EASTER CAROLING, ANYBODY? AND FAVORITE RESURRECTION SONGS.

Young Martin Luther and Carolers Sing For Mrs. Cotta in Eisenach by Ferdinand Pauwels

I will never forget one suggestion made by Leah Libresco in her book Building The Benedict Option: A Guide To Gathering Two Or Three Together In His Name: Easter caroling.

Why not? After all, we go Christmas caroling. Why not Easter Caroling? 

Now, while there are many great Resurrection Day songs (more on those later), I can only think of three that I'd use for Easter caroling. But do we need a long list? After all, we'd only sing at the most two or three songs at each place.

Plus, when we sing at shut-ins and the like, wouldn't they not only enjoy hearing familiar songs but being reminded that Christ has conquered sin and death?

Reminder - the blog title mentions two parts. Often in a two subject blog, you do one and then the other. In this case, though, I'll combine the topics, and start with three songs that are favorites on the resurrection and that would be great for caroling:

• "Christ Arose" (aka "Low In The Grave He Lay"). Isn't that a triumphant song for the season?
• "Christ The Lord Is Risen Today." Excellent and theologically deep and sound lyrics by Charles Wesley, as you'd expect. I did hear someone mention, though, that John Wesley did not include this song in early Methodist Hymnals. 
• To the more contemporary, how about "The Easter Song," written by Annie Herring, originally recorded by the 2nd Chapter of Acts (which includes Annie), and recorded by several others like Keith Green, Glad, and Jess Ray.

Now, there are other great songs for that time of year that I would not consider material for caroling, but other great resurrection songs. Pardon me for putting them in random order.

• "Tell The Whole World" by Becky Ugartechea. My all time favorite song. Upbeat, and the ending is enough to get you excited to tell the world. Unfortunately, I don't know how to access it if you don't have the project: not on Spotify, not on YouTube, not anyplace either. :( 
• "Star Of The Morning" by Leon Patillo. Great, powerful keyboards, great singing. It's also been covered by Shirley Ceasar.
  
• "The Victor" by Jamie Owens-Collins. This classic has been covered by the Green brothers: Keith and Steve. 
• "He Lives" by Erick Nelson. Yes, this is a more obscure one, but definitely a great song on the resurrection.
• "Love Crucified Arose" by Michael Card.
• "The King Is Alive" by Function. And you thought Erick Nelson was obscure? But you can find it on Spotify.
• "The Holy City" by Mahalia Jackson (and probably others). A classic.
• "The Roar of Love"/"I Heard The Stars Sing Before" by 2nd Chapter of Acts. This pair, back to back on their "Roar of Love" album based on C.S.Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" refers to Aslan the Lion, but is the meaning different?
• "He Came, He Saw, He Conquered" by Petra. Energetic song with John Schlitt's exciting singing.
• "Graverobber" by Petra. This one is from the Greg Volx era, focusing not just on Christ's resurrection but ours as well.
• "What A Day" by Alisa Turner. A newer one.
• "Christ is Risen" by Mia Fieldes. Another newby. Check both her and Alisa out on Spotify.
• "Living Hope" by Phil Wickham; still another contemporary one, but I think it's better known. For example, we sang it this morning (Easter) at my church.
• "The Garden Tomb" by the Isaacs. Yep, it's time to get into Southern Gospel.
• "She Found Jesus Alive" by Carroll Roberson. This is a song I could never stay depressed listening to.
• "Last Night" by Karen Peck and New River. Very solid song.
• "Russian Easter Festival Overture" by Rimski-Korsokov. Okay, it's instrumental. Is it dealing with the Resurrection, or with festivals celebrated that time? After all, the composer was an Agnostic. But it makes me think of Christ's being raised. Very energetic, and I have a tradition of listening to it on Easter. I like it better than Mahler's Resurrection Symphony (I've never been able to get into Mahler.)

One last thought: Don't worry. I'm not going to suggest Good Friday caroling.

WHAT DAY DID CHRIST DIE? WHEN DID HE RISE? AND IS THIS SOMETHING TO ARGUE ABOUT?

Christ Crucified Between Two Thieves, by Rembrandt

 I'll never forget my surprise one Good Friday when I worked in downtown Indianapolis. As I was out of the building for lunch, I saw a gentleman who was always handing out tracts. Well, I wished him a happy Good Friday.

His reply? "Every Friday's a good Friday."

Really? From a person who's trying to tell others the Gospel, and how Christ's death, celebrated that day, would give them life?

Allow me to give you some news that would surprise some people and not surprise others: Not all Christians observe Good Friday or even Easter. It's not that they minimize Christ's Substitutionary Atonement on the Cross or deny His resurrection from the dead. Rather, they see these days, as well as the Lent season and Christmas, as started by the Catholic Church and borrowing pagan traditions.

What day should we celebrate Easter? Most holidays are either celebrated on the same date (Christmas, Independence Day, Groundhog Day) while others are celebrated on the same day of the week on a set week of the month (Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Mother's and Father's Day). Not Easter. Don't ask me how they determine when it should be celebrated. Yes, it's always on Sunday, but it could be any time from mid-March to late April. 

You may be aware that not all Christians agree how the date should be calculated, with Orthodox Easter celebrated later than Catholic and Protestant Churches. And none of them seem to consider connecting it to Passover, as the original Easter was. 

