Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Devil's Dance" (Metallica)

Many times in our lives we are confronted by decisions.  Today even, you decided whether or not to click on to this site and read Tuesday's Musical Notes.  Thank you by the way!   


Each moment of our lives we are inundated with those opportunities to determine what is the best solution for the situations in which we find ourselves.  Sometimes those judgment calls are the choice between a good thing and a bad thing.  You know, the whole devil on one shoulder and and angel on the other thing. 

In these circumstances, it is obvious which choice you should make...but then you hear that voice..." Yeah, come on, come on now take the chance  That's right, let's dance"...


Following on the heels of the 5 times platinum Load, is the sequel from the band Metallica, the aptly titled Reload.  The original intent was to release the albums as one double album unit. Metallica decided that there were too many studio time constraints with so many songs for an album of this nature and decided to release Load and Reload as separate records, one year apart.  Load has a running time of 79 minutes, making it the longest Metallica album to date and thus accounting for the separation of the 2 releases.

Reload continues the experimentation with styles found in its predecessor. While many fans were upset at the "toned down" Metallica, Reload extended Metallica's garnering of favor from the more mainstream music listening public.  It sold 436,000 copies in its first week, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 (remaining on the chart for 75 weeks), and garnered its own 3-time platinum status. 

Metallica released 3 singles from the album Reload.  "The Memory Remains" (peaking at #28 on Billboard's Hot 100), "The Unforgiven II" (peaking at #59), and "Fuel" (not charting in the US).  

Tucked in between these 3 songs is the album track "Devil's Dance".  It is one of 7 tracks from Reload that Metallica has performed live. Lyrically, "Devil's Dance" could very well have been an invitation from the red-suited character sitting on Kronk's shoulder or perhaps a conversation initiated in a wilderness...in the middle east...


As you read the testimony of Jesus' life as given in The Gospels, you see very quickly that there is an urgency about what Jesus must accomplish in His time among men.  Today's passage shows us that Jesus doesn't take the time to relish the whole "This is My Son..." moment at His baptism.  Mark, who is thought to have penned Peter's eyewitness account of Jesus' life, records that immediately after Jesus' baptism He is scooped away into the wilderness for 40 days. Matthew and Luke also hint at the brevity between Jesus' baptism and His wilderness time. Jesus' mission on earth had a short shelf life, but there was another who realized that his time is limited because of Jesus' mission.  Here is an interesting article to help inform you about the enemy of God:  8 Facts about Satan You Need to Know by Clarence L. Haynes Jr, June 18, 2020, crosswalk.com

All of The Gospel accounts indicate that after the 40 days were complete, Jesus was inundated by Satan, Lucifer, the one who could very possibly have been singing "Devil's Dance" to Jesus long before it was penned by James and Lars. 

"Let's dance..."

Something to consider.  There are 3 places in the Bible where Satan is allowed a conversation.  The first is in Genesis 3:1-7 NASB/AMP/KJV/ESV where Eve and Satan have their chat regarding obedience.  The second is in Job 1:6-12 NASB/AMP/KJV/ESV.  Here God begins the conversation by posing a challenge to His opponent regarding Job.  Finally, today's passage details the one on one between the hater of all mankind and the Savior of all mankind.  The enemy is quoted one other time in Isaiah 14:13-14 NASB/AMP/KJV/ESV in a passage that has a duality of implications. One is a reflection of a quote that God uses to taunt the nation of Babylon and the other details the account of the enemy's expulsion from God's presence.  

"...Hunger I will feed..."

Matthew and Luke both record more details about Jesus' confrontation with the enemy.  They both allude to the fact that Jesus spent 40 days eating nothing.  Both Matthew and Luke further attest to Jesus being hungry. Yup, Jesus was fully human.  I'm hungry after 4 hours, much less forty days, how about you? At a point where He was vulnerable, the narrative indicates the enemy attacks in an attempt to appeal to Jesus' humanity and physical well-being.  

Just like in Genesis ("Did God really say..."), Satan uses the opportunity for doubt to be leveraged in his favor.  ("If you really are God...").  Jesus takes the moment and dissuades the enemy with His own words... "  Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God."  Immediately Jesus slaps the devil down.  Jesus informs the enemy that His physical being, while nourished by bread, is not dependent on that bread.  The Words of God are sufficient for sustenance and are the source by which we are eternally nourished.  Jesus later refers to Himself as the bread of life.  His Word and His life are the only sustenance we truly need.  

