My blog has moved! http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/
|
 |
Twitter Feed for My Recent Blog Posts and Other Tweets |
My blog has moved! http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/
|
What is Helping Me to Let Go (Section A)
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, January 4, 2008
Part 2 of series: Letting Go of a Church
Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
In my last post I talked about my current struggle to let go of Irvine Presbyterian Church, where I served as pastor for sixteen years until three months ago. By “let go” I don’t mean I have to sever my personal friendships with church members, or that I need to stop caring for the church. But I do need to step completely back from my pastoral relationship with the church so that the congregation and I can grow in apprpropriate ways. Moreover, I need to limit my face-to-face involvement with the church for a season so we can all move on emotionally.
I have lots of help as I seek to do what’s best both for Irvine Pres and for me and my family. There are several things in my life to help me do the right thing. I will note these below. My point in doing so is not only to explain my own situation, but also to offer help to other pastors and churches. I have seen so many relationships between churches and former pastors become destructive, and I’d like very much to help this not occur. So, here are some of the things that help me stay on the right course as a former pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church.
1. My Conviction that the Church and I Need to Move On
I believe that the sort of transition I’m writing about is important, and that pastors need to let go of churches when they leave. This conviction helps to govern my behavior, especially when my feelings might lead me astray.
2. My Observations of What Happens When a Pastor is Too Involved with a Former Church
These observations strengthen my conviction in #1. I elaborated upon this in my last post. In every situation I’ve been able to watch closely, the involvement of a former pastor in a church soon after the pastor’s departure leads to trouble.
3. My Personal Support System
I have several people in my life who help me do what’s right, including my wife, my close friends, several fellow pastors, and friends who are also leaders at Irvine Presbyterian Church.
4. Physical Distance Between the Church and Me
For most of the past three months, I’ve lived 1300 miles away from Irvine Presbyterian Church. When one lives in Boerne, Texas, there isn’t too much opportunity to drop in. Surely this has helped me let go. (Photo: A view of Boerne in the summer)
I’ve thought about how much more difficult it must be for a pastor who leaves a church, perhaps through retirement, without moving away. In some cases of which I am aware, the pastor’s family continues to be active in the pastor’s former church, understandably so. But this almost inevitably leads to problems, even when the former pastor and family try to be supportive of the new leadership.
I’m grateful that, for the most part, physical distance helps me to let go of my pastoral role at Irvine Pres. Yet we mustn’t forget that technology shrinks distance. If I wanted to meddle, I could easily do so by phone, by e-mail, or even by blog. I could put up a seemingly innocent post on “Why Such-and Such is a Bad Idea,” knowing full well that Such-and-Such was being considered by the leaders of Irvine Pres. Yet this is something I will not do. Wouldn’t be prudent.
5. I Love My New Job and Have Plenty to Do
I mentioned yesterday that I love my new job as Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence at Laity Lodge. I have wonderful colleagues. The mission of Laity Lodge engages me and excites me. There are big challenges here and big opportunities. And I have more than enough to keep me thoroughly occupied. All of this helps me to let go of Irvine Pres, I’m quite sure. If I was sitting in Texas pining away for my old job, or if I was bored, or if I realized that I had made a mistake in coming here, I expect things would be different. But, thanks be to God, Laity Lodge is a perfect fit for me and I couldn’t be happier. No doubt this helps me let go.
Tomorrow I’ll suggest some other factors that are helping me to let go of Irvine Presbyterian Church.
Topics: Pastors and Churches | 3 Comments »
Letting Go of a Church
By Mark D. Roberts | Thursday, January 3, 2008
Part 1 of series: Letting Go of a Church
Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
On June 30, 1991, I preached my first sermon as Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church. On September 30, 2007, I preached my last sermon as pastor of this fine church. That afternoon I got into my truck and began the 1300 mile drive to Texas so I could start my new ministry as Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge.
