ANGELS UNAWARES

I was listening to series of podcasts recently which talked about the need for the church to be inter-generational. Basically the point was that the church has developed something of a "great divide" between the young and old which is unhealthy for both sides. 

However, I'm not posting about that specifically, though I agree it is an important issue that the church needs to address.

What I am posting about is a song that one of the presenters offered as part of his talk. His name was Malcolm Guite, and he is (amongst other things) a poet, a singer/songwriter, a professor, and an Anglican minister. The song is called "Angels Unawares" and is about the importance of offering hospitality and the mysterious ways which the threads of our lives cross and the ripple effect which that can have.

This is a link to a page which contains the full lyrics.

This is a link to the podcast audio. The song begins around the 22 minute mark.

I found this song refreshing for a number of reasons. Someone could argue that it wasn't particularly interesting musically - pretty straightforward simple folksy guitar. But that's the point, I think. It made me think of Johnny Cash or Bob Dylan (think "I Walk the Line" or "Desolation Row") both of whom seem to defy the odds and remain perennially popular. But what really got me was the way the stripped down accompaniment worked to amplify the words - words which I found to be rich scripturally.

Consider:

"Some people say that life is just a given thing
But you and I both know by whom its lent.
And that it's right here in the dirt
Where we've both been loved and hurt.
That Love Himself has come to pitch His tent"

There's so much going on here. There's the connection between "life" and "dirt" recalling Genesis where God made Adam from the dirt. The fact that life is "lent" recalls Ecclesiastes 12 where the writer reflects on the transience of life and the fact that the human spirit returns to God who gave it. And of course "pitch his tent" is a beautiful take on John 1:14 where John the Evangelist describes the incarnation in precisely those terms: "The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us."

Bottom line: there's something beautiful about a song that can beautifully evoke so much Scriptural imagery without sounding like a cliche Christian song, that can offer sure words of hope and yet maintain a sense of mystery at the same time. 

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

We interrupt your regularly scheduled web browsing to bring you this important news bulletin:

This is a message particularly for my friends at CHS. As some of you may already know, my duties have changed somewhat for this year and will longer include cleaning Caronport High School. Instead I will be the custodian for the Sinclair Whitaker dorm. As such, I will not be totally removed from CHS life, but I will no longer be around your hallways at break time.

This was not primarily my decision, though in the end I agreed to it willingly. Over the last two years, the facilities department has struggled somewhat in providing adequate custodial support to the Whitaker men's dorm. It was felt that I was the person to get things back on track and clean up town (quite literally), since I can be trusted to do quality work with minimal supervision. So for this year I will be the department troubleshooter around the dorm. 

That said, I still plan on being involved in life at CHS. I intend on speaking in chapel on occasion as I have in the past. And I may still wander through and say hi. And, I'm sure I will still come along as a chaperone on Tour Choir. Who else will make sure no one is on the roof?

(Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons, details here.)

ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY PREACH INTO MORDOR...

Briercrest Seminary recently issued another promotional magazine. Featured on the cover is this picture of Doug Doyle, our new MDiv coordinator. When Doug interviewed for the position some weeks ago, I was privileged to be a part of the student feedback committee. I must say, I am excited for him to be a part of our institution and I look forward to how he will spur us on toward greater faithfulness and effectiveness in serving the church in Canada. Furthermore, I was encouraged to see someone from a quite traditional Evangelical denomination (Christian & Missionary Alliance) who is influencing people to think in creative and progressive ways about what it means to be the church in the 21st century.


That said, every time I see one of those magazines lying around somewhere, I am reminded of the popular internet meme and I can't help thinking: "One does not simply preach into Mordor."

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