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Happy Aloha Friday, Beloved! Today I am thinking about singing. I love to sing, and I love to listen to others sing. I’ve been doing something with music since I was about 3. It has always been a significant part of my life. I remember a cartoon we Todd Kids watched called I Love To Sing. It was about a little owl from a very musical family. They were devoted to Classical Music, but he loved Jazz. Eventually the whole family came to the understanding that Jazz is music, too; it was a very happy moment for all of them.
Singing is one of those things which sometimes just happen. Kids make up little goofy songs (I told you once some time ago about my sister’s song Me-oh-my-oh, Me-oh-my-oh, Me-oh-my-oh MOE! Repeat ad nauseum). When young men’s fancies turn (and so also for young women’s, too), ’tis a sign of Spring to hear them sing. When we feel joyful or rejuvenated, we … Love To Sing.
I started thinking about singing this week because of the responsorial Psalm from Sunday, February 7. It was Psalm 138. Folks, that is my absolute favorite Psalm! It is the only Psalm I have ever tried to set to music. I purposely have avoided memorizing it so I can read it new each time I see it. I love it because it grabs me with “In the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name.…” In my lyric-adaptation it goes “In the presence of the angels I will sing your praise. I will lift up my hands and I will bless your Holy Name.” When you think about how GREAT God is, how loving, how kind, how forgiving, how GOD He truly is, singing, shouting, jumping, dancing – all at once – seem to be just a natural reaction. You can’t stop singing because you really have to sing.
Here’s David’s take on that:
Psalm 138
1 Of David. I thank you, LORD, with all my heart; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praises, LORD. 2 I bow low toward your holy temple; I praise your name for your fidelity and love. For you have exalted over all your name and your promise. 3 When I cried out, you answered; you strengthened my spirit. 4 All the kings of earth will praise you, LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth. 5 They will sing of the ways of the LORD: “How great is the glory of the LORD!” 6 The LORD is on high, but cares for the lowly and knows the proud from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of dangers, you guard my life when my enemies rage. You stretch out your hand; your right hand saves me. 8 The LORD is with me to the end. LORD, your love endures forever. Never forsake the work of your hands!
Now that reminds me of an old Cat Stevens song, “If you want to sing out, sing out.” At least that’s how I remember the title. He wrote that song in the middle of his mania in the sixties, a mania many of us shared then, and it was directed toward finding real peace through expanded consciousness. Some tried everything from Zen to banana peels, acid to astrology, and most never settled on anything substantive. Cat ended up embracing Islam, and successfully at that. His Muslim name is Yusuf Islam, and he continued to write music, work for peace, and became known as a great philanthropist and a Man of Peace. Bear that earlier lifestyle in mind when you read his lyrics from the mid-sixties:
From: http://www.yusufislam.com/songs/
Well, if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
‘Cause there’s a million things to be
You know that there are
And if you want to live high, live high
And if you want to live low, live low
‘Cause there’s a million ways to go
You know that there are
Chorus:
You can do what you want
The opportunity’s on
And if you can find a new way
You can do it today
You can make it all true
And you can make it undo
You see ah ah ah
It’s easy ah ah ah
You only need to know
Well if you want to say yes, say yes
And if you want to say no, say no
‘Cause there’s a million ways to go
You know that there are
And if you want to be me, be me
And if you want to be you, be you
‘Cause there’s a million things to do
You know that there are
Chorus
Well, if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
‘Cause there’s a million things to be
You know that there are
You know that there are
You know that there are
You know that there are
You know that there are
See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Stevens
So, when you’ve just gotta sing, SING! SING A SONG!!!….
La, la-la-la-la . . .
Sing, sing a song,
Sing out loud, sing out strong,
Sing of the good things, not bad,
Sing of the happy, not sad . . .
Sing, sing a song,
Make it simple, to last your whole life long,
Don’t worry that it’s not good enough,
For anyone else to hear,
Sing, sing a song . . .
La, la-la-la-la . . .
Sing (sing . . ) sing a song ( sing . . )
Sing out loud, sing out strong,
Sing of good things, not bad,
Sing of happy, not sad . . .
Sing, sing a song,
Make it simple, to last your whole life long,
Don’t worry that it’s not good enough,
For anyone else to hear,
(’cause God will love anything you sing to Him, with Him, for Him, through Him, or about Him!)
Sing, sing a song . . .
Sing, sing a song . . .
Sing, sing a song . . .
La, la-la-la-la . . .
Words and Music by Joe Raposo , 1972
So this week will you sing a prayer to God? The old adage attributed to St. Augustine is “He who sings prays twice.” More precisely the quote which St. Augustine actually said was:
“For he that singeth praise, not only praiseth, but only praiseth with gladness: he that singeth praise, not only singeth, but also loveth him of whom he singeth. In praise, there is the speaking forth of one confessing; in singing, the affection of one loving.” (St. Augustine, Commentary on Psalm 73, 1)
http://www.saint-mike.org/apologetics/qa/answers/church_history/h020303parise.html
So live it up by singing it ^UP^. (get it?) Hum, whistle, make up a tune, yodel, or just drone with a joyful heart. He will absolutely love it, of course, because He absolutely loves YOU!! And there is no choir practice!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.
Pray for the people. ALL the People
Chick
This week’s Bible Verse:
2 Timothy 3:16-17
(NIV) 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
(KJV) 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Scriptural singing must really be something special
AND THEN THERE ARE THE LOVE SONGS . . 😉
. . . HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, TOO
