2/20/2016 at Berean Church

Sabbath Sermon On Nehemiah 3 +1.5 Songs

 

The entry portico of Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, Atlanta. This appealing exterior conceals a few difficulties that require attention.

A MAJOR SERMON SERIES FOR A MAJOR CAPITAL CAMPAIGN.  TODAY’S FOCUS WAS ON NEHEMIAH CHAPTER 3

Today’s sermon by Lead Pastor Fredrick Russell at Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, Atlanta, continued the series entitled “Rebuilding the Ruins.” Pastor Russell has selected the Book of Nehemiah, one descriptive of the restoration of the broken-down walls of Jerusalem by the Hebrews, as an appropriate theme to introduce an initiative to restore Berean’s ageing facilities. Useful generalizations may be derived from the specifics of these talks. The February 20th sermon, based on the third chapter of Nehemiah, shared the multipurpose interpretations of preceding instalments, but was not presented in the usual format. It was short. It was dramatic. It addressed itself to just one topic: the need for unity of purpose. The third chapter of Nehemiah consists, in its entirety, of a list of the names and areas of responsibility of those who worked to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. The list is comprehensive. Pastor Russell informed the membership of Berean that participation in the forthcoming restoration must be similarly comprehensive.

Words are not sufficient to describe the techniques utilized by the pastor in order to make his point. As usual, here is a link to the ENTIRE SERVICE. The sound on this link does not kick in until the 9:17 mark (Berean’s antiquated production facilities are one more shortcoming that needs amelioration). Pastor Russell’s “demonstration” begins at time marker 1:46. A difficult attempt to summarize this highly theatrical message may be found close to the bottom of this post.

Not a singer of Spirituals exactly, but a singer of “spiritual music.” Brian McKnight is a fifth generation Seventh-day Adventist.

TWELVE NEGRO SPIRITUALS IN THE ADVENTIST HYMNAL

• 069 – Lord, Make Us More Holy
• 121 – Go, Tell It On the Mountain
• 138 – Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow
• 151 – Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley
• 158 – Were You There
• 305 – Give Me Jesus
• 319 – Lord, I Want to Be a Christian
• 403 – Let Us Break Bread Together
• 475 – Balm in Gilead
• 580 – This Little Light of Mine
• 624 – I Want Jesus to Walk With Me
• 627 – Jacob’s Ladder

The morning Hymn at Berean, like last week’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” related to Black History Month. It was number six on the list shown above, #305: “Give Me Jesus.” As the Berean version is incomplete, here is a LINK to a underappreciated rendition by tenor Vinson Cole. Spirituals require talented singers. I can’t begin to approach them unless they are recast into a more forgiving format. “Give Me Jesus,” with its repetitions, would be highly adaptable to a “blues” style. All of this stuff has deep African roots.

BLACK HISTORY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD HONOREE GENARLOW R. WILSON

Genarlow R. Wilson (link is to his FaceBook page) was embroiled in an incident as a 17 year-old that he now expresses regrets about, and he admits that it displayed a lack of judgment. But sentencing in this country is not always impartial. During his introduction of Mr. Wilson, Pastor Russell mentioned the very recent release of the last member of the Angola Three, whose punishment was grossly out of proportion to their crime. A reference to the unequal sentences that are handed out, differentiated on the basis of race or class, was provided by visiting Congressman Henry (Hank) Johnson (another FaceBook link). Mr. Johnson observed that, in some communities, “kids will be kids,” but that in other communities, “you go straight to jail, with no mercy.” The Congressman said that the good character of Genarlow R. Wilson rallied the people to his cause, and resulted in a revision of the law of the land. The youthful folly that resulted in years of incarceration for Mr. Wilson is known as Wilson v. State. Pastor Russell noted that the faith of Mr. Wilson sustained him through his ordeal, and that Genarlow R. Wilson represents future Black History. The honoree overcame his misadventure, and went on to graduate from Morehouse  College. He is currently employed by the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency, and is a happy family man.

Black History Achievement Award Honoree Generlow R. Wilson, addressing Bereans this Sabbath.

SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON “COMRADES IN ARMS”

The disciples of Jesus were (like all people) imperfect people. Lesson author David Tasker states in the introduction to this week’s lesson that Satan, unable to compromise Jesus, had much better success with His followers. Dr. Tasker writes that the disciples had a lot of hard lessons to learn, and, “no doubt,” so do we. I am praying that I have substantially matriculated, and hopeful that most of life’s hard lessons are behind me.

