Blog 2/08/08

It seemed like what Chuck was so excited about was some mystical religious poetry. The metaphors seemed strange, and I was more than a little suspect about the orthodoxy of these songs. For one, the translation I read didn't mention the name Jesus, and there were so many references to the "light" and "knowledge" that it seemed more likely that this stuff was Gnostic and had more in common with new age spirituality than with Christianity.

Boy was I wrong! Upon closer inspection, I found these Odes rejoicing in creation (against the Gnostics who devalue creation), rejoicing in God the Father, God the Holy Spirit and God the Messiah, our Savior who triumphed over death.

Chuck worked it out for me to travel to the East Coast and spend 3 days with Dr. Hughes Oliphant Old, who schooled me in the ways of the early church, and also explained to me why I was so put off by the Odes when I first read them.

The answer is that poetry has all but disappeared from the western church, and these images in the Odes all had their roots in the Bible, but I was not knowledgeable enough of Scripture to recognize them. It was a humbling explanation, but all too true, and so began my composition of the music to these treasures, with a heartfelt intention of recovering a vision for the poetic, beautiful and epic story of the salvation of God's people by the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ.

My friend Eddy worked tirelessly on adaptations for eight of the Odes and together we adapted two more as well. I adapted the rest alone, as I would study and consider what this outstanding first century poet was expressing. Joy, leading to more joy, being united to Christ, victory over death and darkness, and the wonder of receiving grace, truth, life, faith and justification from the Father through Jesus Christ; these were the outstanding themes of the Odes.

After more than a year of meditating on these grand hallmarks of the Christian faith, I can say it has transformed my thinking, in many ways. I learned that the early Christians were considered to be a cult, and were persecuted, yet the Christians counted themselves as blessed, and considered themselves to be humbling their enemies by showing love even in their martyrdom. I cannot easily complain about my estate when faced with this kind of example. The writer of the Odes wasn't an apostle, the Odes aren't Scripture, but we get to see the lyrics from the songs the early church was singing, and we are given a window into their lives, and what they valued.

The Odes value God's faithfulness in sending the Messiah, they refer to the Psalms and value their forefathers in the faith, and they refer to the eternal rest that awaits those who follow Christ. What a journey, and how inspiring to write music to words that are so full of life and light.

I am a blessed man, for I am beginning to enjoy in a richer way my tremendous heritage in the body of Christ, and I am starting to sense my connectedness to the great cloud of witnesses, the glorious Redeemed of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the ages and forevermore, to the glory of God the Father.