“Endless Possibilities”
Spirit of Peace United Church of Christ
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Scripture: Psalm 98; John 15: 9-17
Rev. Jean Morrow
Will you pray with me: God of constancy and creativity…we come together to hear the beat of your heart in this community. Bless the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts…may your word and presence work in us to create beautiful music. Amen.
“As God has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
I have always loved that phrase. “Abide in my love.” In Sunday School I learned that abide meant the place where you make your home to live…to abide in love is to live in love. What a great thing to teach a kid. It must have been a really good lesson, because its meaning has definitely stuck with me.
As I’ve grown older, and I’ve learned a little more, the lesson has broadened. The Greek word for “abide” in this passage is in an ongoing present tense, which means it is continual. It indicates an ongoing commitment or a commitment that is repeatedly or intentionally renewed. It really is about living in God’s love continually…forever.
Thematically, the Gospel of John emphasizes that it was God’s love that shaped Jesus’ life…and it is that same love that shapes the faith community. It’s not a casual approach to love. It is quite a serious invitation that we live in love…that we draw our strength and power and creativity and courage from living in the loving presence of God…and it is also an invitation to live out of that love…if God’s love is the home where we live, it becomes the foundation from which we act and relate and inter-relate with each other in this community and in the world.
Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus attempts to teach us how to live out of God’s love with the use of metaphors. For this particular text, Jesus uses the vine and branches as the metaphor. God is the vine grower, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. It’s a good, solid, familiar metaphor…but I was thinking…just for fun…I was thinking I would propose an alternative metaphor that might give us new insight into this particular teaching…because, frankly, the vine, branches and fruit may not have the power it once did. And, if you are a lifelong church-goer, you’ve heard this passage many times and it may come across as a pebble that has been worn smooth.
So, for today, I would like us to consider a more modern metaphor. Let’s step out of the gospel of John to consider God’s love, as music…and we are invited to play along and harmonize. We aren’t going to consider just any old style of music…no, not today…today, we are going to consider a particular kind of music…jazz. As the musical centerpiece of our worship today, could we consider anything other than jazz?
Recently, I read a quote from the transcript of a jazz documentary produced by Ken Burns that got me thinking about how it is we live out of God’s love, and, I found what he said to be quite intriguing. With any luck at all, jazz will provide a very American, very contemporary metaphor for this lesson of love that Jesus taught so long ago!
But, before I get to the quote, I want to review a couple of jazz basics. I know there are some knowledgeable jazz enthusiasts among us, but there are also some who might benefit from a quick primer. So, let’s start with a review of two key concepts, rhythm and improvisation. Though I am not a jazz expert, I want to define and, with the help of Jazz Portraits, demonstrate each concept.
Let’s start with rhythm. A simple definition of rhythm is the systematic, measured, regular grouping of tones. It is the beat that you rely upon to keep the music going and flowing…it gives music its regular shape.
In jazz, there is always a constant. A constant rhythm. But also in jazz, rhythm is characterized by constant syncopation, which means the placing of accents in unexpected places. Though the beat is regular, you can’t always know exactly how it is all going to come together.
The word you often hear associated with jazz rhythm is swing…a sensation of momentum in which a melody is alternately heard together with, then slightly at variance with, the regular beat.
JAZZ PORTRAITS DEMONSTRATE RHYTHM “Song For My Father”
Ok, let us consider a second important concept in jazz. Improvisation. I’d like to give you a quick and easy definition, but I’m not sure one exists. I consulted with our jazz pianist, Dave Olson, and he offered that improvisation is how one decorates or embellishes a given tune and how one makes up music on the spot. He quoted trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis, who once said, “Improvisation in jazz is like composing on the battlefield.” Composing under pressure!
Most jazz is based on the principle that an infinite number of melodies can fit the rhythm and chord progressions of any song. In a jazz band, some of the musicians are keeping the rhythm going with basic chord progressions…giving the other musicians the freedom to improvise new melodies that fit the rhythm and chord progression…the chord progression is repeated again and again as each soloist takes a turn and is featured, for as many choruses as desired…or for as long as the group of musicians have energy! In jazz, there are endless possibilities of tunes that will fit the rhythm and chord progressions.
JAZZ PORTRAITS DEMONSTRATE IMPROVISATION “Au Privave”
As I mentioned earlier, Ken Burns produced a film entitled Jazz. This is the quote that inspired this sermon. Burns says:
“Jazz is fun. People become entranced with the music because of its rhythms and improvisatory nature.
Jazz is a juggling act between the highly organized and the hopefully spontaneous…making each performance at once uniquely relevant to the moment of its creation. Jazz resists being captured on the written music page.
Jazz is about reconciliation. Jazz is about peeling away the layers to get at what is. Jazz looks at a situation and says, “This is.” It might be ugly, it might be shameful, it might be beautiful, it might be revelatory, but all those things are true and part of the experience. Jazz involves risk and challenge, tensions and attention and a presence of becoming.
Jazz musicians describe the experience of playing jazz as this: You start with a melody and then something takes over. It isn’t something you plan or are even conscious of – it is something you feel and something you do in response, either to the melody or to the other musicians in the group. Where does it come from? It is inspired in the moment.”1
When I read the quote, I was struck by how similar it sounded to my experience of being a part of a church…why we gather as we do…why we do what we do…how it feels to be a part of a community. So, I went back and reread the passage, but this time I improvised. I took the quote and substituted the word “church” in place of “jazz”…and what I suspected was true…the similarities are profound. So, let me offer my word improvisation for you. You’ll remember the quote began, “Jazz is fun…”
“Church is fun. People become entranced with being God’s people engaged in ministry because of its rhythms and improvisatory nature.
Church is a juggling act between the highly organized and the hopefully spontaneous…making each opportunity for ministry at once uniquely relevant to the moment of its creation. Being the church resists being captured on the written page.
Church is about reconciliation. Church is about peeling away the layers to get at what is. Church looks at a situation and says, “This is.” It might be ugly, it might be shameful, it might be beautiful, it might be revelatory, but all those things are true and part of the experience of being the church. Church involves risk and challenge, tensions and attention…and a presence of becoming.
Church goers describe the experience of being the church as this: You start with worship and then something takes over. It isn’t something you plan or are even conscious of – it is something you feel and something you do in response to the ever-present love God has for you and for the rest of the world. Where does it come from? It is inspired in the moment.”
God sets the rhythm, provides the constant beat, pulsing through our lives…and we are invited to love and live and give and serve creatively out of that rhythmic beat of love. We get to respond. We get to improvise. And jazz teaches us that there are an endless number of tunes that we, as a church, might improvise and create out of the constant, crazy, syncopated rhythm of God’s ever-present love.
Abide in my love and bear fruit. That is what Jesus teaches faith communities. Abide in my love and be inspired to create in loving ways. There is tremendous freedom in that invitation. It is such a gift. As a church, we don’t have to look like anyone else, we don’t have to do what everyone else does. There are endless possibilities of how we might minister together…we are, by our very makeup of members, uniquely called to create and live out a ministry in this time and in this place that reflects the love of God for us and for the world.
Improvisation is what inspires us to buy toys for kids in Africa and swimsuits for kids at home. Improvisation is what inspires us to cross our fingers, buy a bunch of flower bulbs and add them to the landscaping plan. Improvisation, responding to God’s love and creating on the spot, is why we built this church.
We are members of God’s jazz band and that means we get to play along and improvise in God’s song of hope and joy, love and forgiveness, peace and justice. With God’s love as our constant, may our ministry and the music we make here, be inspired. Amen.