WITHOUT A SONG
A meditation by
Rev. Dr. Randle R. (Rick) Mixon
First Baptist Church, Palo Alto, CA
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Text: Colossians 3:12-17
When I was boy in Boise, the nearest we had to a classical radio station was one that featured easy listening with Mantovani and numbers from the Norman Luboff choir. Occasionally there would be a song from Broadway, sung in the rich baritone of Earl Wrightson. My memory is that one of his signature songs was Vincent Youmans and Billy Rose’s beautiful, “Without a Song.” Of course, we could hear our own Bob Towner do justice to its haunting sentiment,
Without a song, the day would never end.
Without a song the road would never bend.
When things go wrong, a man ain't got a friend
Without a song.
That field of corn would never see a plow.
That field of corn would be deserted now.
A man is born, but he's no good no-how
Without a song.
I got my troubles and woe,
but sure as I know that Jordan will roll
I'll get along as long as a song is strong in my soul.
I'll never know what makes the rain to fall.
I'll never know what makes the grass so tall.
I only know there ain't no love at all
Without a song!!
There is truth in this sentiment that is also contained in the music of the church, especially in the hymns we sing. Our favorite hymns are not necessarily favorite because of their profound theology, their elegant musical setting, the quality of their poetry or their contemporary relevance. The songs in our hearts are deeply emotional and speak to us at subconscious and irrational levels. That is why the battles we sometimes get into over hymnody are so passionate and, in the end, unwinnable.
I remember Dean Applegate, a friend in high school, who loved to puncture the lifting up of “good old Baptist hymns.” He was something of a musical and liturgical snob for a Baptist boy from Wilder, Idaho, and he delighted to point out that those songs our Baptist sisters and brothers so cherished were not hymns, they were gospel songs; they were not Baptist, they were mostly Methodist in origin; they were not old, having been written in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; and they most certainly not good, according to Dean, anyway.
Though I may have agreed with his judgment at one time, it is a source of fascination for me now how those songs of my childhood and youth stick with me, how often a word or a phrase or a chorus or just a snatch of melody will come swelling into my memory, entirely unbidden, speaking some word of comfort or challenge or understanding or wonder.
The songs we are singing this morning are mostly not from that “good old Baptist” collection of songs and hymns, but the testimonies of the women who chose them still speak of the kind of heartfelt meaning that these hymns and songs hold for them – stories of childhood and youth, understandings of God and creation, calls to discipleship, to faith, hope and love, to justice and compassion, to peace and contemplation. They may appeal to our intellects, our sense of order, our understanding of goodness, our appreciation of beauty, our love of God and neighbor, but they are also heart songs – the songs without which the road would never bend, the songs that come like old familiar friends. These are the songs that give us hope for the future, comfort in distress, yes, sometimes even a glimpse of the very face of God.
Oh yes, we may have troubles and woe, but sure as we know that Jordan will roll we'll get along as long as a song is strong in the soul. Immortal, invisible God only wise, we may never know what makes the rain to fall; we may never know what makes the grass so tall; but in you we know there ain't no love at all without a song, your song. Amen.
This service focused on hymns and hymnody. Below you will find the background, scripture and commentary from the person who chose the hymns for this service:
When in Our Music God Is Glorified
“Hymns and church music can, indeed, be a ‘new dimension’ for those who lift up their hearts and voices to praise God…[Fred Pratt Green’s] hymn reminds us that it is God who should be lifted up and honored in the music of the church…”
(Daniel Merrick/David Polk in Chalice Hymnal: Worship Leader’s Companion)
Now when the priests came out of the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to their divisions), all the levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kindred, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with one hundred twenty priests who were trumpeters. It was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to [God], and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to [God],
“For [God] is good, for [God’s] steadfast love endures forever,”
the house, the house of [God], was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of [God] filled the house of [the Holy One] .
2 Chronicles 5:11-14
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
“This hymn is filled with phrases alluding to scripture. The metaphor of light, which unveils objects while it hides its source, is a recurring theme. Additionally, [the author] uses other images of nature, such as mountains, to suggest the strength of God’s justice, and clouds to serve as a reminder of the ongoing supply of goodness and love.”
(Rinda Coleman/Daniel Merrick in Chalice Hymnal: Worship Leader’s Companion)
To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 1:17
Your steadfast love, O [God], extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgments are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O [God].
Psalm 36:5-6
This hymn expresses the sense of the mystery of God, beyond our ability to visualize or comprehend. It reminds us that God is God in all people, and for all people. Even as we grow and make good use of what we are given we do not stand alone but are like leaves on a tree. We depend on the trunk for support and we are mortal. Only God remains and is still at work in the world.