I have not been the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church for three months after having served in that role for sixteen years and three months. Although I love my new job at Laity Lodge as well as my new ministry colleagues, it hasn’t been easy to let go of Irvine Presbyterian Church emotionally. Pastoring, after all, isn’t simply a job. It engages mind and heart. It’s rather like being the parent and the older brother in a family. Though my official relationship with Irvine Pres ended at midnight on September 30, 2007, my heart connection has continued. I still love the people there and care deeply about the church. (Photo: Irvine Presbyterian Church, December 30, 2007, no longer “my church”)
I’ve been especially aware of these feelings recently, since my family and I were back in Southern California for the Christmas holiday. I visited the Irvine Pres campus on a couple of occasions, but not for worship services. Though there’s nothing official to keep me from attending Irvine Pres as a worshiper, I believe that it would not be best, either for the church or for me, just to show up on a Sunday morning. The church is in a season of letting go of me as their pastor, and I am in the midst of letting go of them. For now, it’s best that I keep my distance.
This sort of letting go isn’t easy to do on either side. For me, it requires acting in a way that seems to contradict my feelings. I say “seems to” because, in fact, doing what I believe to be best for the church is consistent with my love for the church. But it feels strange to do this. I expect it’s similar to what a parent goes through when a child goes off to college. The parent might want to call the child every day, but this behavior runs the risk of keeping the child a child, rather than allowing the child to grow up, and allowing the parent to move on to a new kind of relationship with his or her adult child.
Many pastors don’t let go when they step down as pastors, much to the peril of all involved. Now I’m sure there have been cases when a pastor stops being the pastor yet remains active in a congregation and the results have been just fine. But these are the exceptions to the rule. And usually these exceptions come after at least a couple of years have passed after the pastor’s official ministry came to an end. I’ve been watching church life pretty closely for the last 23 years, and to this point I have never seen a positive result when a pastor stops being pastor but immediately remains actively involved with a church. In every single case, the ongoing relationship between pastor and church makes a mess of things.
Now you might wonder why a retired pastor, for example, shouldn’t just hang around with his former church, joining them in worship, but otherwise not meddling. I can think of a several reasons why this isn’t a good idea. First, it would be extremely difficult for the retired pastor and his former congregation to make the transition to his being no longer the pastor. Second, the very presence of the pastor would make certain kinds of change very difficult, and change is essential for any church, especially a church that has recently said goodbye to a pastor. Third, having a former pastor hang around could easily intimidate the new pastor. Fourth, the temptation for the former pastor to meddle in church affairs would be huge, especially if certain changes were not to the pastor’s liking, something that would almost inevitably be the case.
There are situations when the involvement of a former pastor in a church can be edifying. I’ll have more to say about this later in this series. But I’m not in this season in my relationship with Irvine Presbyterian Church. I am now in the “stay away” period of a pastoral transition. This doesn’t mean I can’t have personal friendships with members. And it doesn’t mean I don’t care for the church and vice versa. But it does mean I need to do nothing that would make this transitional period more complicated, both for the church and for me. As much as it’s hard to stay away, it does seem best at this time. I need to let go of Irvine Pres, and they need to let go of me, at least insofar as our pastoral relationship is concerned.
In this effort, there are several things that are helping me choose and stick with what is best. I’ll begin to mention these in my next post.
Topics: Pastors and Churches | 3 Comments »
The New Media Frontier
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Roger Overton of The A-Team Blog announces the forthcoming publication of The New Media Frontier, to be published in September 2008 by Crossway. I have one chapter in this book, “Pastors and the New Media.” You’ll recognize many other others as some of the finest Christian thinkers and bloggers, including: Hugh Hewitt, John Mark Reynolds, Tod Bolsinger, etc. You can’t buy the book now, but you can whet your appetite.
Topics: News | No Comments »
The High Calling of Our Daily Work
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Yesterday I introduced my new daily devotional at The High Calling. As I explained, this website is part of the larger ministry of Laity Lodge (and the HEB Foundation), where I am now serving as Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence.
The High Calling of our Daily Work website seeks to encourage ordinary people to see their work as central to God’s call upon their lives. In many church settings, ordained ministers are said to have “a call,” while regular folks do not. This misses the biblical teaching on calling by a long shot. Indeed, Scripture makes it clear that all Christians are called by God into His service. For a few this “ministry” happens in the context of pastoral ministry in a church; for most this “ministry” occurs out in the world, including our workplaces.
