Hi there it's Tuesday! Welcome to your weekly dose of news, nostalgia, and nurturing. It's Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!
In May of this year, I had the opportunity for the 2nd time in my life to see in concert what I think is the absolute best band in popular music, Chicago. They certainly did not disappoint! The arena was set up in a theater setting and there wasn't a bad seat in the house as we watched the 2018 version of the "Rock Band with Horns" play the entirety of Chicago II. (The actual title to the band's second album is Chicago. The band had previously released Chicago Transit Authority as their eponymous debut album but shortened the band name for the 2nd album to avoid any legal action with the entity that already wore that moniker.)
At the completion of a brief intermission, Chicago then came back out and play a "Greatest Hits" set. The 3 founding members (Robert Lamm at 73 years old, Lee Loughnane at 71, and James Pankow at 71) were in stride as they played some of the music they had first created together 50 years ago. Needless to say, at this stage in their lives, they can certainly relate to their "Old Days"...
Peaking at #5 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Chart, "Old Days" would be the highest charting single from the album Chicago VIII. It would be their 17th top 40 hit in the 6 years since the inception of the band. "Old Days" would also join the ranks of "Make Me Smile", "25 or 6 to 4", "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", "Beginnings", "Color My World", "Saturday in the Park", "Feelin' Stronger Every Day", "Just You 'N' Me", "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long", and "Call On Me" in the top ten and solidify Chicago as a force to be reckoned with in the music universe for years to come. The band celebrated their 50th anniversary this year!
"Old Days" is a song about reminiscing. We've written before about the dangers of the nostalgia of your past always being better than the reality of your past, however, there can be some benefits to remembering the reality of our past. For most, there are some really good memories that are worth sharing. There are also some practices of the past that really should be brought back.
Recently, I was going through some of the things of my mom's. She passed away last December and we were attempting to make decisions on which items to keep and which items to otherwise distribute among my children or sell. We came across her wedding china. I can only remember eating on these plates a handful of times, but remember many times seeing them in her china cabinet, displayed like the artwork they truly are. I wondered why we didn't use these dishes more by having family and friends in our home more often. I finally surmised that in our case at least, they were truly created to be artwork rather than be functional as eating utensils. As I reviewed the old photographs and continued to ponder the dishes, I remembered the times we did have friends in our home. The warm smile of those memories was soon replaced by a tinge of sorrow at the reality that I had lost something almost as precious to me as my mom. Almost. The gift of surrounding myself with people in a casual environment just listening to music, visiting and giving them a valuable asset, my time. In short, I have, in my busyness, lost the gifts of hospitality and generosity.
In the real "Old Days" of the Bible hospitality and generosity were taught as staples to having good manners and walking a Godly life. We see a story in the life of Abraham as an example. When Abraham encountered three strangers he immediately set to work seeing to their comfort. Yes, Abraham knew that these were not ordinary guests. But if you examine Abram, then Abraham's life, you see a life of both hospitality and generosity regardless of who the guests may have been. These strangers would later tell Abraham and his wife Sarah, that they would give birth in their old age (Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 when the strangers came to deliver this news). But before they delivered the message, they were treated as royal guests in the home of Abraham and Sarah. Genesis 18:1-8 New International Version of the Bible/The Message paraphrase of the Bible/English Standard Version of the Bible parallel Abraham did everything he could to see to their comfort and make sure they had what they desired while they were in his home. Have you ever had that experience? Have you ever performed such a service? I can't say that I go that much out of my way for friends much less for total strangers. Oh, but that was the Old Testament time, some really, really "Old Days"...
Abraham's hospitality came from his love for God. Abraham was very practical in the ways he went about being hospitable. Here are some practical ways that you and I can use to start back on the path to hospitality: 4 Practical Ways to Show Christian Hospitality by Tony Merida, January 1, 2014, lifeway.com
In Paul's letter to the church in Rome, he implores the church to be hospitable. He challenges them to see to the needs of Christians everywhere. Paul's letter to the Roman church, chapter 12 NIV/The Message/ESV Did you notice The Message paraphrase of verse 13? "Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality." (emphasis mine) I love that phrase, "be inventive in hospitality"!!! Challenge accepted! The key is for us to begin...today!!! Here are some ideas: 10 Creative Ways to Show Hospitality (Even When You’re too Busy) by Michelle Lazurek from ibelieve.com/food-home
Hospitality and generosity were also important to Jesus. Many of His parables focused on what we do for our fellow man. One of the most well known is the Parable (or story) of the Good Samaritan. The Hebrew people of Jesus day were prejudiced towards the people of Samaria. The Samaritans were thought of as lower class citizens. In a story that Jesus told to highlight love for your fellow man, He lifted up a Samaritan above a priest and a Levite (religious leader).
A man was beaten and robbed and left for dead on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. A priest passed by and did nothing to aid the man. A Levite did the same. Both of these men were Jews and as sons of Abraham should have shown the victim mercy and kindness. Yet they passed on by. Finally, a person from Samaria came by and began the process of restoring the man. He saw to his physical needs in every way possible. The Samaritan left the man in the care of an innkeeper. He paid the innkeeper enough to see to the man's continued needs and promised to pay the innkeeper more if need be. In doing all of this the Samaritan was the one shown as having the most compassion, hospitality (even though it wasn't in his own home), and generosity. You can read the Scripture basis for this story here: The Gospel of Jesus according to Dr. Luke, chapter 10, 25-37 NIV/The Message/ESV To paraphrase Jesus, we can not show love to or fellow man without showing them hospitality and generosity.
Many good things are cyclical. While we may not see the return of Howdy Doody, one would be hard pressed to deny the impact of comic books and baseball cards on our modern society. One only look at the music industry, where vinyl record sales are increasing at a higher rate against last years sales, more than any musical format, including digital downloads. It seems that some of the "Old Days" things continue to renew themselves every few years. Isn't it time, that Christian folks showed the world what true hospitality and generosity look like? Isn't it time that we open our fence gates and front doors to people of all walks of life without bias? Isn't it time we give of our time and treasure so that others will receive the benefit? Isn't it time that we return to the practices of hospitality and generosity like in the "Old Days"?
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
No comments:
Post a Comment