Welcome to Tuesday and the July 21st edition of Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!
Is it just me, or do those of you who happen to be older than 50 feel like we are reliving 1970?
In 1970 the relationship between black folks and white folks was a constant topic of conversation. In 1970, protests were being held and folks were killed during such protests. In 1970, the environment became a hot button topic that became politicized. In 1970, the space race heated up as the United States attempted another manned moon landing (Houston we've had a problem!). In 1970, The Beatles broke up but maintained continued success as their music topped charts and sold. (sorry we missed your birthday Ringo!) And in 1970, the fusion of rock and jazz, the band from the windy city, the favorite musical act of all times (as voted upon by the author of Tuesday's Musical Notes), releases their 2nd album, the aptly titled Chicago. From this album comes a b-side that you should not miss:
and...just as important and timely in 2020
Chicago, or Chicago II for you roman numeral purists out there, was the sophomore effort from the band Chicago. (For more background on Chicago, go check out any or all of the previous 11 featured songs by the band at Tuesday's Musical Notes. You need only type "Chicago" in the search box on the upper left-hand side of the screen and a plethora of Musical Notes featuring our favorite band will be available for your perusal...please peruse away!!! We'll wait for ya!)
"Every day just gets a little shorter, don't you think? Take a look around you and you'll see just what I mean
People got to come together, not just out of fear..."
People got to come together, not just out of fear..."
From the opening lines and the laid back, stripped down instrumentals, you soon realize this Peter Cetera (his second with writing credit) penned song has a deeper meaning than your typical pop 40 fare. "Where Do We Go From Here?" is the flip side to the #4 smash, "25 or 6 to 4", "Where Do We Go From Here?" asks a never-aging question...what's next? What do we do when it seems that things are happening quicker than what we would like? What happens when we really don't have control? What happens when folks just can't seem to get along and agree about the simplest things? These are questions an ancient society also found itself asking of its leaders.
The Israelites had celebrated God's defeat of the Egyptian army with the first recorded song in the Bible. (Exodus 15:1-21 NASB/The Message/KJV) Now that the party was over and they had achieved their freedom from slavery, the Israelites began the task of learning how to become a nation. Imagine turning around after the miracle of the Red Sea and viewing...desert.
The Israelites quickly went from the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat. Imagine around 2 1/2 million people beginning to trek through the desert. After three days they found water and soon discovered that euphoria only lasts as long as you have fresh water. The water they discovered was bitter. The people complain. Moses prays. God provides. God then began relaying the statutes by which He wanted the Israelites to live. His testing became the training they would need to defeat the inhabitants of the promised land. But a cycle of discontentment had already been allowed to rear its ugly head. The distance from Marah (where the bitter water was) to Elim (12 springs of water and 70 date palms) was only 5 miles. This insatiable desire to know where do we go from here would lead to the eventual undoing of the nation of Israel. More about that later...
We find ourselves in a similar land of discontentment. The common questions now seem to be, "What will things be like after Covid-19?" "How will the next Presidential election impact my life?" "Will there ever be a time when folks see the character of one's life and not the pigment of their skin?" "Where can we find water that isn't bitter?" How far is it from your Marah to your Elim?
Perhaps none of these are the questions we should be asking? Perhaps today's feature song points us to the best question we could ask. "Where do we go, where do we go, where do we go from here?"
The Bible provides the answer to this inquiry in the telling of Jesus. With each turn of the page, we see His imprint on the life of those who surrender to the statues which God illuminated to the Israelites. “If you listen, listen obediently to how God tells you to live in his presence, obeying his commandments and keeping all his laws, then I won’t strike you with all the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians; I am God your healer.” (Exodus 15:26 The Message)
Living up to this precept from God is not easy. The prophet Isaiah elaborated on the subject of living up to God's standards: Isaiah 55:8-13 NASB/The Message/KJV Later on in the New Testament, the Gospels (The Gospel of Jesus according to the disciple Matthew, a tax collector NASB/The Message/KJV, The Gospel of Jesus according to the disciple Mark NASB/The Message/KJV, The Gospel of Jesus according to the disciple Luke, a physician NASB/The Message/KJV, The Gospel of Jesus according to the disciple John, a fisherman NASB/The Message/KJV) tell the example of how to live the covenant life that God described to the Israelites and then further on the church persecutor turned church permeator, Paul, wrote a letter to the believers in Rome about their relationship to God: Paul's letter to the believers in Rome, chapter 3 NASB/The Message/KJV
So, where do we go? What do we do with the example and sacrifice of Jesus? I think Chicago can put us in a position to start...
I know it's hard for you to
Change your way of life
I know it's hard for you to do
The world is full of people
Dying to be free...
Change your way of life
I know it's hard for you to do
The world is full of people
Dying to be free...
The answer? We go to Jesus...
That's where we go...that's where we go...that's where we go from here...
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving You,
randy
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