The High Calling of our Daily Work includes lots of resources to teach and encourage you in your everyday service to Christ. There are interviews, Bible studies, and personal stories. One of the most popular features of The High Calling website is the collection of radio spots recorded by Howard E. Butt, Jr., the founder of Laity Lodge. Be sure to visit The High Calling website. If you like what you see, you can sign up for several free subscription resources, including my Daily Reflection. (If you missed yesterday’s post, I’ll repeat it here.)
I’ll be writing what is called the Daily Reflection. The format will be very much like the format of my former devotional websites, Pray the Psalms and Pray the Gospels. You can find my Daily Reflections at the main page of The High Calling. Just look for the Daily Reflection link.
But there’s an added bonus for you in my joining up with The High Calling. If you wish, you can become a member of The High Calling (no cost, no spam, no hassle). Then you can opt to have my Daily Reflection sent to you as an e-mail.
So, please visit The High Calling and check out the Daily Reflection. While you’re there, I’d urge you to look at some of what The High Calling has to offer besides the Reflection. There is a lot of great material on this webiste.
Happy New Year!
Topics: High Calling | No Comments »
Announcing My New Daily Devotional
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Beginning today, I have a new daily devotional. It’s found at The High Calling. This website is part of the larger ministry of Laity Lodge (and the HEB Foundation), where I am now serving as Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence.
I’ll be writing what is called the Daily Reflection. The format will be very much like the format of my former devotional websites, Pray the Psalms and Pray the Gospels. You can find my Daily Reflections at the main page of The High Calling. Just look for the Daily Reflection link.
But there’s an added bonus for you in my joining up with The High Calling. If you wish, you can become a member of The High Calling (no cost, no spam, no hassle). Then you can opt to have my Daily Reflection sent to you as an e-mail.
So, please visit The High Calling and check out the Daily Reflection. While you’re there, I’d urge you to look at some of what The High Calling has to offer besides the Reflection. There is a lot of great material on this website.
Happy New Year!
Topics: Recommendations | 1 Comment »
A Strange Christmas
By Mark D. Roberts | Monday, December 31, 2007
This has been a strange Christmas for me and my family. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that we moved from California to Texas a few months ago. I left Irvine Presbyterian Church after sixteen and a half years as Senior Pastor to join the staff of Laity Lodge. My family and I, though welcomed warmly to Texas, have been living with a sense of dislocation. No wonder, since we have been literally dislocated by 1300 miles. But, more important than the miles, we have left so much of what was familiar and beloved, most of all, family, friends, and church.
We did celebrate Christmas this year in California. Some friends who were away for the holiday invited us to stay in their home, a home in Irvine, actually. So we spent Christmas morning less than a mile from the home where we spent the last sixteen Christmases and a mile from the church that was our spiritual home for the same period of time. 
Yet we were not in our old, familiar home. And we did not worship with our old, familiar church on Christmas Eve. (Well, actually, my son attended the 11:00 p.m. service, which he said was beautiful. My wife and I did not come along because it’s just not yet the right time for us to rejoin that congregation as old friends. Healthy pastoral goodbyes take time.) I must confess to a good bit of sadness because of all of this. I loved the Christmas Eve celebrations at Irvine Presbyterian Church, beginning with the children’s services in the early evening and ending with the 11:00 p.m. communion service. And then I loved celebrating Christmas in the home where my children grew up. Every Christmas morning brought back powerful memories of Christmases past, filling me with both joy and aching nostalgia. (Photo: one of last year’s Christmas Eve services at Irvine Presbyterian Church)
Well, I’ve had plenty of joy and nostalgia this year, though with a bit more sadness than usual. It’s been hard to say goodbye to so much that was so wonderful in my life. I miss my house, my church, my little children, my chance to include them in my sermon on Christmas Eve, the chance to preach on Christmas Eve, the thrilling worship at Irvine Pres, and all the people in that congregation who were our family for so many years. (My son shares my mix of feelings. Check out his poem on his blog.)