Strike one!

Satan then retools His strategy by thinking he could venture down a similar route that Jesus did.  Satan takes God's word and manipulates it as a part of his next proposal.  Many in our day know what the Bible says.  They know it well enough in fact to use it to support their stance on the issue of the day.  (Search Tuesday's Musical Notes to see the various comments regarding using Philippians 4:13 or the current debate regarding student loan debt...Hey believers...stop!  just stop!!!) That is why Jesus started by saying we need to use the Word to sustain us.  Our foundation in knowing what God says about everything is imperative when we face those who wish to use God's Word for their own devices.  

In this instance...Jesus once again shuts the devil down...‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’  Jesus is saying...dude, I wrote the Book, I know what is in it and the context by which it is meant.  As we mature in our journey to become like Jesus, we need to know His Word as well as He does.  We need to know the context, the nuances, and yes, sometimes the original Hebrew and Greek to make sure we are equipped for the battle we will face.  I find it very interesting that there is no snarky quip or anything at all recorded as a reply by Satan when Jesus rebukes him.  

Yup, strike two!!

Finally, Lucifer then lays all the cards on the table and comes to the point of the entire exercise.  He wanted Jesus to worship him.  The enemy showed Jesus all of the kingdoms of the world and promised to give them to Jesus if Jesus would bow down and worship him.  Remember that Satan was cast out of heaven and into the earth and was given some power over it.  Satan, however, does not have the ultimate authority over the world.  The enemy has some power to shape kingdoms and feed the lusts of man, yet, as proven in Job, he does not have the power over life and death.  Jesus dismisses Satan and again takes the Word of God diffusing the claims that the enemy makes regarding his power.   “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”  I love how The Amplified Bible puts this:  "...For it is written and forever remains written,..."  Jesus is stating that the power that Satan has at the moment is fleeting, but the Word of God remains forever.  

Strike three...you're outta here!!!

Did you also notice that Satan did exactly what Jesus told him to do?  Satan had NO authority in the situation and Jesus had ALL authority.  Jesus' weakened, human, physical form was not a distraction from His being the holy, Spirit-filled, all-powerful Son of God.  This fact informs how Jesus was later able to endure the most horrific, torturous, form of capital punishment and still complete the salvific mission for which He came. 

You see friend, Jesus met the temptations of physical need, Biblical misinterpretation, and power because He loved you and me.  He allowed Himself to go face to face with the one who hates Him so you and I can spend an eternity in a restored relationship with God, our creator.  

So what do we do when invited to the devil's dance?  We follow the example that Jesus gave us.  We rely on  God's Word to deflect the bright and shiny objects that are paraded in front of us. We feast on the bread of life, we lean into God's strength and the wisdom found in His Word, then we command the enemy to leave our presence.

This is impossible to accomplish without a consistent study of and immersion in the Bible.  Satan knows Scripture, probably better than some believers, and will use it in whatever way he can to trip us up on our maturation process.  Ultimately when we are invited to the devil's dance, we can employ the name of the One who has already defeated Satan by boldly responding to him...“Go away, Satan! For it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”  

"...That's right...let's dance..." 

'Til Tuesday

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><
 

 

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Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Take Me To The River" (Talking Heads)

There are times in everyone's life when we feel submersed in something.  That something can be something we choose and enjoy, like say...a music collection, or it could be something that we do not enjoy that comes as a consequence of the decisions we have made.  

The times that aren't as enjoyable can make us feel like the bait in a shark week featurette.  The struggle to get to the surface can be suffocating as we anticipate never having our heads above water.  Our best efforts to feel the sun on our faces exhaust us physically.  Frustration exerts its power as the mental toll begins to take effect on our psyche, inflicting damage from which it will be difficult to recover.  
 
Hopefully over the spans of our entire lives balance is provided in those moments when we enjoy being underwater as we never doubt that air will soon return to our lungs and that our immersion serves as a purification from the day's labors or stresses.  There is a confidence that as we return to the surface a purpose has been served by our dallying beneath the surface.  A sense of renewed focus comes from the momentary deprivation of air, and priorities are re-established in the basic foundations of what we need to survive and how the stresses are minor in comparison to those needs.  It may very well be that at these times of our lives we find ourselves begging...drop me in the water!!!