At least they agree that Easter is on Sunday, or at least the first day of the week (some will say that Christ rose not on Sunday morning but after sunset on Saturday, which is when Jews believe the first day begins). There is not the same agreement on the day Christ was crucified. Sure, most of the organized church believe it was on Friday. But did Jesus rise on the third day, counting the tail end of Friday as day one and the beginning of the first day as the third? Or did He spend three days and three nights in the earth as the sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:39-40)? If the latter, then He would have been crucified Wednesday, which doesn't fit the traditions we have.

As I asked in the title, is this something to argue about? Of course... NOT!!!

The Gospel is contained in the first few verses of 1 Corinthians 15, which mentions that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and was buried and rose the third day according to the Scriptures. The focus is on Jesus' death and His resurrection. The day He was crucified doesn't change the fact, and when we celebrate the Resurrection doesn't either.

So why don't we plan on celebrating Jesus' substitutionary death for our sins and His victory over the grave with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, both in our local church and those we know outside the church? And maybe borrow the idea of author Leah Libresco in Building the Benedict Option and go Easter caroling?! (Wouldn't your neighbors like to hear you singing "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" and "The Easter Song?")

HOW ABOUT AN ALL SAINTS DAY PARTY?

 

When I read Building the Benedict Option: A Guide to Gathering Two or Three Together in His Name, author Leah Libresco mentioned two ideas that intrigued me. The first was Easter caroling. Hey, why not? Stopping at homes and singing about the Resurrection? The other was a Saints party, where everybody would go around and talk about their favorite saints.

Yes, Libresco is Catholic, and this concept sounds more Catholic than Baptist. Other than Christmas and Good Friday/Easter, the only other liturgical calendar event I've seen at a church I attended was the lighting of the Advent candles. Even though Pentecost is based on a Biblical event focusing on the church, I see more emphasis given to Mother's Day and the Fourth of July. Reformation Day may get some attention - which it deserves - but don't expect All Saints Day to be noticed.

Let me give a dissenting voice. I want to celebrate All Saints Day. I want to have a Saints party! I want to get together with other believers and hear which saints have made an impact on them.

Of course, as most Baptists, I have a different definition to the word "saint." Catholics believe certain people are saints. They go through a process that starts with Beatification, which requires a miracle their posthumous intercession is responsible for, followed by canonization to sainthood following a second miracle. My hunch is most saints to gain that status during the lifetime of their contemporaries. 

When I read the term "saint" in the New Testament, it refers to all believers, not just the spiritual superstars. Paul addressed his recipients as saints, even the model church in Cornith. (A model church of what should be avoided.) Church fathers Tertullian and Origen didn't make the cut of being saints in the Catholic definition, but I expect them to be in the company of the saints in heaven. Besides, as hinted at, you can be a saint where you're alive.

I'll never forget listening to a call on a talk show the day Mother Theresa passed. The host said that she was a saint, and that he and the caller were not. If I had access to a non-work phone, I would have dissented. If we believe in Christ, we're saints. And we're not to see others as being so far beyond us that we can never be close to them, but rather make it our aim to be fully pleasing to Christ (2 Cor. 5:9). 

Another objection is that we're to follow Christ. All human models are fallible. The so-called heroes in the Bible like Noah, Moses, David, and Peter have moments (or more) of failure. Only Jesus lived a sinless life. True, but don't forget 1 Corinthians 11:1 where Paul says be imitators of him as he imitated Christ. 

So who are my favorite saints? I thought about making a list, and I might next year, but I will give five off the top of my head to get conversations going. They would be:

• Drew Brees, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints. Is my tongue in cheek here? Just a little. I know enough to know he's the real deal as a believer.
• Charles Simeon, a pastor in England and contemporary of Jonathan Edwards and the Wesleys. He endured a lot of hostility from his congregation for over a decade, even getting locked out of the church. As a wealthy man, he bought churches (a common practice then) so he could hire Gospel preaching pastors for their pulpit. And I love his dialog with John Wesley (I might write a blog about that sometime).
• Isaac Watts. Not quite my favorite hymn lyric writer - Charles Wesley edges him out. But besides hymns, he also was an apologist. He wrote age-appropriate catachisms for children, and a logic book that was used by Oxford and Cambridge (schools he wasn't able to attend because he was a non-conformist) and Yale.
• Brother Alex in Columbia. He and his co-workers were stopped by guerillas, most of which were killed. They shot Alex in the eye, to which Alex replied, "Has anybody told you Jesus loves you?" After the incident, the gunmen were arrested and imprisoned, and Alex went to visit them and tell them of the love of God.
• Pastor Joe LoMusio, former pastor at Cactus Baptist Church (Phoenix, AZ) and Temple Baptist Church (Fullerton, CA). I can tell you about the sermon he preached the first Sunday night I heard him preach at Cactus Baptist Church, including his text, his main point, an illustration he used from his life, and a joke he made. That sermon was in late August, 1978.

 I'd love to talk about more, but I'll pass for now. Allow me to comment, though, that like the meme I have at the top of this blog - "Surround yourself with those who bring you closer to God. This includes not just your friends, but the authors you read (non-fiction and fiction), the musicians you listen to, and even what you watch (some might help your walk with the Lord, some might hinder).

Who are your favorite saints?