The Importance of Song

Well we just finished with the Christmas season, and as I was reflecting and reading abit this year, I stumbled across The Magnificat" in Luke 1:46-55, which is Mary's seemingly spontaneous response to finding out she was pregnant with the saviour of the world. Its a song of joy at God's action in the world to bless her and to bring about righteousness and justice in the world.

Essentially its a song, bursting forth from Mary's innermost heart and passion. Clearly, it shows Mary to be more than an idle, quiet wall flower that we in the Protestant tradition often want her to be. Here she is a brave woman concerned with the salvaiton of her people, righteousness, and the downfall of evil rulers. In a recent Christianity Today article, Scot McKnight makes the case that Mary is a revolutionary against evil, sin, and corrupt rulers.

The Magnificat also shows the importance of song in the Bible. The Old Testament (perticularly the Psalms) has lots of song and music, and here in the tradition we see Mary pouring out her soul in an expression of the coming kingdom of God. Songs have the power to carry meaning, feeling, and most of all truth. They are important in almost every culture in the world, as a way of passing on story, tradition, moral codes, and truth. They can make us cry with sadness, laugh with joy, or investigate profound questions. Sometimes they just make us feel that sublime moment of equilibrium when all in the world seems to be right. However, most of all songs, like Mary's help point us to God.

Next up: 10 albums I can't live without.