Peaking at #26 is the cover of the Al Green (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" (Jackie DeShannon/Annie Lenox and Al Green)) classic by Talking Heads (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Burning Down The House" (Talking Heads), Tuesday's Musical Notes -"Once In A Lifetime" (Talking Heads))  The song was recorded and co-produced by the band and Brian Eno in Nassau, Bahamas.  

Interesting to note is that Talking Heads' version of "Take Me To The River" was not the only cover that was available of the song during the 76-78 time period.  Foghat had a version on their 1976 album Night Shift.  Bryan Ferry released his cover on the 1978 record The Bride Stripped Bare.  And Levon Helm of The Band (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The Weight" (The Band)) recorded his variant on his solo, self-titled collection, also released in 1978.  

While each of these bands contributed to the overall revenues received by Al Green, it would be Talking Heads' adaptation and release as a single that would be the most successful.   In the liner notes to Once In A Lifetime:  The Best of Talking Heads, lead singer/guitarist/songwriter David Byrne went so far as to say of the song and the fact there were 4 covers,  "More money for Mr. Green's Full Gospel Tabernacle Church I suppose." 

"Take Me To The River" is descriptive of a teenage romance.  Regardless of who's rendition you prefer, it is difficult if not impossible to get away from the illustration of baptism that is used.  The singer seems to be in a combination of those nuances of immersion we discussed earlier.  Because the relationship is complicated, we find the singer struggling to break the surface for air all the while being in the euphoria of being in love and doing whatever it takes to remain in the relationship.  Baptism serves as the metaphor, the example that most folks can understand as the singer explains his enhanced emotions.  Seems like I've read about baptism being used as an example before somewhere...


Today we experience an 18-year jump in the narrative of Jesus' life.  The Gospels do not account for the life of Jesus as He goes from the age of 12 where He was conversing with priests in the temple, to 30 when He presented Himself to John the Baptist.  The baptism of Jesus is considered by most Evangelical Christians as one of 2 ordinances that Jesus used as examples of what He was doing on our account.  The other is The Last Supper... more on that to come.

Today we see the manifestation of Isaiah's prophecy regarding John the Baptist, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord".   Isaiah 40:3 NASB/AMP/KJV/ESV  John the Baptist has been preaching to folks about salvation being through their personal restoration of the covenant with God.  The ultimate expression of that restoration comes to him in the wilderness, just like many folks were at the time, and asks John to baptize Him.

John, the beloved disciple, while not overtly describing the baptism of Jesus, did include the event early in his Gospel. https://The Gospel of Jesus according to the fisherman John, chapter 1, verses 29-34, NASB/AMP/KJV/ESV  As Jesus and His disciples approached, John the Disciple, tells of John the Baptist's proclamation of Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world".  Jesus was everything John the Baptist had been preaching about and here He was asking John to immerse Him in the waters of the Jordan river.  Click on this link for more about the Jordan River and its importance in the Bible:   "Where Was Jesus Baptized?" by Joel Ryan, November 2, 2020 - crosswalk.com

Remember that John the Baptist and Jesus were cousins.  John would have, at the very least, known Jesus' birth story as his mother Elizabeth shared her home with Jesus' mother Mary early in Mary's pregnancy.  Upon Jesus' approach, John the Baptist immediately recognizes his cousin and the divinity with which He commands.  

The Matthew record of this event describes John the Baptist's hesitancy at first to baptize Jesus as he feels unworthy.  Yet Jesus explains that John the Baptist must be the one to do it in fulfillment of Scripture.  John the Baptist acquiesces and immerses Jesus in the waters of the Jordan.  Upon Jesus' coming up out of the water, those who were witnesses saw the fulfillment of prophecy right before their eyes as 2 miraculous things occur. The Spirit of God descends on Jesus like a dove, and an approving audible voice is heard from heaven, "This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased."  This confirmation from heaven regarding Jesus as Messiah would launch Jesus' ministry and serve to solidify the core group of Jesus' disciples.  

Ok, so Jesus fulfilled prophecy by being dropped in the water.  He was lauded as the Messiah and confirmed by God in His ministry as He was brought up out of that water.  What does Jesus' baptism signify for us today?

