Melodic Mondays
Those of you who know me know that I love music even though I am not musical myself. I listen to good music as often as I can. It is beneficial to the brain, valuable to the vocabulary, and strengthening to the soul. Isaiah 12:2-3 is a lovely passage that includes this soaring statement of surety: “The Lord JEHOVAH [YAHWEH] is my strength and my song.” This could be translated, “God is my mountaintop and my music.” Yes, He is! Each Monday, I want to study this subject and suggest a song to listen to. Anyone reading this devotional has easy access to any song. (I am an exception because I do not go on a computer or other information device.) If you do not like my suggestion (and we all have different tastes), you can think of or search for one that speaks to you. Then, it can become a source of encouragement throughout the week.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of the Christian faith. Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:3-4 that “I have delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” One of the oldest hymns of the Church is “The Day of Resurrection.” It was written in the 700’s by the esteemed John of Damascus, one of the greatest theologians of the Eastern Orthodox tradition. It was translated to English in the 1800’s. The original music accompanying this translation was from the works of J. Michael Haydn, younger brother of the better-known Franz Joseph Haydn. This version is not available on-line (although I do have it in an old hymnal). One that is available uses the same tune that we associate with “Lead On, O King Eternal.” We have chosen the rendition by Kings College Choir, which employs the tune of “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna.”