WE’RE ALL IN IT TOGETHER
by Bob Wickizer
Scripture: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 2 Samuel 6:12-19, Psalms 24:1-10, Ephesians 1:3-14, Mark 6:14-29
Title: We're All in it Together
Author: Bob Wickizer
Text: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19; Psalm 24; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29
I never shared this with you before, so now I will. In every church I have served, when I met with a new music director, they would talk to me about church music, hymns, service music, etc. and they would invariably always ask this question. "Are there any hymns you don't like or don't want played in church?" and my answer was always the same. "Just one hymn is off the list for me. 'Onward Christian Soldier.'" And last week, we sang it here at St. James.
Musically, it's a perfectly good, 19th century hymn complete with barbershop harmony and a bass line that sounds like a tuba. The tune is from a much earlier British hymn to St. Gertrude.My problem is not the tune. It is the lyrics.
In singing this so lustily, we are glorifying war and battle. We fall prey to dividing things into winners and losers, the saved and the sinners. Everybody wants to be on the winning team, and everybody wants to denigrate the losers. In this sense, athletics and games of sport can be helpful. There are rules and a proscribed amount of time. Two teams face off and one will win. Everybody goes home because it is just a game (except for those crazy Cowboys fans).
But the pursuit of war between nations or violence up close in a family is not like the formalized ritual of sports. In war, one side may win a battle, but the war goes on. Politics may change things but war will break out again later like the prairie grass fires that crop up randomly from lightning strikes. At the home front, violence is often inter-generational. A child can be a victim until they are grown where they will take on the roll of abuser. War and family violence is a never-ending tragedy for all concerned.
For me, casting the Christian life of our constant struggle to choose the good over evil in military terms works in the opposite direction to glorify military battle and v ...
Author: Bob Wickizer
Text: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19; Psalm 24; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29
I never shared this with you before, so now I will. In every church I have served, when I met with a new music director, they would talk to me about church music, hymns, service music, etc. and they would invariably always ask this question. "Are there any hymns you don't like or don't want played in church?" and my answer was always the same. "Just one hymn is off the list for me. 'Onward Christian Soldier.'" And last week, we sang it here at St. James.
Musically, it's a perfectly good, 19th century hymn complete with barbershop harmony and a bass line that sounds like a tuba. The tune is from a much earlier British hymn to St. Gertrude.My problem is not the tune. It is the lyrics.
In singing this so lustily, we are glorifying war and battle. We fall prey to dividing things into winners and losers, the saved and the sinners. Everybody wants to be on the winning team, and everybody wants to denigrate the losers. In this sense, athletics and games of sport can be helpful. There are rules and a proscribed amount of time. Two teams face off and one will win. Everybody goes home because it is just a game (except for those crazy Cowboys fans).
But the pursuit of war between nations or violence up close in a family is not like the formalized ritual of sports. In war, one side may win a battle, but the war goes on. Politics may change things but war will break out again later like the prairie grass fires that crop up randomly from lightning strikes. At the home front, violence is often inter-generational. A child can be a victim until they are grown where they will take on the roll of abuser. War and family violence is a never-ending tragedy for all concerned.
For me, casting the Christian life of our constant struggle to choose the good over evil in military terms works in the opposite direction to glorify military battle and v ...
There are 4876 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
