Liturgy as Newspaper

Hot off the press, something has happened and is being reported as fact, taking place in space and time. We read, we think, we converse--we respond. Come in off the sidewalk and pick it up. It is declarative of something fresh, something alive--the news of a dynamic God on the move. He is assembling a people, building a kingdom, renewing the cosmos. Just as we open our city's daily newspaper with the expecation of being informed and even challenged by the realities of our world, so might we open our liturgies with the expectation of being informed and indeed challenged by the realities of our God and His world. War is Over, Christ is Risen.

Of Criminals and Their Transporation

Driving through South City the other day. Stopping at a red light I look next to me and see a St. Louis Metropolitan Police van. This was no ordinary van. Through the windows a steel cage was visible, seemingly custom fit to match the entire space of the back portion of the vehicle. Then it hit me--People ride in the back of that van, locked inside that cage, through busy traffic, right down the middle of countless city streets. These are human beings who have, to some degree, forfeited their humanity through their crimes, many of which dehumanize their victims. Though my understanding of our justice system is extremely limited, I think it says something profound when we put a fellow human being behind bars. In effect, we are stating, "You have violated an image-bearer, another creature representative of the Creator God. This is ultimately an offense against God. As a result, measures must be taken to see that you answer for your actions." However incarceration must never be the end of the story. Should we not consider everything from the cage, to the courtroom, to the prison cell as means to the end goal of reconciliation with and restoration to humanity, the very community in which they committed the crime? This side of the Fall I would like to think of every van with a cage I see as the first step in restoring a criminal to his own humanity and humanity at large.

The Essential Hook

In song writing, I am finding there must be a hook. Obvious as it may be, you have got to provide the listener with something to hang their hat on. I realize some will argue against this claiming repetition to be the cheap wine for the immature palate and that truly great music never repeats itself. Fair enough, but for the vast majority of people in this world, they're looking, listening for the recurring, dominant theme, something to anticipate and reference for their entire song. Though often found in the chorus, it can come in the verses. Regardless, it's my obligation to deliver something memorable.