“Pride (LINK), doubt (LINK), stubbornness (LINK), self-importance (LINK), and pettiness (LINK)” are cited by Dr. Tasker as shortcomings that serve to open the door to Satan (the five links are to Ellen G. White criticisms of these ubiquitous attributes). The inadequacies of Peter are well-documented by scripture, but he was an overcomer. Judas opened to door to Satan, and Satan established permanent residency. Misapprehension as to the nature of Christ’s Kingdom (an assumption that it would be “of this world”) is a shortcoming shared by all of the disciples, but this was not particularly a fruit of  “pride, doubt, stubbornness, self-importance, and pettiness.” It was due to ignorance. The squabble amongst themselves regarding their hypothetical status in the imagined earthly Kingdom does exhibit pride, and is noted in Wednesday’s lesson. When hopes for the earthly reign of Christ evaporated, they experienced their own version of a “great

disappointment.”  This lesson was only transiently “hard,” as their “mourning was turned into joy.” The sons of Zebedee displayed some ignorance in their reply to Jesus that is recorded in Matthew 20:22: “But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.” Jesus promised that it would come to pass. He also gave advance warning to Peter concerning his future. 

Sunday’s lesson. “The Call of Peter,” highlights the feeling of shame and inadequacy the fisherman experiences in the presence of the Lord. A line used in the libretto of Handel’s “Messiah” expresses this attitude. It is from Malachi 3:2: “But who may abide the day of his coming? …for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap…”

An unattributed image from a Catholic Journal article critical of empty “piety.” It captures the right moment, as I spot a fish tail in it: “Depart from me, O Lord…”

Ellen G. White describes Christ’s first encounter with Peter in Chapter 25 of “The Desire  of Ages,” entitled “The Call by the Sea.” David Tasker compares the feelings of unworthiness that Peter experienced to those that Jacob manifested in Genesis 32:24-30, in the course of his wrestling match with an angel. I had to reread these verses, as I had initially perceived Jacob’s reaction to be one of awe and relief, but not necessarily one of inadequacy. On page 246 of “Desire of Ages” Ellen White connects Peter’s reaction to Jesus to that of Daniel falling “as one dead” before the angel of God, but commentary on Jacob is located elsewhere.

Jacob, like Moses, saw God “face to face” and lived. Due to his own error, he was in a jam concerning his brother, Esau. The wrestling match was subsequent to a earnest appeal to God to get him out the fix he had gotten himself into. The match resulted in the augmentation of Jacob’s status in relation to God. He renamed the site of the encounter “The Face of God,” for he had seen the face of God. I used to think he was boasting about this, for scriptural evidence of humility and contrition in regard to Jacob are hard to find. Ellen G. White devotes attention to the famous wrestling match in Chapter 18 of “Patriarchs and Prophets,” one entitled “The Night of Wrestling .” She writes that Jacob was “penitent and broken” as he wrestled with the angel (who was actually Christ Himself). She quotes Hosea to the effect that Jacob “wept, and made supplication.” The following c.1859 poem by Emily Dickinson is oblivious to Jacob’s contrition, but does refer to the trickster as “cunning,” and also speculates that the wrestling match left him “bewildered.”

A little East of Jordan,
Evangelists record,
A Gymnast and an Angel
Did wrestle long and hard –

Till morning touching mountain –
And Jacob, waxing strong,
The Angel begged permission
To Breakfast – to return!

Not so, said cunning Jacob!
“I will not let thee go
Except thou bless me” – Stranger!
The which acceded to –

Light swung the silver fleeces
“Peniel” Hills beyond,
And the bewildered Gymnast
Found he had worsted God!
 

“Gorgeous George” attained prominence during the first Golden Age of Pro Wrestling. He died at age 48, as did Marty Feldman (another curly-headed blond guy).

A focus directly on Genesis, without supplementary information from the Spirit of Prophesy, makes David Tasker’s comparison of Peter and Jacob unintelligible. But he only has so much space to operate in. I feel blessed to live in the era that manifests an “increase in knowledge,” and to be part of a denomination that capitalizes on this. There are four methods that architects use to specify materials and methods for building construction. One of these is called the “Reference” method. It is the easiest, as you simply direct contractor’s questions to some other place, furnishing them directions on how to get there. If any of this quarter’s Sabbath School lessons seem to lack clarity, I direct your questions to The Ellen G. White Estate, Inc. “so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (First Corinthians 1:7).

