Hey...psst...Yeah, You!!! It's Tuesday! Do you know what that means? You guessed it!!! It's time for another soiree' in the realms of the Musical Adventureland knows as Tuesday's Musical Notes! That's right, you have clicked on to the only place in the internetosphere that you can find the LARGEST variety of music combined with the most IMPORTANT message in the world! It's Tuesday and it's time, so let's get started with this week's TuEsDaY'S MuSiCaL NoTeS!!! Don't panic! You're in a safe place...and no this ain't no Disco...
Panic! at the Disco began as a quartet of high school friends. Soon after recording demos, Brendan Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson recorded their debut album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out in 2005. 5 albums, 1 Grammy nomination (2017 Best Rock Album Death of a Bachelor), numerous other accolades, and 14 years later we find Urie as the only remaining member still in the band with 2018's Pray for the Wicked as its latest outing.
Let's flashback however to the first album after the original quartet became a duo. 2011 would see the release of Vices and Virtues, the 3 studio album for Panic! at the Disco, but the first featuring only Urie and Smith. It was generally regarded as a good album and was certified gold (excess of 500,000 copies shipped) in 2018.
The album was a return of sorts to what had drawn the listening public to Panic! at the Disco in 2005. Fans of the band and critics alike welcomed the reimagining of the band and its return to being more closely aligned with the throwback sounds of their debut album. Vices and Virtues' style is difficult to align with any genre as each track sounds different from the previous one. Singles, "The Ballad of Mona Lisa", "Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind), and "Let's Kill Tonight", made The Hot 100 and sustained the band's popularity with fans.
There is one track that is so much fun it gained the attention of this groovy little blog. "Sarah Smiles" was written by Urie for his girlfriend at the time, Sarah, who later became his wife. It is that catchy little tune, that in your humble blogger's opinion should have been released as a single and received heavy airplay. But, alas, love songs, especially the fun, quirky ones don't always become chart scorchers. Give it another listen, and smile...it's just fun!!!
In the last several weeks, we have explored some of the more dominant male characters of the Bible and their interactions with those around them. As we continue through Genesis, we come upon chapter 23 which details the death of Sarah. She was the wife (and half-sister) of Abraham and the mother of Isaac and she is a character of import in the narrative of Genesis that usually does not receive her due.
So other than her familial connections, what do we know about Sarah? Her name is the feminine form of the Hebrew name Sar, meaning chieftain or prince. Her father (as was Abraham's) was Terah. This would have made them about 10 generations removed from Noah. Ur, the area in which God calls Abraham and Sarah out of, is in the region of where Noah's ark would have landed, the Ararat mountain range. The Bible describes her as beautiful even at an older age. Genesis 20 records what would appear to be a relatively recent occurrence of Abraham trying to deceive a local king who was impressed with Sarah's beauty. Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The Song Remains the Same" (Led Zeppelin) She is heralded as the matriarch of Judaism, thus an important character in Christianity, and a major player in the origin stories of Islam. The Bible records that she blamed Abraham for Ishmael (Genesis 16), was hospitable to strangers (Genesis 18) and insecure in the promises God had made to her and Abraham (Genesis 18). The Bible even says that she laughed scoffingly as the strangers told Abraham that upon their return in 1 year, Sarah would be holding a baby. While this laughter is coming from a place of doubt, none the less...Sarah smiles...
In a culture where women were looked upon as second class, Abraham goes to the tent where Sarah's body lay. Here he mourned and wept for her. Had she not been incredibly important to Abraham, he wouldn't have done this. He spent time with her before preparations were made for her burial. He then paid for the land in which she would be buried. Even though the folks of the region recognized him as one of good reputation and lofty status, Abraham would not accept anything less than having a "clear title" to the land. I think it is of significance that Sarah's death would also be the first step in securing the land that God had promised to Abraham.
It is thought that Sarah died at the age of 127. Based on the imputed righteousness that Abraham had received, one would imagine that God had a place prepared for Sarah. While the Bible does not record Sarah's salvation, the life the Bible does chronicle about her would cause one to believe that right now...Sarah Smiles...
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
No comments:
Post a Comment