Please understand that baptism is an ordinance of Jesus that has many conversations surrounding it.  I highly recommend you do your research about the significance of baptism and allow Holy Spirit to guide you in the interpretation of that research.  I will, however, explain what I have come to believe regarding this sacred example in which Jesus leads.  

Foremost, John called Jesus the One who takes away the sins of the world.  Jesus did everything that needed to be done.  There is no activity that you can do that will save you from the guilt that Adam and Eve perpetrated in the garden.   Your sins are removed at the point where you recognize that Jesus died for the restoration of your relationship with God, you ask for His forgiveness, and you covenant with Him to follow His leadership. 

Your sins are not removed because you have been baptized.  You are baptized as one of the first acts of obedience to Jesus' lordship in your life.  Your baptism serves as an object lesson about what Jesus has already done in your life and it is your testimony to the submission of the control of your life to Jesus.  It is your way of expressing how your life will from now on be conformed to becoming more like Jesus in every aspect.  

Friend, right now Holy Spirit is calling you to a restored relationship with God.  He is imploring you to make a change in the leadership of your life.  If you decide to follow this calling, the Bible says you will be restored, you will be saved.  Holy Spirit then comes to permanently reside in you and mentor you in the process of becoming like Jesus.  

If this is something you have already done, have you taken the next step in telling the whole world whose you are?  Baptism is the Jesus way of making that declaration.  Fully surrendered, fully filled, fully immersed, fully declaring...take me to the river, drop me in the water.  

As always, if I can help you find a church home that can explain this one-on-one with you, or I can answer your questions please let me know.  

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><

 

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Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Takin' Care Of Business" (Bachman-Turner Overdrive)

I don't know about you, but with each passing day, I find my life bombarded with more and more new opportunities.  Social media "informs" us, new technologies "educate" us, and the "apps of the day" make life more "convenient" for us.  One would think that all of these recent happenings would make our world a better place.  While this can be true, in some circumstances, these contingencies have the capability of complicating things.  I suppose the choice ultimately is ours to decide which will be which.  Our attitude and acceptance regarding this brave new world are dependent on our thought processes, belief systems, and how the culture in which we are enveloped has made us who we are.  

That doesn't eliminate the fact that we live in a world of constant change. How we navigate the nuances of our lives shows the world exactly who we are for the good or bad.  I think most of us are hoping that we can strike a balance between the good and bad and make sure that how others perceive us is mostly in the positive column of checks and balances. 

Being a positive person, much less a positive influence in an ever-changing world presents its series of challenges to partner with the ones with which we've visited above.  But with perseverance, getting in with the right bunch of fellows (placing ourselves in a position to be mentored by those younger than us as well as older), and some other good influences, we might find ourselves in a situation that at least seems like we love to work at nothing all day, that my friend is when we be takin' care of business...


I confess an affinity to any band that has a "Randy" in its midst!  Search and you will find that there are many musically inclined "Randy's" who have populated the rosters of bands that make up our musical heritage.  One of the most famous is Randy Bachman, the Canadian guitarist, singer/songwriter who founded the band Bachman Turner Overdrive with his brothers Robbie and Tim, and bassist Fred Turner.  

As a band, BTO realized 5 top 40 albums and 6 top 40 singles.  While this doesn't seem like a lot in comparison to some rock and roll bands, you must take into consideration what the singles were to get a good appreciation for the band's longevity.  "Let It Ride", "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", "Roll On Down The Highway", "Hey You", "Take It Like A Man", and today's featured song, "Takin' Care Of Business" continue to receive heavy airplay at classic radio and are featured countless times in movies, TV, and commercials.  

"Takin' Care Of Business" peaked at #12 on Billboard's Hot 100.  It spent 20 weeks on the chart, making it the longest charting single by BTO.  

It was a song that Randy Bachman developed while he was a member of The Guess Who.  Originally titled, "White Collar Worker", the first draft of the song was panned by The Guess Who's Burton Cummings because of its similarities to The Beatles' (Tuesday's Musical Notes - The Beatles blogs) song "Paperback Writer". One evening at a concert, and due to Fred Turner's voice playing out, Randy Bachman took the mic for the final song.  You guessed it, he sang "White Collar Man", but when the time for the chorus came, inspired by local DJ Darryl B's catchphrase, he changed the lyric to "Takin' Care Of Business".  The reception from the crowd was so positive that BTO amped up the tempo and played the song again for another ten minutes. 