Monday’s lesson is simply titled “With Him.” David Tasker informs us that the word apostolos means “to send out,” and notes that Jesus did not “send out” his sales force until they had received thorough training about the quality of the product they were going to sell. Dr. Tasker states that a major ploy Satan uses in the great controversy is to encourage half-baked Christians to (quoting from New York New York) “start spreadin’ the news!” The need for troops was urgent in World War II, so green and inexperienced officers were subjected to just three months of training before being shipped overseas. They were contemptuously designated 90 Day Wonders (this link about WWII slang mercifully excludes a definition of “SNAFU”)
.

The scandalous musical “The Book of Mormon” is based upon the comic and tragic consequences of evangelical ignorance. Warning! It is not fit for Christian audiences.

Here is a link to Chapter 24 of Ellen G. White’s book “The Ministry of Healing,” one called “True Education, a Missionary Training.” It commences by telling us that we are all called to be missionaries. Were you a Mormon, it would not be an option (but let us hope that you are not). I worked in the East Tennessee warehouse of a Mormon-owned “pyramid scheme” known as Meleleuca (the only hint of Mormonism on their website is a notice that the CEO attended Brigham Young). Mormons like Mitt Romney are lauded for their business-savvy, but “ethics” and “business” are sometimes antithetical. I asked a churchgoing coworker what we were doing there, abetting con artists. She replied that, regarding employment, she did not “let the left hand know what the right hand was doing.” No one in that place, myself included, was conforming to the image of Christ, and the corruption of the Word was not a monopoly of management (all of whom were Mormons).

Ellen White’s concern about the proper training of missionaries can be proved by taking a quick look at “Establishing the Australasian Missionary College,” a part of the world of great interest to White. There existed no language barrier in connection with the establishment of Adventism in Australia and New Zealand. The article relates that the difficult job of learning Oriental languages, and subsequently evangelizing the unreceptive speakers thereof, would largely devolve to graduates of the Australian college. The description of this work forms Chapter 28 of Arthur Grosvenor Daniells book “The Abiding Gift of Prophesy.” The author started the first Adventist church in New Zealand, the home of Dr. David Tasker, our schoolmaster until March 25, 2016. A.G. Daniells became General Conference President in 1901, and oversaw the move of Adventist HQ from Battle Creek to Washington. Opposite to Adventism in most respects, the Scottish Rite Freemasons are also based in Washington, inhabiting a building designed by John Russell Pope (who also designed the Jefferson Memorial). The George Washington Masonic National Memorial, just outside of Washington in Alexandria, sits right beside the Amtrack line. It features an imposing tower, one that may be a conjectural recreation of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

A Masonic shrine. I John 3:10: “..men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
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Tuesday’s lesson is called “Jesus’ Dominion Over Nature,” and features the episode in scripture that elicits this amazed reaction by His disciples: “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” Berean Pastor Austin Humphreys addressed this in connection with a sermon he delivered in the “War Room,” and visible at this LINK. A passage (from page 348) of Ellen G. White’s work “In Heavenly Paces,” provided in the lesson,  reveals that Satan has some limited control over the forces of nature as well. David Tasker mentions the case of Job, a book which is prefaced by the granting of permission by God to Satan to stir up natural disaster. This permission raises a sticky theological issue that Dr. Tasker chooses to pass over at present, but is one that is adequately addressed by Ellen White. The book “The Great Controversy” states in the introduction its intention “to present a satisfactory solution of the great problem of evil.” It reveals that, in the last days “as the church approaches her final deliverance, Satan is to work with greater power.” Evil is the fruit of Satan’s rebellion, and the subsequent Fall of Man. Adventist Fundamental Belief #8 writes “sin resulted in the distortion of the image of God in humanity,” so, in consequence, “this world became the arena of the universal conflict, out of which the God of love will ultimately be vindicated.” I draw comfort by repeating to myself, in the words of the Emergency Broadcast System, “This is a Test! This is only a Test!”

Wednesday’ lesson is titled “Who is the Greatest,” and is described by Dr. Tasker a good example of Satan at work among the disciples. They are contesting for places in the anticipated earthly Kingdom of Jesus. The lord probably astonished them with news that is recorded in Mark 9:35: “If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” Paul restates this sentiment in First Corinthians 10:24: “Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth” (KJV “wealth” is translated as “good” in most other versions. The original word means “that which is another’s”). John 13:14 has some accessory relevance: “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

February 10. 2016. Members of Berean re-gift food from the Atlanta Food Bank  Atlanta Food Bank re-gifts it from donors. Donors re-gift it from God.