We did have a blessed Christmas celebration, however, even given how different it was from past years. On Christmas Eve we joined my wife’s father, sister, and family in North Hollywood. We attended the 5:00 family worship service at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, the church where I grew up, where Linda and I met, and where I served on staff for seven years. We worshiped in the exquisite, inspiring, warm sanctuary there, the place where I first saw the woman who would become my wife, where I was ordained as a pastor, and where we had my father’s memorial service. We saw many dear, old friends at that service, even though we’ve been away from that church for seventeen years. (Photo: the angels appear at the Christmas Eve service at Hollywood Presbyterian Church.)
On Christmas morning, my wife and two children spent time together much as we would have in years past. My kids still made a staged entrance to see what Santa brought. Amazing how Santa found us even in this borrowed house in Irvine! And we still had Christmas breakfast with apple sausage and cinnamon rolls. It felt both normal and odd to be together in such a familiar and different way.
On Christmas afternoon we joined with my extended family and many friends. The highlight of the time was the dedication of my new nephew, Brody, whom my sister and brother-in-law adopted just over a year ago. This was, in fact, the highlight of my Christmas. Brody’s entrance into our family was a miracle, and he has brought tons of joy to all of us. It seemed wonderfully appropriate to welcome this little boy as a new member of our family on Christmas.
This year I’ve been forced to consider what matters most at Christmas. It’s easy for me to identify Christmas mainly with beloved personal and family traditions. There’s nothing wrong with these, of course. In fact, they can contribute to the joy of Christmas celebrations. But where I go to church and where my family gathers and where we live and even whom we’re with aren’t the main point of Christmas. Christmas is, at its center, the celebration of God’s coming to be with us in Jesus. God is not watching us from a distance. In Jesus, the babe in the manger, God entered into our reality as a human being. And God is still with us today through His Spirit.
My experience of Christmas this year reminds me a bit of 1986. My father died in July of that year, and we wanted to do something different for Christmas. It felt too hard to be together in the same way and the same place as we had been for decades, but without my dad. So we spent Christmas at a friend’s home in Palm Desert. It was odd, but oddly sweet as we shared our love and sadness together. I remember at the time being grateful for the fact that God had entered into our experience at Christmas, that He knew what sorrow feels like, and that He was with us even during our Palm Desert Christmas.
This year, I’m glad for a blessed life. I’m glad for so many wonderful years at Irvine Presbyterian Church, for the friends I still treasure there. I’m thankful for sweet times with my young children in our Irvine house. I’m grateful that, even though we live half a country away, we can still enjoy the love of our families. But, most of all, in this strange Christmas, I’m glad that God is with us. I’m thankful that God knows what dislocation feels like. And I’m glad for the chance, once again, to celebrate the coming of God in Jesus, the Word made flesh, Emmanuel, God with us.
Has this been a strange Christmas? Yes, indeed. A sad Christmas? Yes, in many ways. A joyous Christmas? Absolutely! A Christmas to celebrate the coming of Jesus? Yes, as always. Thanks be to God!
Topics: Christmas | 2 Comments »
Inspiration from the Pray the Gospels
By Mark D. Roberts | Sunday, December 30, 2007
Excerpt
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35
Click here to read all of John 13:34-35
Prayer
O Lord, today I’m impressed to pray for Your church. Thank You for the ways that we demonstrate to the world that we are Your disciples through loving each other. Thank You for countless acts of kindness, for millions of prayers, for open homes and open arms.
But, dear Lord, we fall short of the standard You have set for us. So often we do not love one another as we should. We let all sorts of things get in the way of love, some important, most trivial. We often value being right over showing love. Being right matters, but You did not say that the world would know we are Your disciples if we have good theology. Rather, You said our love for each other would bear witness to our relationship with You. So forgive us, Lord, for all the times we fail to love each other. Help us to be faithful in loving one another so that the world might see You in us. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
Whom does the Lord want you to love today?
Love in Action
My friend Tim Avazian, associate pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, hanging out with some kids in Swaziland. They’re wearing hats made by some of the women in the church . . . a tangible way to show the love of Christ to others.
Topics: Sunday Inspiration | No Comments »
Christianity Today’s out of Ur Top Ten for 2007
By Mark D. Roberts | Saturday, December 29, 2007
One of my “must read” websites is Christianity Today’s out of Ur. If you’re unfamiliar with this website, or if you haven’t been keeping up, check out their “Top 10 Posts of 2007.” I agree that their first entry, “Willow Creek Repents,” is a huge one.
