’t help but wonder what it was like to see the Egyptians utterly decimated like that—to see so much violent death so suddenly.
Moving on to the letter from the Romans, Paul offers pointed instructions regarding judgment: namely, don’t do it. His reasoning stems from his conviction that all of us, ultimately, will be united in Christ, and petty differences that divide us take us away from that reality (“Fade Into You”). Paul has a point, but I also think that difference and particularity shouldn’t be thrown away so quickly—our differences and distinctions shape our collective reality in ways that should be met and understood, not merely dismissed. Racism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism, for example, would go unchecked and unaddressed in enraging and catastrophic ways if we did not listen to people who have experienced those realities. We can be destined for ultimate cosmic unity while still affirming the particularity of someone’s experiences.
Finally, we receive a doozy of a tale about forgiveness in our Gospel. Certainly, the point is that we as Christians are called to forgive each other (“All Apologies”, “Posthumous Forgiveness”). However, that forgiveness can look very different depending on the behavior that follows (“Pay My Debts”). Forgiveness is only one piece of the puzzle; it’s what we do with it afterward that can determine if we are truly following the way of love found in Christ. We find ourselves where we started, back in the darkness again—only this time, the darkness is a place of misery and gnashing of teeth (“De Selby Part Two”).
You can read the stories here, and listen to the playlist below. See you next Monday!