Welcome to Tuesday and Tuesday's Musical Notes where the featured music is as different as the falling snowflakes. Today is a perfect example of why you should check back week to week to see what is going on in Notesland! Each week we remind or introduce our wonderful readers to music that perhaps they wouldn't necessarily push play on or add to their playlist, but maybe, just maybe they'll like the song and enjoy the Notes unpacking of its background. Are you new to Tuesday's Musical Notes? Well, sidle on over to the left-hand side of your screen and check out the archives which are bound to include some of your favorite music that is given that special, little Tuesday's Musical Notes twist. 
Thanks for stopping by!!! And now, without further adieu, let's all get in our ice cream van and head off to one of the most unique songs we've ever explored. All aboard for Mu Mu Land...
In one of the oddest pairings in popular music history, British Electronic band, The KLF, called up iconic Country Music superstar Tammy Wynette in Tennessee to provide vocals for this reimagining of their song that was originally released in 1987 on a previous album. "Justified And Ancient" had many iterations through various recordings but never quite attracted the following to make many moves up the charts.
The 1991 version of the song, "Justified And Ancient (Stand By The Jams)", with its intentional play on titles (Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" released 23 years prior) became the single from The White Room that would put The KLF into the top 20 on the Hot 100 (peaked at #11), and soar to #1 on the US Dance Chart. Wynette's vocals were recorded in Nashville and personally produced by The KLF's, Bill Drummond, who was known to have a fondness for Country Music. The single would become Wynette's first entry to the Billboard Hot 100 since 1969. To this day it is one of the only Electronica recordings to feature a pedal steel guitar and serves as the final single to be released by The KLF commercially. It seemed it was time to park the ice cream van and limit some of the band's journey to roam across the land. In May 1992, The KLF announced their retirement from the music business having never quite ascended the mountains of Mu Mu Land.
The website dictionary.com defines the word "justified" as having been shown to be just or right. In the first four chapters of the book of Romans, Paul began his letter to the church in Rome by detailing how they were considered right, or righteous because of what Jesus had done for them on the cross and what He continued to do in their lives. In the remainder of his letter, what we know of as chapters 5-16, Paul takes this idea of righteousness and expands the conversation. He begins to detail what the results of trying to live a right life would be and how that might appear to others. In some ways, Paul takes this ancient idea of righteousness and in the next 11 chapters details how that righteousness leads to faith which leads to us being justified, shown to be just or right, in the eyes of God.
He begins with "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:1-2 NASB Because of our faith in Jesus, our lives will be transformed and justified as we live by His instructions and the example He gave with His life. Paul challenges the Romans, and us, to be dead to our old ways of life and live a life that is emblematic of the faith we have in Jesus. Because of this life transformation, we are eternally linked to Jesus and united with Him forever. In some ways that makes us justified AND ancient.
Our unity with Jesus doesn't eliminate the constant tension we will feel because of our sinful natures and the dying world in which we live. Paul reminds us that we cannot be sold out to Jesus and continue to live in our sin. Our new nature will not, nor should it ever, compete with our old nature as there is nothing better than what our future is with Jesus. Because of Jesus' victory over death and the grave, we can live lives that celebrate our victory through Him. I don't know about you, but far too many believers tend to appear defeated rather than joyful. Far too many believers tend to appear to be okay with continuing their sin rather than being free and justified. Far too many believers tend to focus on living in this world and not living for the next. Paul challenges us as he did the Romans to be better than that!
Paul's focus then shifts to the Jews in the church. He takes a moment and shows them the ancient foundations of how God called them as His chosen people and how that should have impacted their influence through history. Paul shows them that all of the benefits that they have seen as a nation have been a result of His mercy, not anything they have done. The Roman Jews are then reassured that even with the sins of the past, they as a nation are not rejected. They too, through Jesus, can be justified by faith in Him.
With the culture of the time in Rome, Paul takes a moment and advises the church to have respect for their rulers, going so far as to say that they are to be "subject to the governing authorities." Romans 13:1 Perhaps a reading of this chapter would be good for American believers to digest during this election year. Romans 13 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV
Paul takes the final portions of his letter to encourage unity among the believers in the church. Remember the Jewish believers had been expelled by Emperor Claudius. Five years later they were allowed to return and found a church that they almost didn't recognize. Their attempt to apply ancient Jewish laws to modern Gentile believers resulted in disunity in the church. Paul gently admonished this schism and encouraged Jewish believers that because of Jesus, they didn't have to live by the Mosaic Law. They were free from the sin that the Law pointed out and their fellow Gentile believers were never bound by those laws. As Paul writes in chapter 14:1 - "Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not to have quarrels over opinions." Ever had quarrels with believers over an opinion? How was that last business meeting at your church?...
Ok, so we live by faith, are dead to our sin, are living a united life with Jesus, and have our focus through the Holy Spirit's power on Him. What does this mean for our interpersonal relationships with others? It's simple. Paul reminds us through the back half of this letter to a church that was having divisions, that our love for Jesus should manifest itself by loving Jesus and then loving everyone else. The Gospel of Jesus according to Matthew, a tax collector, Chapter 22, verses 37-40 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV This kind of justified and ancient love will never cause a division. This kind of justified and ancient love will cause a tremendous amount of mercy, grace, and joy among those who share it. They might even shout..."Turn Up The Strobe!" This kind of justified and ancient love causes a unity that serves as a magnet to the world. You can't get that in an ice cream truck on the way to Mu Mu Land no matter if you do have Tammy Wynette leading the way...
'Til Tuesday,
Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
<><
No comments:
Post a Comment