To add to the legend of "Takin' Care Of Business" on May 7, 1994, Randy Bachman organized 1300 guitarists to set a Guinness Book of World Records..." most guitarists ever gathered that played for over an hour." and "Takin' Care Of Business" was the song they used.    

The success of "Takin' Care of Business" just goes to show how when you go about doing the things you are supposed to be doing, everything seems to work out in the end...something perhaps to ponder...or maybe treasure in your heart...


For quite some time now, we have been making our way through the great stories of the Bible.  We have come to the stories about Jesus called The Gospel as recorded by Matthew, a tax collector, Mark, an evangelist and disciple of Peter, Luke, a physician, and John, a fisherman.  These accounts tell us about the life of Jesus from the time of  John the Baptist's preaching about Him to His ascension into heaven.  

We don't know much about the life of Jesus from Joseph and Mary moving the family back to Nazareth as we saw last week (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "New Morning" (Bob Dylan)) until today's focal passage where Jesus is 12.  

Many make much about the fact that Jesus was a preteen at this time.  While the events we read about are miraculous, we must also remember the context of the times in which Jesus lived.  He would have probably by this time been at the very least an apprentice of Joseph's in the family carpentry business and would have had other familial responsibilities. 

As devout Jews, Mary and Joseph observed Passover annually in Jerusalem.  This allowed them some familiarity with the city during this busy time.  When the time came for them to make the journey back to Nazareth, Jesus stayed behind...unbeknownst to Mary or Joseph.  Safety was an issue when traveling any distance in the land at this time so Mary and Joseph attached themselves to a caravan of folks.  They thought that Jesus was with another part of the caravan.  After having a day of travel under their belt, the reality that Jesus was not with them came in full force.  After double-checking with their relatives and the other sojourners, Mary and Joseph began the trip back to Jerusalem.  They spent three days trying to discover Jesus' whereabouts. I can only imagine the panic that those three days held for the couple.  I panic if one of my grandkids gets out of my sight for a second...in my backyard!  When they found Jesus, they discovered Him conversing with those who were considered leaders...in...the...temple!  Others of the populace had gathered (remember we are only 4 days removed from Passover, the biggest day of the year in Jerusalem) as this 12-year-old listened to and asked questions of the teachers. The growing gathering was amazed at the knowledge and maturity of the boy Jesus. 

I love the reaction of Mary and Joseph in this instance.  Depending on the translation they were "bewildered, overwhelmed, amazed, and astonished".  I would imagine relief was a part of that emotional mix as well.  Then, the parent side came out in Mary..." Dude, your dad and I have been stressed out the last three days trying to find you!  Why would you do us this way?"  (That is a Randy paraphrase by the way). 

Jesus replied, "Didn't you know I that I would be in my Father's house, takin' care of business?" (again...paraphrase).  It is no surprise that anyone who heard Jesus' statement became somewhat confused.  "His Father's business?  Isn't His father a carpenter?  Does the temple need a repairman?"  (...you get the idea!) 

The confusion was Mary and Joseph's as well.  In light of all that they had experienced with Jesus' birth and His life to this point, it is easy for us to be critical of Mary and Joseph.  He was Jesus after all.  The angels had told them that this would happen.  However, we must look at this circumstance through Mary and Joseph's eyes.  After the panic subsided and relief began to take hold, their 12-year-old was asking theologically astute questions of the teachers in the temple.  "What have you been teaching Him at that carpentry shop?"  Mary and Joseph had not quite gotten the fulfillment of Jesus' ultimate mission on this earth. Chances are Joseph would never get that opportunity, as we rarely hear about Him in the remaining timeline of Jesus' life.
  
The Bible then explains that Jesus respectfully followed His folks home. He was God, but He humbled Himself as a YOUNG man and submitted Himself to Mary and Joseph's authority.   We aren't given any indication that Mary and Joseph meted out discipline to Jesus, the Bible simply says that "Mary treasured all of these things in her heart". This is the second time in this chapter that Dr. Luke details Mary's reaction to her situation in this way (see v. 19).  One would wonder if these "treasured" moments were recalled as should she stood at the foot of a cross some twenty or so years later as her Son became her Savior.  