Mary Granholm
This Is My Father’s World
“The Reverend Maltibie Babcock, it is said, often left his home for an early morning walk up a hill overlooking Lake Ontario with the farewell, ‘I am going out to see my Father’s world.’ We are grateful that he did, since many of us, city-bound, are left to experience vicariously, that world where ‘rocks and trees,’ ‘skies and seas,’ caroling birds, ‘morning light’ and ‘flowers bright,’ and ‘rustling grass’ all join in praise of the Creator.”
(Robert Reister in Chalice Hymnal: Worship Leader’s Companion)
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
You have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
Psalm 8:3-5
This is a hymn we sang often many years ago. I like the message: God created a gem of a planet! The advantages show clearly in photos of earth from space. When our astronauts were in space, they read from Genesis, but I prefer the 8th Psalm, verses 3-5. The hymn also tells us to take care of the earth. We should try to do a better job.
Marylea McLean
Be Still My Soul
“On first reading one might think this hymn counsels the Christian to adapt an almost fatalistic quietism. We are to ‘bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.’ If one searches the text more deeply, however, it is clear that the believer is not alone in suffering: ‘through thorny ways [God] leads to a joyful end’…the poet’s…words witness to a faith that can endure all things, all stresses, all times of trial, because God’s faithfulness is constant, even in the face of tumultuous change.”
O. I. Harrison in Chalice Hymnal: Worship Leader’s Companion
Be still before [God], and wait patiently for [the Holy One];
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
Psalm 37:7
“Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10
For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
1 Timothy 4:10
“I'd like this hymn to be used at my memorial service.
First, I liked the tune (Finlandia). Then around 1980, a friend of mine told me a story about a missionary in a remote place,somewhere in South America, I think. When he was killed by an aboriginal, this is the hymn that sustained his family. But the story didn't end there. Later on, that aboriginal man learned about Christ's love, and accepted Him. I was very moved by the story, whether it is true or not. With an added story like this, the words plus the tune gives me real comfort.
In 1983, Paul and I chose Finlandia, in different words, at our wedding ceremony.”
Sachiko Berry
Just as I Am, Without One Plea
“Deeply personal, [this hymn] emphasizes that one comes before Christ empty-handed, saved by grace alone…Charlotte Elliott…an invalid for the last fifty years of her life…wrote these words after a sleepless night. Troubled by her weakness, she felt ‘tossed about with many a doubt.’ As her family attended a church bazaar, she wrote down for her own comfort her…deepest understanding of her own faith. Her words…were a simple, candid expression of trust and personal confession. [The hymn] freely acknowledges the conflicts, doubts, fightings, and fears within all of us. Yet, at the same time it acknowledges that those who come in true humility and faith in the crucified One will find welcome, pardon, cleansing, and relief. “
(Ed Huey in Chalice Hymnal: Worship Leader’s Companion)
Everything that [God] gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of [the one ] who sent me.
John 6:37-38
But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.
Ephesians 2:13-14
It was Sunday night in a little two-room schoolhouse with the divider pushed back and the desks pushed to either side. The Congregation was singing “Just As I Am” over and over again as if they were waiting for me to move down that aisle. I did and accepted Christ as my Savior. I remember the joy, the feeling of homecoming, and the overwhelming relief of “no Hell for me.” Little did I realize that Hell was not the point; Jesus wanted a living, loving relationship with me. Wow! WOW! The relationship is still a work-in-progress, and I am still accepted, just as I am.
Thelma Parodi
Dear Lord, and Father of Mankind
“The hymn text is made up of the closing stanzas of a longer poem by [noted abolitionist] John Greenleaf Whittier that contrasts the ecstatic frenzy of some worship with the quietness of the poet’s Quaker upbringing . [My old friend, Anne Anderson, used to remind us that the word ‘foolish’ in the first stanza is actually “feverish” in the original text, more in keeping with Whittier’s sensibility.]
Frederick Maker’s tune REST was composed for this text (hence, its title.) Carlton Young’s judgment is that it ‘begins in lethargy, continues in monotony, and ends in a soothing snooze.’ [Jan, Ruth and I emphatically disagree.]”
(David Polk in Chalice Hymnal: Worship Leader’s Companion)
As Jesus past along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
Mark 1:16-18
And after he had dismissed the crowds, [Jesus] went up the mountain by himself to pray.
Matthew 14:23a
He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before [God], for [God] is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before [God, but [God] was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but [God] was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but [God] was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
1 Kings 19:11-12
“The high school years were my period of greatest uncertainty and stress. Mother’d had a ‘nervous breakdown.’ I attended 4 high schools in a little over 3 years, knowing I’d be on my own financially with whatever skills I would have acquired. Despite carrying heavy responsibility at home, an accelerated schedule at school, and starting to date, I made the honor roll. My class was the last to graduate before Pearl Harbor.
It was during those high school years that this hymn became my lifelong prayer, helping me through it all by reassuring me of God’s caring presence and will. Because of what this hymn taught me then, and subsequently reminds me, I have been at peace in life’s ups and downs, knowing that God works with me, to bring good out of everything that happens to me. “
Ruth Owen