Topics: Links | 2 Comments »
California Memories
By Mark D. Roberts | Saturday, December 29, 2007
My family and I are in California for the holidays, seeing family and friends, hanging out at old haunts, etc. The other day I took a walk along one of the lakes in Irvine. (Yes, it is man-made.) Texas has some fantastic sunsets. But Irvine doesn’t do poorly in this regard either.
Both photos were taken at basically the same time from basically the same spot, the one above looking west, and the one below looking east.
Topics: California | 2 Comments »
Favorite Holiday Songs (Section 2)
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, December 28, 2007
Part 4 in the series: More Christmas Carol Surprises
Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
Three years ago I posted the list of the top 25 Christmas songs according to ASCAP (The American Society of Composers and Publishers). This list reflects the songs that have been performed the most in the past five years. You can find ASCAP’s list, with discussion and details here. I’m going to post simply the names of the top 25 songs. But I’ll add in parentheses the change in order since 2004. So, with no further ado, here’s the latest list.
The Top Christmas Songs according to ASCAP: The 2007 List
1. Winter Wonderland (+2)
2. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) (-1)
3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (-1)
4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (=)
5. White Christmas (=)
6. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (=)
7. Jingle Bell Rock (+3)
8. Sleigh Ride (+4)
9. Little Drummer Boy (=)
10. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (-2)
11. It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (+3)
12. I’ll Be Home For Christmas (-5)
13. Silver Bells (-2)
14. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree (+2)
15. Feliz Navidad (-2)
16. Frosty The Snowman (+1)
17. A Holly Jolly Christmas (+1)
18. Blue Christmas (-3)
19. It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (+1)
20. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (-1)
21. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) (=)
22. (There’s No Place Like) Home For The Holidays (new)
23. Carol Of The Bells (=)
24. Do They Know It’s Christmas? (Feed the World) (new)
25. Wonderful Christmastime (-3)Dropped off:
Santa Baby (was 24)
This Christmas (was 25)
As I look at this list, I’m struck by how stable it is. Only two new songs since 2004. And relatively little movement up or down. Almost all of these songs, by the way, were written in the 40s and the 50s (see my earlier list).
“Winter Wonderland”
Perhaps the most significant change in the list from 2004 is the ascendancy of “Winter Wonderland,” which took the top stop for the first time. This song was written in 1934, and, according to ASCAP, it shot up to #2 in popularity almost immediately. You’ll notice that “Winder Wonderland” is not a Christmas song in any obvious way. It’s a winter celebration song, with sleigh bells, snow, and a snowman.
Have you every paid attention to the storyline of “Winter Wonderland”? In the midst of a celebration of winter, a couple (presumably) is walking along, until they come to a meadow, where they build a snowman. They pretend that the snowman is “Parson Brown,” a Protestant minister, who asks if the couple is married. They say no, but invite him to marry them when he comes to town. Later on, after the thrill of the snowman moment, as the couple is dreaming by the first, they decided to go ahead “unafraid” with “the plans that we’ve made.” In other words, “Winter Wonderland” is a song about couple who, charmed by the beauty of a winter night, become engaged. (Photo: my current favorite version of “Winter Wonderland” is by James Taylor on his Christmas album)
“Do They Know It’s Christmas”
This song was was written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 in an effort to raise money for people suffering in the Ethiopian famine. The original recording features many prominent artists of the 80s, including: Phil Collins, Bono, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and Boy George. Check out a Youtube video here.
This song is quite unusual among popular Christmas songs because it is not especially romantic. It recognizes that there is suffering in the world, and that Christmastime is a good time to do something about it. So the song urges: “Throw your arms around the world at Christmastime.” The bridge says: “Feed the World. Let them know it’s Christmastime again.”
This song stands in the long tradition of seeing Christmas as a special season of charity. This popular notion owes much to Charles Dickens, who used his verb “Christmas Carol” to spread his gospel of Christmas benevolence. (See my study of Dickens.)