The final verse of Luke 2 shows that Mary probably had many more things to treasure in her heart.  Jesus' increased in wisdom, not just knowledge, and stature.  In other words, Jesus grew up.  The final verse also says that his formative years were spent gaining favor with God and people.  Jesus' experience at the temple was the beginning of a lifestyle of righteousness, holiness, and ultimately fulfilling His mission on earth as our Savior...it short, Jesus spent the rest of His life, in the same manner, that He spent His time with the teachers at the temple...takin' care of business, every day, takin' care of business, every way...

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><

 

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Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "New Morning" (Bob Dylan)

I was in retail store management for 14 years.  It was a career that I liked.  From 1988 to 2002 I attempted to make the best of the 3 "P"s of retail: people, product, and placement.  Getting these things in sync meant maximization of another important "P", profits.  
The retail industry at the time was notorious for allowing management to experience many parts of the country by moving us around constantly.  We were never in one place for a long time.  From 1988 - 1991 we were in 5 different stores in 4 different towns with one company and then another 3 stores/towns with the last retail environment in which I was employed.    Add that to the 2 times we moved during college and that makes for a total of 9 places we lived in the first 8 years that we were married.  It makes me tired just thinking about it.  August was voted the month "most likely to move".  At least until we got to our current residence...she put her foot down about moving in August then.

With each of these moves, there was excitement at new discoveries that awaited, new things to be learned, and new folks to encounter.  I have to confess during those 8 years it seemed we were awakening in a new place with every new morning...


and for those who love alternate tracks...



One of the quickest record turnarounds in music history happened with the release of the album whose title track is our featured song.  New Morning was put on shelves only 4 months after the release of Bob Dylan's Self Portrait album.  The album New Morning was the 11th studio album released by the musical pioneer.  It featured George Harrison (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Got My Mind Set On You" (George Harrison), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The Light That Has Lighted the World" (George Harrison)) on guitar and Charlie Daniels on bass (who knew the fiddle man had those kinda skills?).   

Dylan denies that New Morning was put out because of the performance of Self Portrait as the previous record was being widely panned by critics and fans.  The singer/songwriter claims that most of New Morning was recorded even before Self Portrait was released.  One of those previously recorded songs would become the only single released from New Morning, the #25 hit "If Not For You".   This song would subsequently be recorded by Harrison and Dylan for Harrison's first post-Beatles album, the three-record set,  All Things Must Pass.  

The song "New Morning" while never released as a single from the record, continued the record's stylistic return to the more nasal folksy sound that had become Bob Dylan's trademark. This take on living life in the country is considered one of the "lighter" of Dylan's vast catalog of songs.  It also expresses some of the feelings that occurred for us as we moved so much in the early years of our marriage.  Most importantly, it could easily be seen as expressing the emotions of a young couple and their 2-year-old as they lived in a foreign country and contemplated the return to their homeland...


Israelites journeying out of Egypt back to Israel seems to be a recurring theme in the Bible.  If you take into consideration the symbolism behind both countries, Egypt as an archetype representing the "worldly" regions, and Israel being the illustration of more "Godly" regions, one can easily surmise that Joseph and Mary as devout Jews were eager to get out of their situation in Egypt.  They found themselves in Egypt as a result of being told by angels to go to escape Herod's death threats toward Jesus.  

We now find Herod dead and his son Archelaus on the throne of Judea.  The time had now come for Mary, Jesus, and Joseph to come back to Israel and find a home.  Even under Archelaus' rule, the situation would remain dangerous for Joseph and his family as the prophecies of the Messiah being the King of the Jews would have still been prevalent.  They were once again warned by God that Jerusalem was probably not the best place for them to take up residency.  Joseph leads his family to the region of Galilee, specifically a town called Nazareth.  Matthew then concludes this portion of Jesus' life with, "...And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene."  

If you go look in the Old Testament, none of the prophets come out directly and say that Jesus would be from Nazareth.  What the Old Testament prophets, specifically Isaiah, did say about Messiah was in they described a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.   Isaiah 11:1-5 NASB/AMP/KJV/ESV  

So what's the deal?  We must remember that ancient Hebrew was a far different language than our modern English.  The ancient Hebrew word for branch is netser.  Its roots, if you'll pardon the tree analogy,  N-TS-ER, share the same roots as the spelling of Nazareth in Matthew's time.  

