Thank you for spending the next few minutes reading about what may very well be one of your favorite songs. Today's featured song isn't a favorite? Well, check out the archives to the left. They list all of our blogs by month. Or you can just type in your favorite song title or group and you are sure to encounter the musical landscape that lies ahead. Just like a tapestry hanging on a wall the Musical Notes archives waits for you to take a glance. Thanks again for being here!
In the late 60s, Carole King (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "I Feel the Earth Move" (Carole King),
Tuesday's Musical Notes - "You've Got a Friend" (James Taylor)) and her husband at the time, Gerry Goffin, had become successful songwriters for many of that age's musical icons.
In the early 70s, King began playing and recording her own songs. Her first studio album, Writer, came in May of 1970 and didn't chart. 9 months later, her second album, Tapestry, would define her career and vault her to an iconic status all her own. Tapestry continues to be the record holder on the Billboard 200 album chart for most consecutive weeks by a female artist. It spent 302 uninterrupted weeks on the chart from April 10, 1971, to January 15, 1977, and then popped in and out of the chart for another 16 weeks all the way through 2011.
3 singles were released from Tapestry. The single "I Feel the Earth Move"/ "It's Too Late" was released as a double "A" sided single and both songs went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up single was also a double "A" side. It featured today's song of the week "So Far Away" and "Smackwater Jack". It peaked on the charts at #14. Carole King's recording of "You've Got a Friend" which she wrote with James Taylor (who played on many of the tracks of Tapestry and would later take "You've Got a Friend" to #1) was the final single with the song "Beautiful" as its other "A" side. King's version of the song failed to chart.
"So Far Away" expresses the pain of separation. If you dig deeper into the lyrics you soon see that this distance is not only physical but perhaps shines the light on an emotional chasm that has developed between the folks in the relationship. It seems that the further the distance the more distant the love that they feel for each other has become.
Let's face it. It is absolutely impossible to love someone you don't know. It is hard to love folks that you know but don't encounter often. It is difficult to maintain relationships when you lose track of one another. I confess that many of my close college friends have segued to acquaintancehood now that we haven't seen each other in many years. The digital revolution that we continue to see explode at our fingertips continues to make the pathways of communicating faster and easier, yet we fail to engage in reigniting those friendships and fanning the flames of meaningful relationships. One would think that we would "catch up" on Facebook and other social media outlets, yet with a few exceptions, that hasn't happened. Am I the only one to feel this way? Why are these great, meaningful relationships so far away?
I am convicted that the biggest reason on my part is that I don't love these people enough to make the effort to get our relationship back.
You may have noticed that we are taking a break from our Tuesday's Musical Notes journey through the Bible today. More Samuel and the early dynasties of Israel next week. I look forward to seeing you there...not literally, of course, just a figure of speech and English tool Mrs. Bettye taught me in high school...but I digress...
As many states and nations are seeing their populations vaccinated for Coronavirus, we are beginning to see a burgeoning of folks out and about. This is so encouraging as we have spent around 18 months being so far away from those which we would normally have contact. I don't know about you, but it seems as if I am restarting many relationships that existed before the pandemic, yet seem to be new now.
Love God, love everyone else. That is a paraphrase if you will of the Scripture above. Jesus gives this in response to a question He was fielding regarding the topic of the greatest commandment. Jesus says that all the 10 Commandments find their foundation in these two. Hmmm. Love God, love everyone else. How in the world are we supposed to do that?
The folks who comprised the first church did everything together as an expression of their love for God and love for each other. While it may sound very much like some of the communes of the time frame of "So Far Away", these believers WANTED to be together all of the time. They could not stand the idea of being far away from each other as they encouraged, taught, and worshipped together. Hmm... do we see any of that today in our local church?
This mentality of love and companionship was magnetic and it spread! Finding tangible ways to express love to people is an attraction so strong, that the early believers in Jesus were willing to give up everything so that they could be together. This included their lives (by death sometimes, but more so by giving time and preference to other believers, this is also a way of giving your life for another).
Folks who were not from Jerusalem, but experienced the love the new believers had for each other were drawn to that body and became believers themselves. They eventually had to go back home and took their newfound faith and love with them and began tangibly expressing it to those of their hometowns.
This passage continues to encourage believers to "prefer" others over themselves. By presenting ourselves as "living sacrifices", we disavow what we want and do appreciable acts that demonstrate the love that God commands us to have.
Fast forward to the church of today. It is a church that has seen its members so far away from each other because of a global pandemic. It is a church that perhaps has lost its first love. (The Revelation of Jesus Christ as written by the fisherman John, chapter 2 verses 2-4 NASB/AMP/KJV) Personally, I think it is easy to blame this loss of love for each other on the pandemic. I have been guilty of dismissing times with my church family because it was really nice to have the extra time for family and relaxing. But is this being a living sacrifice? Is this mentality of heart and mind compatible with loving God and loving everyone else? Shouldn't we crave interaction with our church family so much that nothing stands in the way of our making it happen?
Perhaps today is a day that you poked your head into Tuesday's Musical Notes land just because you dig on some Carole King. Fantastic! We're glad you are here! But we want to tell you that there are people in a local church who want to tangibly express God's love to you. Go this Sunday! If you don't find love expressed, go somewhere else the next Sunday! And so on, until you find that one place where God's love is expressed to you and His Spirit draws you. Then say yes! Yes to God's love. Yes to Jesus' sacrifice. Yes to Holy Spirit's comfort and love. Become a part of that church and do what has been done for you. Tangibly express your love for God by loving everyone, including and especially those who are "family" members at your church. Find ways to use your talents and the gifting brought on by Holy Spirit to express love in ways that only you can. Be there every time there is an opportunity! Show the world the change that has come over you!
Perhaps today is a day where you as a believer feel so far away from your church family. Unfortunately, the pandemic heightened that sense of distance for many of us. Thankfully there is a cure. "It would be so nice to see your face at my door" Time together can and will close this gap. Time spent together will increase the love you originally had for each other. Small group opportunities abound throughout the week! Quit waiting on someone else to schedule something, be the instigator! Be as desperate to be with your small group and church family as those early believers were. Discuss with those who live with you the occasions of inviting church members to your home! Love them by getting to know them for the first time or all over again!!! Use this time of coming back together from the pandemic as an excuse to reinforce love for one another and then keep meeting collectively! Show the world that your church does not live up to the judgemental/critical moniker that has been given to her by her enemies. Love God and love everyone else in magnetic ways. Then step back and see what God will do. You will soon find that your church will no longer be so far away...
'Til Tuesday,
Loving God by loving You,
randy
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