Music is sometimes like the weather in Arkansas. If you have a favorite season, wait a minute or two and it will probably be here. That being said, all of you coming to Arkansas for the Eclipse should be reminded that storm shelter space is at a minimum...it is tornado season here in Arkansas on April 8th after all!!! Make sure you watch Twister before you traipse all this way for a grand total of 4 minutes and 28 seconds max. Total Solar Eclipse FAQ
And now back to your regularly scheduled blog already in progress...
Sure the trends from the past that reemerge are reimagined when they are brought back, but the foundations of what made them great are still there, guiding us back to remember why we loved that style to begin with. Such is the case of today's featured song and its musical genre, Rockabilly.
Some folks called it the Boogie-Woogie. Others preferred the slower version with its Doo-Wops. But most everyone can agree that this amalgamation of Country/Western and Rhythm/Blues called Rockabilly is the very beginning of Rock-N-Roll. (No, nothing Taylor Swift does should be considered Rock-N-Roll, it's Pop, and there is a difference. Sorry, I digressed again. I promise I'll try to refrain... Go 49'ers!!!)
Rockabilly came into popularity for the first time as the cradle for Rock-N-Roll in the 50s. Most of the best rockabilly bands hailed from the south, but its popularity would grow so quickly, soon bands from around the world were attempting to replicate the unique sound. It would eventually give us Eddie Cochrane (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Summertime Blues" (Eddie Cochran/Alan Jackson)) Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Jailhouse Rock" (Elvis Presley)), Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Promised Land" (Chuck Berry)), The Shirelles, and The Drifters to name a few.
Back to our conversation about musical cycles. Some bands toyed off and on with the Rockabilly/Swing style and then The Brian Setzer Orchestra (yup, the lead singer for Stray Cats), and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in the 90s showcased how the genre, sometimes known as Swing revival - wikipedia.org, would come back in huge ways. But it all began with a huge meow...
It would be the second single by the band Stray Cats that would get them on the hot tin roof and stir up a new generation to investigate swing dancing and Rockabilly music. Released on August 31, 1982 (8 months after its release in the UK from the debut album Stray Cats), "Rock This Town" would introduce the Reagan generation to a sound that their grandparents had enjoyed and perhaps even danced the jitterbug. Coming from the band's US debut album, Built For Speed, "Rock This Town" purred its way onto the charts, eventually peaking at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Rock This Town" has been used continuously in media of every kind, especially in video games. (Guitar Hero II and Cars (video game inspired by the Pixar film)) The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame deemed "Rock This Town" so influential that it named the song to its 2004 500 Songs That Shaped Rock - infoplease.com list. It just goes to show ya, that with a great song you can "...Rock this town Rock it inside out, We're gonna rock this town Make 'em scream 'n' shout. Let's rock, rock, rock, man, rock We're gonna rock 'til we pop Gonna rock 'til we drop We're gonna rock this town Rock it inside out..."
Acts of the Apostles as recorded by Luke, a physician, chapter 21, verse 15 through chapter 26 New American Standard Bible/The Amplified Bible/English Standard Version of the Bible/King James Version of the Bible parallel
Based on videos I've seen, Stray Cats caused quite a ruckus when they came to town for a concert. Their fan base was a composite of the punk scene, pop music, big band, and even country fans. One would imagine that this mix would result in some "interesting" interactions between these groups. The same can be said of the Apostle Paul.
We've seen time and again where Paul and his companions would come into a town to teach the Gospel, the good news about restoration to God through Jesus. Initially, there would be much rejoicing by the fellow disciples and then it seemed that with the spread of the Good News also came with pushback towards Paul and his confederates. It seemed that the most inflamed of these folks were the Jews of the town. While unintentional it seemed that Paul rocked the town and made them scream and shout.
Paul was a Jew himself and on the fast track to the Sanhedrin (ruling group of Jewish leaders) when he was blindsided by the risen Jesus. Paul repented of his ways and with the help of a group of disciples (including some of the original 12), Paul began 4 trips on his ministry of spreading the Gospel around the known world. His final journey would be the most volatile and "interesting".
We saw last week that Paul was on his way to Jerusalem. Even though the fellow believers he encountered along the way discouraged the trip, Paul felt compelled to complete the journey, wherever it led. When he arrived, as had happened in so many towns, he was received warmly by the Jerusalem disciples of Jesus. Paul gets to interact with James and the other elders, probably those of the 12 who were still alive and not traveling themselves. Paul tells of all of the miraculous events from his travels. The most incredible being the repentance and salvation of people, especially the Gentiles of the regions he traversed. The news about Jews and Gentiles coming to faith was concerning to the local believers and they hoped to avoid similar conflicts to what Paul had experienced elsewhere. They suggested and Paul acquiesced to Paul and 4 other men observing the purity rituals to attempt to placate the Jews. As for the Gentiles, they sent letters to them respectfully requesting that they abide by some of the Jewish religious dietary customs as well as other purity issues that would not affect the freedom they had found in Jesus. Even though Paul had followed Jewish customs, Jews from Asia, the region where Paul had spent most of his preaching time, stirred up the crowd against Paul. "...You looked at me once, looked at me twice, looked at me again there's gonna be a fight..."