Remember, Matthew by trade was a tax collector.  He would have been very interested in the regions folks lived in and would have made every effort to get cities and locations correct as he chronicled his version of The Gospel of Jesus.  So while there is no quotable prophet that says "Messiah will come from Nazareth", Matthew takes what was said in Isaiah and includes it as a play on words to show that what the prophets said about Jesus was coming true in more ways than one.  

Joseph settles his family in Nazareth.  It is in northern Israel just to the southeast of the Sea of Galilee.  The current city is just over 1.5 hours away from Jerusalem.  Nazareth served as the place where the young Jesus would spend his formative years with Mary and Joseph.  As the culture dictated, Jesus would have begun learning the carpentry skills of his earthly father Joseph while living in Nazareth.  This obscure village was the perfect place for the family to be tucked away out of the eyesight of those who might seek to harm Jesus as He was growing up.  

We honestly don't know specifics about Jesus' time in Nazareth.  None of the Gospel narratives explain anything about His childhood until He was about 12.  One would imagine, however,  that as the threat against His life diminished that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were all very thankful for the opportunity to be living a peaceful life underneath a sky of blue, on their new mornings...

'Til Tuesday
 Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><

 

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Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Getaway" (Parachute)

Over the past couple of weeks, I've tried an experiment.  I intentionally listened to Top 40 radio...  If you have been reading Tuesday's Musical Notes for any length of time, you understand that today's modern "music" rarely ends up featured on the blog.  I must be showing my age as I find myself migrating more and more to the hits of the 70s, 80s, and occasionally the 90s with the highlighted tracks from week to week.  

So, not wanting to be "that" old guy, I dropped the radio into a local Top 40s station.  My traverse across town to the office takes roughly ten minutes depending on traffic, so I had the opportunity to sample the musical and lyrical content of today's music in 3-4 samples of said music as I traveled.  Given I do lunch at home, my experiment afforded me the experience of anywhere from 12-15 "songs" a day over two weeks.  I also took a peek at the most recent Billboard Hot 100 (since we seemingly reference it every week) just to make sure what I was hearing were the top titles in the music industry today.  I consider myself pretty open-minded when it comes to musical experiences.  I love just about everything and I confess there are some musical expressions of which I am not a huge fan.  (Hip Hop, Rap, etc)  I do, however, listen to them on occasion to keep up with the times.  

In my exploration, I came across a couple of things that surprised me. 

First, I am curious as to where guitars went.  Riffs were nonexistent in the cuts that I heard.  There were no acoustic ballads led by a skilled musician.  It seemed that most of the "instrumental music" that I encountered was digitally sampled and computer generated.  The sounds that emanated from my speakers seemed to require more electrical engineer training than any specialized music training.  I kept waiting for a Rock-N-Roll screaming guitar to cause a power drain from the radio, yet alas and alack, there were none.  

Secondly, where was the Rock-N-Roll?  Are there no more Southern Rockers or folk singers in Top 40 land?  Where is the prodigy of Ozzy, Sabbath, Zeppelin, Mitchell, and Dylan?  I know that Wolfgang Van Halen recently put out an album in 2021 called Mammoth WVH.  It even had a song nominated for a Grammy!!!  Where is that song on the radio?

Thirdly, yes, this could be a long rant... There was very little poetry in the Top 40 songs that I heard.  There was a LOT of something that suggested that the modern music listener was a narcissistic, depressed human whose life goal was to be sexually active as much as possible.  Yes, I do realize there are TONS of sexually suggestive lyrics from my favorite decades of music, but there seemed to be a larger majority of "Walking On Sunshine" type songs in comparison to the "Let's Get It On" moments in those eras.  

Finally, I was surprised by a glimmer of hope.  On the most recent Billboard Hot 100, you might notice something a bit strange.  Sitting at #3 is a song from 1985!!!  "Running Up That Hill" is a single from Kate Bush's (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Don't Give Up" (Peter Gabriel featuring Kate Bush)) 1985 album Hounds of Love.  The resurgence of the song (Spotify says the streams for the song have increased 9900%) is because it was featured in the fourth season of the Netflix original show, Stranger Things.  "Master Of Puppets" (1986) by Metallica (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Seek And Destroy" (Metallica). Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Fade To Black" (Metallica)) also vaulted back into the top 40 because of their inclusion on the show, but have since seen the song drop out of the Top 40.   Both of these songs indicate that the music listening public is ready for something more than the current thumpin, bumpin' excuse for music. However, even with the increase in downloads and streams, it seems these "Classic" songs haven't been given any airplay.  No wonder "Classic Rock" Radio continues to muscle out the frequencies...