The essence of this theme can be found in a citation by Paul of Christ’s statement in Acts 20:35: “remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  Since the source of this quote is not to be found in the Gospels, I always wondered how Paul was aware of it. I fantasized about “lost books,” or even a direct revelation to Paul from God. This Bible Hub LINK, in the “Pulpit Commentary,” tells us that “How it came to St Paul’s knowledge, and that of the Ephesian elders to whom he seems to have taken for granted that it was familiar, it is impossible to say.” This scripture, although of uncertain provenance, is nevertheless one of the most well-known by both believers and non-believers alike.

This week’s last lesson, Thursday’s, is titled “Divine Encounter With the Word.” David Tasker describes the crestfallen attitude of the disciples during the period after the crucifixion, but before the resurrection. The encounter that two unnamed disciples had with Jesus on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus (found in Luke 24) is the focus of this lesson. These followers are regaled with Scriptural quotations by Christ. Dr. Tasker notes that this use of the “Word” was also how Jesus dealt with Satan in the wilderness. The story has a “surprise ending” for the followers, as Christ not only reveals Himself (proving the rumor of His resurrection), but tops this by vanishing into thin air.

“Christ with Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus,” a work by a student of Rembrandt, but one corrected by the Master (like the disciples were).

Ellen G. White elaborates upon this “Divine Encounter With the Word” in Chapter 83 of “The Desire of Ages,” one entitled “The Walk to Emmaus.” The Old Testament prophesies that Jesus related to his two companions, prior to revealing Himself. are citing by Ellen White as being symbolic of the need to have one’s faith grounded in the first part of the Bible. She laments that many modern denominations have cast it aside as superannuated (my current look into the Church of Christ confirms that they are guilty of this exclusionary approach). She emphasizes the importance of this characteristically “Adventist” advocacy of the whole Bible by quoting Luke 16:31: “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” Ellen White is not alone in believing that Jesus is just as present in the Old Testament as in the New.
As the sun set, the two unnamed disciples pressed Jesus to “tarry” with them. Ellen White informs us that, without this display of interest, Jesus would have departed from them, without revealing Himself.  “Christ never forces His company upon anyone,” she writes. But they seek, and they find. A moment after apprehending that it is indeed Christ who has been present with them, the object of their adoration vanishes (just like Enoch, “He was not”). The giddy disciples rush back, in the darkness, to impart the ” message of glad tidings upon which the hopes of the human family for time and for eternity depend.”

Detail from “Fall of the Rebel Angels” by Peter Bruegel the Elder, painted in 1562.

David Tasker concludes this weeks lessons by restating the “great controversy” theme. He notes that we have been warned that “Satan is real, the great controversy is real, and the enemy works hard to cause us to doubt and disbelieve.” We are urged to cling to Jesus, “because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (First John 4:4).

PASTOR FREDRICK RUSSELL’S SERMON ON NEHEMIAH 3

Pastor Fredrick Russell wondered aloud, “how do you make a sermon out of the third chapter of Nehemiah?” As noted, it contains nothing beyond the names of the participants in the restoration of Jerusalem’s walls, and describes the particular parts of the wall that they were involved in. My initial reaction to the question was an unworthy one, as a former involvement with many church fundraising and building campaigns has made me familiar with some unusual approaches. A “laundry list” of participants reminded me of a project for a Christian college I helped to document. Nehemiah has memorialized the names of his helpers in Chapter 3. The provosts of the college in question were going to memorialize the names of their donors by incising them in bricks, and then form a circular plaza from the bricks. A similar scheme has been used to fund Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. It took less than a second to get over my initial reaction. Pastor Russell stands above this kind of gimmickry.

“But bricks don’t like to be in a circle!” My objections were brushed aside. This image vindicates me.

Nehemiah 3:7 mentions Melatiah the Gibeonite, along with the “men of Gibeon” as participating in the work. This reminded me of the introduction of the Gibeonites in Joshua 9, which tells the story of how this people were relegated to the role of “hewers of wood and drawers of water” for the Hebrews. Either the Gibeonites in Nehemiah were simply inhabitants of the city of Gibeon, or they were descendants of the people that were reduced to subservience. In the later case, I wondered if their status had improved by Nehemiah’s day. Adversity is a great equalizer. Twenty minutes invested in searching for an answer to this yielded nothing.