The confrontation became so intense that it caught the notice of a local troop of Roman soldiers. Paul, seen as the source of the unrest, was soon bound and interrogated. The disturbance was so loud the centurion was getting nowhere and ordered Paul to be brought to the Roman garrison for his questioning. This inquiry led to the centurion discovering that Paul was educated and not exactly who the Roman thought him to be. Paul then asked for permission to address the crowd.
Paul began to address them in Hebrew, which quickly gained their attention and silenced the crowd. Paul then goes into a testimony of his life including his grand redemption and interaction with Jesus on the road to Damascus. When Paul completed the reflection of his life, the crowd burst into an even angrier uproar. The Romans, who were motivated to keep the peace, quickly drew Paul back into the barracks and began the process of punishment including flogging Paul. Just as the whips are about to be loosed upon him, Paul quickly asks the guards if it is lawful to flog a Roman citizen. I can imagine an immediate, almost comedic, halt of the whips. Upon learning this, Paul was released and a council of the Jewish leaders was ordered by the centurion.
The council convenes and Paul gives the Jewish leaders more than they could stand. He pits the Sadducees (who believed there is no resurrection) against the Pharisees (believers in resurrection) who populated the council against each other. "...We're gonna rock this town, rock it inside out..."
The tumult became so bad that Paul had to be removed from the council as the Roman guards were afraid for Paul's life and he was now their responsibility as a Roman citizen.
Paul then escapes a conspiracy to kill him and he is immediately moved to Caesarea Maritima under the protection of seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen. Paul has now become a Roman problem and must be dealt with according to the Roman laws. In as much, he makes his way to the governor of the region Felix. Felix gets the low down from the soldiers and eventually takes an audience with the Jewish leaders to get their perspective on Paul's case. With flowery, flattering language the Jewish rulers present their case. Felix as a Roman governor had a healthy skepticism of the Jews.
Then as is the custom in a Roman proceeding, Paul had his opportunity to defend himself. Paul shows of his educated background as he unpacks his most recent history and recounts The Way in which he now approaches and lives his life. Felix had just enough information about the early believers to be familiar with The Way and recesses the audience to take council and decide Paul's fate. During this time, Paul was essentially placed under house arrest with many freedoms and access to his friends who ministered to him.
Several days later, Felix, who had apparently left the area, returns with his Jewish wife Druscilla in tow. Felix is in the hope that Paul would attempt to bribe him but as that did not occur, the couple listened intently to Paul's testimony and recounting of righteousness through Jesus. Felix becomes frightened by the things Paul is saying (Holy Spirit at work?) and sends Paul away. Wash, rinse, and repeat for two years until Felix is replaced as governor by Porcius Festus. During these two years, Paul remained imprisoned.
With Paul in prison and a new governor installed, the Jewish leadership thought they would attempt to retry Paul. They hoped that Festus had a more attentive ear to their complaints. The Jews wished to have Paul returned to Jerusalem to stand trial in their court. When Festus asked if Paul was willing to return to Jerusalem, Paul pulled the Caesar card (which he could do as a Roman citizen) and appealed to the highest court in the land. This infuriated the Jewish leaders but there was nothing else they could do. But wait there is more...
King Agrippa II and his wife Bernice ruled over the Judean region of the Roman Empire. As they were travelling they came to Caesarea Maritima where Paul was being held. Festus explained the dilemma he had in that he found no reason by Roman rule for Paul to be punished as the Jews desired. They were richly entertained by Festus who had Paul brought before them (perhaps as entertainment). Paul didn't miss a beat and quickly regaled Agrippa with his experience with Jesus. Festus claimed that Paul had gone insane due to his intense education. Paul calmly reminded Festus that his sanity was intact and that Agrippa in fact had some familiarity with The Way in which Paul spoke. Agrippa was not an out-of-touch King of the region and had heard all about the goings on regarding Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. At one point in Paul's impassioned telling of his salvation, Agrippa blurts out, "In a short time you are going to persuade me to make a Christian of myself.” (Acts 26:28) To which Paul replied that he wished not only Agrippa but everyone under the sound of his voice would become believers. We don't see in Scripture where Agrippa responded to Paul. But Agrippa's acquaintance with the story served to provide no extra council to Festus. After the royal party left Paul, they deliberated and concluded that Paul had done nothing to justify any further punishment. However, Paul had appealed to Caesar and to Caesar he must go...
In The Gospel of Jesus according to John, a fisherman, chapter 15, verse 18 NASB/AMP/ESV/KJV Jesus gives us a primer on what Paul experienced every step of his life after Paul repented and surrendered his life to become a Jesus follower. This meant everywhere Paul went, he told the story of his redemption and Jesus' sacrifice. This is a message that continues to resonate, but it also continues to stir things up. Paul's story in this portion of Acts is a tutorial on how we are to testify in the difficult moments of our lives. We must remember that as we rock our towns, rock them inside out, and rock till we pop, rock till we drop, we will definitely make some folks scream and shout and maybe even rip some towns apart. But because of Jesus and His righteousness, we will have the boldness through Holy Spirit to speak even to the highest rulers of our land. So go ahead, Rock this town, rock it inside out...
'Til Tuesday
Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
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