I love music! It has a powerful influence on me! Songs can bring out the sadness and reflection in me. Or the playful joy! Or deep love and awe. Or inspire fearless courage! It somehow unlocks doors to the recesses of my mind that generally stay quietly out of focus.
And I don't really mind what type of music! - as long as it is well done, with a little different something to capture my mind's attention! It has been the reason why I have happily followed along with the changing music styles of the years. I've found beautiful songs from them all!
But I've found that the words are a big part of the meaning of the song to me. Generally, if I relate to them a lot, the song becomes mine! We helped lead songs at church yesterday - two were very new, but big and powerful, and one was a hymn done with a country feel. One of the older members came up to me afterwards and said that they really loved singing the old songs, but that they enjoyed the new music too.
I was sitting here this in my garden this morning, thinking about that. (The song "I come to the garden alone..." had slipped into my mind from long ago). Not a new thought to me. I know there's power in the nostalgia of songs from our past. But something new did occur to me.
Singing those old songs as I grew up, was mostly about the tune and rhythm and storytelling words. But now, at this stage in my life, there's something more. I'm starting to see in those words, reflections of my own God-experiences! I'm relating to the things written as if I had expressed them myself! I'm seeing that I now know God as they had! I didn't relate as much before, because they were further along in their walk than me! But now I sense in them, my experiences with the same God. And it's beautiful to feel the connection!
Having said that, my mind still likes fresh! So I like a new twist on the old - with a tweek to the rhythm, use as a medley with new songs, or a subtle (or not so subtle 😄) melody change. The new worship songs speak in a conversational style that follows the form my mind would naturally take - so I can be deeply moved by them too! But I love that I'm finding more and more connection to the writers of long ago.
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