Message from the Chaplain

Songs Of Hope

There’s nothing like a song for letting out how we feel!  Elton John once told us (in a song!) that ‘sad songs say so much’; but songs of joy and excitement (often about some experience of being ‘in love’) communicate just as many emotions.  It’s fascinating how students can be word perfect on the songs on their Spotify playlists; but being able to recall details from their previous lesson is another matter.  Maybe we could consider setting all our revision sheets to music???

Also interesting is that the most famous songbook in history doesn’t contain many songs that have made it into the popular music charts.  A guy named Handel used it frequently in a ‘big concept’ piece of music called ‘The Messiah’ that wowed concertgoers around 1741; but recently only supergroup U2 have taken up the challenge, lifting lyrics from number 40 in this songbook for their song titled (appropriately) “40”.  Otherwise, there’s not much else!

In many ways that’s a pity, I reckon, because the songbook of the Psalms deserves as wide an audience as the legendary songs that came at us, one after the other, at the Secondary House Music Competition last Friday. The songs in Psalms are quoted more often in the New Testament than any other book in the Old Testament.  More than that, no part of the Bible is more human than the Psalms.  Its songs speak honestly and frankly about things with which we can identify: frustration, complaints, sleepless nights and tears, brokenness, guilt, wonder, thankfulness, joy.  The songwriters ask God some of the big questions that we might think twice about asking; they’re real about life and the emotions we feel in all life’s highs and lows.

If the lyrics from the songwriters of the Psalms have a theme, it’s about letting God be the God of all their experience – and being secure in the hope that comes from knowing He’s in control, even if He doesn’t always give all the answers to their questions.  Why not try reading some of those lyrics for yourself?

Rev. Mark Rundle

Calrossy Chaplain