Topics: Christmas Carols | 3 Comments »
Favorite Holiday Songs (Section 1)
By Mark D. Roberts | Thursday, December 27, 2007
Part 3 in the series: More Christmas Carol Surprises
Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
I can still remember the moment many years ago when my youth leader at church said, “You know, ‘Jingle Bells’ really isn’t a Christmas carol. It’s more of a winter song.” I was stunned. This had never occurred to me before. I quickly went through the lyrics of “Jingle Bells” in my head, only to realize for the first time that this fun song really said nothing about Christmas at all. It mentioned neither the secular nor the spiritual aspects of the holiday. For the first time in life, I received a “Christmas carol surprise.” A song I knew and loved turned out to be something different from what I had assumed it to be.
I’ve since learned that “Jingle Bells” has a few more surprises to offer. It was written in the mid-1800’s by a church organist, James Pierpoint. It was first performed, not in a Christmas service, but in a Thanksgiving program at Pierpoint’s church. There’s actually quite a hot debate over where Pierpoint actualy wrote “Jingle Bells.” People from the city in Georgia where the song was first performed claim he wrote it there. But folk from Medford, Massachusetts, where Pierpoint lived before moving south, claim he wrote his famous jingle in a town tavern.
In my last post I mentioned my rough and ready distinction between religious Christmas carols and secular carols or holiday songs like “Jingle Bells.” Of course many holiday songs mention Christmas, but almost never as a religious holiday. I’m not complaining about this, by the way, just mentioning it. I happen to think that many of the secular Christmas traditions are wonderful (putting up Christmas lights, eating festive food, getting together with friends and family, etc.). Songs that commemorate these traditions can also be delightful, even if they’re not spiritually edifying. (Here I part company with my Reformed and Puritan theological ancestors, who disliked Christmas carols in general, and despised the secular songs as contradictory to the solemnity of the birth of Christ.) (Photo: My wife and son during one of my favorite family traditions, our an annual walk around Balboa Island (Newport Beach) to see the decorated homes. We missed the boat parade this year because we were in Texas. But we’ll still get the lights.)
If you’ll grant my distinction between religious carols and holiday songs, then let me ask you: What are your favority holiday songs? Which holiday songs do you love the most? (I addressed religious carols in my last post.)
Before I answer this question for myself, I want to make a prediction about your answer: You will choose several songs written in America between 1932 and 1952. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if most or all of your choices fall into this category. Now I’m not psychic or anything like that. But I do know that the majority of our most popular holiday songs today were written in that time frame, including “White Christmas” (1942), “The Christmas Song” (“Chestnuts roasting”, 1946), and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1949).
It strikes me as notable that so few of our favorite holiday songs were written in the last forty years. So far I’ve been able to identify only these: “We Need a Little Christmas” (Jerry Herman, 1966), “This Christmas” (Donny Hathaway and Nadine McKinnor, 1968), “Feliz Navidad” (José Feliciano, 1970), “Happy Christmas” (John Lennon, 1971),” “Wonderful Christmastime” (Paul McCartney, 1979). (Note: As of 2007, “Do They Know It’s Christmas” has been growing in popularity. It was written in 1984 to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief. Check out a Youtube video here.) If you have any other suggestions, please let me know. Obviously it takes time for songs to become popular, not to mention old favorites. But I don’t see many recent songs on this trajectory. Why not, I wonder?
One could argue that many of the songs from the 1930s-1950s era were promoted through movies, and that would certainly be true. Just take Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas,” for example, which was featured in the 1942-film Holiday Inn. But there are lots of movies today with Christmas themes. Do they feature new holiday songs on their way to becoming classics? I don’t think so. In fact most of these movies tend to feature the older songs, though they may be re-recorded by younger singers. Take the recent Christmas hit Elf. Its songs are almost all from the 1930s-1950s. (Here’s a strange bit of trivia. The soundtrack for Elf was composed by John Debney, who also composed the soundtrack for The Passion of the Christ. Now there’s some diversity!)