Pastor Russell read aloud Nehemiah 3:1-8, observing that both blue collar and white collar types were participating in the work. The pastor said that the balance of Chapter 3 was much the same as what he had just read. It was now time to enlist the services of the “Pastors and Elders Theater Company,” all experienced players. and accustomed to treading the boards. They are not always masters of improvisation, however. The performance illustrated the consequences of this hypothesis: “what if you held a fork in your hand with the intention of feeding yourself, but were unable to bend your elbows?” The actors were arrayed in a manner that duplicated the chain of Hebrew rebuilders of Jerusalem’s walls. The result was a tableaux that featured the players attempting to feed each other. How could everyone be satisfied? In hindsight, it seems that they would have to stand in a circle to do this. But I am not very perceptive. Neither were the thespians, at least not today. I can’t resist mentioning the Commedia dell’arte at this point, a 16th century Italian form of theater where the actors assumed the attributes of one of several stock character, and then improvised their parts. Elder Kennedy Noisette would be well suited to the character of “the Innocent.”

Some stock characters from the Commedia dell’arte era, and a kind of metaphor for the real world.

The next scene in the demonstration featured hundreds of extras, all dressed in period costumes (the period being 2016). Pastor Russell directed everyone in the congregation who happened to be sitting at the end of an aisle to stand up. They were then instructed to position themselves as facing away from their individual aisles. Everyone was at their appointed station, as were Nehemiah’s helpers (at time marker 1:38:57, the pastor briefly escorts his wife, Brenda, a few steps away from her assigned position, simply in order to note the impropriety of such a dislocation). The cast was ordered to begin to “build,” and they energetically pantomimed this activity. To illustrate a point, a selected few were asked to desist. The pastor predicted the consequences of a lack of full participation: “eventually the wall will be lopsided.” In order to build the wall “everybody has to complete their section.” Pastor Russell placed great emphasis upon this last statement. Thus concluded Act Two of today’s presentation.

The breaches in the Berean defenses were briefly restated. One citation seemed especially germane, in light of today’s audio trouble on the YouTube record, “an AV system that is held together with bailing wire.” My current obsession, the HVAC system at the old church, was revealed as requiring $600,000 of the $2,000,000 goal. The old church was built in 1963 under the leadership of illustrious  Dr. H.L. Cleveland. This link to his obituary reveals that the building was “the largest built Adventist African American church in the south at that time.” It is dwarfed by Berean’s current facility. Dr. Cleveland helped to grow Berean from 97 members (in 1960) to over 1,300 members (when he stepped down, in 1967).

The underside of a stairway from the current “War Room,” located in the 52 year-old BOMC building. Some of the rebar is now exposed to the elements.

The fundamental knowledge imparted by Nehemiah 3 is that “every family, every group, every tribe, every person had their section of the wall.” Pastor Russell enlisted the youthful choristers of “Seventh Sound,” asking them to stand in order to form a final illustration. He informed them that the works described by Nehemiah were not confined to the older generation. The younger generation was included as well. The pastor advised them to start thinking about what they might sacrifice during the six month fundraising period (the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty was paid for by the pennies collected by schoolchildren).

The pastor said that there had not been a major effort to raise funds by the Berean congregation since that conducted by Dr. Cleveland in 1963 (a drive that yielded 98% of the monies required, according to the former pastor’s obituary). The “big” church was bought for just $75,000 down. The concept of “sacrificial giving,” discussed at length in last week’s sermon, was restated as being Above and Beyond (link is to a description of qualifications required to receive the Medal of Honor) basic tithes and offerings. God’s providence as displayed in Scripture was noted. The pastor then added, “is it possible for God to do a new thing in 2016?” The answer to this so obvious, the pastor did not provide it. But, if any of us should fail to do our part, there would be a resulting “gap” in the wall. “Be faithful to your section,” Pastor Russell urged his listeners (the weak point of the Maginot Line, France’s frontline defense against Hitler, was the entire nation of Belgium).