After two weeks, I couldn't take it any longer, I had to get up, get out, get going, and make a getaway...


Today's featured song is a perfect example of hope for today's music.  Released on the Wide Awake album, Parachute surprisingly, never released the song as a single.  Wide Awake hit #1 for U.S. Pop Albums on iTunes and peaked at #48 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart.  I must confess I had never heard of Parachute until doing research for today's Notes!  This discovery reduces some of the trauma delivered by my aforementioned two-week excursion into depths of despair and despotism that is today's radio faves. Too much?  It also provides the impetus for me to explore streaming a bit more.  Spotify here I come!!!

Ultimately, my little experiment reminded me that it is okay to have favorites that are different than what might be hip and modern...AND that this generation of music listeners will NEVER have a greatest hits/oldies radio station that dominates the airwaves.   Listening to it caused me to want to do something similar to another couple, a long, long time ago...getaway...


So we've eluded to parts of this story before as we visited 2 weeks ago about the Magi.   (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Counting Stars" (OneRepublic))  Remember after seeing Jesus, the Magi were tipped off by God in a dream to not return to Jerusalem and Herod as they began their journey back to their homeland.  Herod realizes that he has been stood up by the Magi and flies into a rage.  Dude was a bit crazy anyway, during his reign he killed his father-in-law, several of his 10 wives, and 2 of his sons.  After his encounter with the Magi, his crazy goes into overdrive as he hears the story of a new King of the Jews that has been born in Bethlehem.  He feels so threatened by this new King that He decides to kill every male child under the age of 2 in Bethlehem.  "...Rachel weeping for her children..."

Warned about the impending danger by another angelic visit, Joseph gets up, gets out, gets going, and proceeds to have a hasty getaway...C'mon Mary, let's go see the pyramids...and keep Jesus safe..  Egypt at that time was friendly to Israel, so the fact that the Savior of the world would escape there is less of a surprise, given the history between the two nations.  Yeah...guess who built those pyramids...

2 big takeaways from Joseph making his family's getaway to Egypt.  First, he was immediately obedient.  He didn't harangue God and make excuses about everything he had going on in his life.  He realized the imminent danger, gathered his family, and obediently made the getaway.

Secondly, the prophecy about the Messiah was once again able to be fulfilled because of God's plan for the salvation of the world.  "...out of Egypt, I have called My Son..."  Hosea 11:1 NASB/AMP/KJV/ESV This is the way.  Yup, shameless Mandalorian reference....Couldn't resist!

How about you friend?  Are you in a situation where all you want is to get out?  I guess the question is why do you keep waiting?  God has a way for you to get out and plan for you to do miraculous things for Him.  Jesus is the plan to get out.  He is God (God the Son, part of the Trinity, including the Father and Holy Spirit).  He came to earth as a blood sacrifice to provide pardon for the contrary things that we do.  He did this as the Baby we've visited about the last couple of weeks.  He grew and lived a perfect life.  Yup, His is the measuring stick by which we will one day be judged.  It would be a good thing to have his blood covering us at that moment don't ya think?  He was killed in a torturous way by a murderous crowd who did not believe Him to be who He said He was, even after they saw the miraculous things that He did.  He was buried in a tomb that was sealed by the government.  After 3 days, that tomb was emptied of Jesus as He came back to a resurrected life and was seen by many, many folks.  His followers watched as He ascended into the sky with the promise on His lips of His return for those who believe. All of this was done so that the perfect relationship that was destroyed by man in Eden, can be restored by The Man, Jesus on a hill called Golgotha.  This restoration is only for those who believe even though they haven't been witness to the miraculous like Joseph was.  

Just like Joseph, God is calling you first of all to salvation in Him through Jesus, and secondly to do things in this life that He has planned.  Our immediate obedience to both will determine if we can get out of that life-threatening circumstance.  So what's keeping you from having your eternity secured with the God who created you and loves you without condition?  I think Parachute has the proper encouragement..."We just gotta, get up, get out, get going, and make a getaway..." 

'Til Tuesday,

Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
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