A world-class church builder, Dr. Harold Lovell Cleveland (1928-2007)

Pastor Russell recommended that we consult with God, through prayer, as to the extent of our commitment to assist in the “Rebuilding of the Ruins.” A key phrase from an earlier sermon was  repeated, one from Nehemiah 2 that declares “the people had a heart to do, and they did it with all of their might.” Another sermon was referenced in regard to a point I neglected to mention at the time. “When the children of Israel stepped into the Jordan,” the pastor reminded us, “that’s when the Jordon opened.” This citation was directed at those who might feel that a reallocation of their scanty funds is not, at present, possible. The pastor said that he is looking forward to the “God did” stories that are an inevitable product of sacrificial giving. The choir, in the manner of a Greek chorus, underscored the present mood by singing “I Give Myself Away (So You Can Use Me).”
Elder Noisette (of whom my appellation of “the Innocent” was intended to be a compliment) delivered a benediction that was utterly lacking in pretense, and possessed a superabundance of sincerity.

The opening credits of Cecil B. DeMille’s 1923 silent version of “The Ten Commandments,” a source for footage of Hebrew slaves at work, utilized in “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Get your free copy at archive.org

1 1/2 SONGS: A QUESTIONABLE TRIBUTE TO BLACK HISTORY MONTH, AND A MINOR MASTERPIECE, READY FOR EASTER, AND AWAITING DESECRATION BY MYSELF.

Last Sabbath’s Presentation of James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (the Black National Anthem), was a pretext for me to create the “questionable tribute” mentioned above. I am sure the world can go on without a “country-gospel” rendition of this March. My vocals are exceptionally regrettable in this loose interpretation of the original, but it represents a baby-step forward in my amateur video-production skills. It actually incorporates footage from more than one source, and is synchronized to the verses of the song in a simplistic manner. The resulting video may be appraised by clicking this LINK. The score features a few real vocal “clinkers.” The 5 half-step  descent of the chords in John Rosamand Johnson’s (J.W.’s brother) music is a neat trick that Buddy Holly used in his song Peggy Sue, and occurs in the linked song by Holly precisely at the 48 second mark. It also can be found in The Cars You’re All I’ve Got Tonight at the 43 second mark.  Here is a link to an acceptable version of Lift Every Voice and Sing, with the chord change under discussion introduced at the 50 second mark. A song that consists only of the two juxtaposed chords themselves is Brian Eno’s Third Uncle, a  thing way too experimental to cause offence.

The Wednesday, February 24 Sabbath School lesson is about the stoning of Stephen. I put together some words for a short  musical treatment of the story, which centers around Stephen’s incendiary  sermon to his unappreciative audience. The introduction and conclusion of this incident might be dispassionately declaimed by the same matter-of-fact “robot” voices that just performed “By and By,” synthesized minions who could quote appropriate scripture from Acts 7. The seven stanzas of Stephen’s speech could rise through seven keys. This all sounds very artistic. I am praying that Jesus returns tomorrow morning, thereby sparing both the world and myself exposure to the proposed song “Stephen.”

If I were a rich man like Cole Porter was, I would hire someone to sing the Easter tribute song “Gethsemane.” The best thing I could do is to never even attempt it, but it may eventually be required as a “statement of intent” (since I can’t write notation). Every now and then God grants me inspiration that is better than average. The music to this edition of “Gethsemane” seems to combine proper proportions of both tragedy and triumph. The vocal part may be inferred from the first half of the instrumental version. It repeats itself in the second half, though the lead not so easy to discern.

NOTE TO BLOGSPOT PATRONS: MP3 IN QUESTION IS ON THE WEBSITE

“The Agony in the Garden” by El Greco, painted in 1590. The “Cup” is being held by the angel on the left.

“GETHSEMANE”  

LYRICS

8
8         His
4     Soul beset by weariness  And
4     So exceeding sorrowful,  Be-
4     set, besieged, benumbed, benighted
4     Too,

4     Praying in the garden that the
4     Cup might pass him by,   but ac-
4     epting of whatever He must
4     Do
.
4     Sweat like drops of blood appeared up-
4     on His fevered brow,   an
4     Agony that just went on and
4     On…

8     “Not what I will,
8     But what You will,
8            All things are possible to
8     You.”

16
16            An
4     Angel there appeared,   to lend
4     Strength unto the sufferer,
4     Helping Him to face the doleful
4     Morn.      The

4     Hour had come to glorify the
4     Son,   restoring glory He pos-
4     sessed before the world was even
4     Born.      His

4     Followers lay slumbering,
4     Destined to desert the field of
4     Battle that is ready to com-
4     mence,

8     The Son of Man,   He was betrayed.
8     A multitude took Him away,
8     Before the breaking of the day.
8
32
32
8