What explains the tendency of today’s films to use older music? I’m sure nostalgia has something to do with it. When we hear Nat King Cole’s rendition of “The Christmas Song” we not only enjoy this song as a piece of music but also it generates fond memories of times gone by, at least for many of us. But I don’t think nostalgia solves completely the riddle of no new music. I’m inclined to believe that it’s also about the change in America since the early 60’s. Vietnam, Watergate, the sexual revolution, and so forth had an impact on the soul of America. We lost our romanticism, for better or for worse. We became more realistic, more cynical, more unwilling simply to enjoy smelling “chestnuts roasting on an open fire.” Most of the holiday music from decades past is very romantic. It’s all about happiness, beauty, love, and Christmas magic. Winter isn’t a time when homeless people struggle to find shelter or lonely people fall into deep depression. Rather, the older music celebrates “Jack Frost nipping at your nose” as you walk through a “winter wonderland,” enjoying a “white Christmas” while crying out “Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!”
Thanks to ASCAP (The Amercian Society of Composers and Publishers), we don’t have to guess which Christmas songs (not carols) are the most popular. They keep records of things like this. In my next post I’ll put up the most recent results of the ASCAP survey, and note some changes between 2004 and 2007. Meanwhile, you might find it fun to make a list of your own favorite Christians songs and see how many of the top 25 you can come up with on your own.
Topics: Christmas Carols | 7 Comments »
Eyewitness Testimony in Mark’s Gospel
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Be sure to check out my guest blogger, James Arlandson, whose latest post is entitled “Eyewitness Testimony in Mark’s Gospel.”
Topics: Guest Bloggers | No Comments »
Favorite Christmas Carols
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Part 2 in the series: More Christmas Carol Surprises
Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series
What are your favorite Christmas carols?
From one perspective this is an easy question. My guess is you already have some answers in mind: “Joy to the World,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “White Christmas,” “Jingle Bells,” and, perhaps the all time favorite, “Silent Night.” Yet from another perspective this question isn’t quite so simple. When I refer to carols, do I mean sacred carols or holiday songs? Or am I lumping them all together? And what about songs that seem to bridge between the sacred and the popular, like “Little Drummer Boy” or “Do You Hear What I Hear?”
The debate about what constitutes a Christmas carol (vs. holiday song, or Christmas hymn, or seasonal folk song, or . . .) is a complicated one. Musicologists used to describe a carol as a song with verses and a repeating chorus, usually used in dancing. Indeed, the word “carol” comes from the Old French word “carole,” that refers to a circle dance. In centuries past there were carols not only for Christmas, but also for other holidays. In those times church leaders distinguished between sacred Christmas music (hymns, chants) and secular carols, which the leaders often denigrated or even tried to outlaw altogether. But in recent times the word “carol” has become inescapably associated with the Christmas music and little else. If a song celebrates something associated with Christmas, or even winter cheer, it may be considered a carol. (Photo: A folk dancing group doing a circle dance.)
As I think about Christmas music, I make a rough and ready distinction between religious Christmas carols and secular carols or holiday songs. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is a religious carol, while “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is a holiday song. This distinction wouldn’t stand up to close scholarly scrutiny, especially given the crossover songs, but it works fairly well in practice. It’s more about the content of the lyrics than the genre of the music, though most religious carols have a hymn-like form.
So, then, let me ask two questions: First, what are your favorite religious Christmas carols? Second, what are your favorite holiday songs? Note: Tomorrow I’ll work on the second question. Today I’ll focus on the first.
Favorite Religious Carols
I’ve looked in vain for some definitive survey that would tell us which religious carols Americans like most? If you find one, please let me know. It would be especially interesting to see how preferences vary with age, religious commitment, ethnicity, and other variables. But since I haven’t found anything systematic, you’re stuck with my own rather idiosyncratic observations.
It seems to me that sacred Christmas music can be organized in a four-tier hierarchy. The top tier contains songs that are sacred classics, carols that will be sung in most churches and will even be heard in secular malls and concerts during the holiday season. One characteristic of a top tier song is that Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas unless you heard this song several times. Second tier carols are favorites, but they haven’t quite made it into the top tier. They’ll be sung just a little less frequently than the others, and are loved by somewhat fewer people, but not less passionately. Third tier carols will be heard and sung, but much less frequently. The fourth tier contains carols that are rarely sung today, even though they may be personal favorites for some individuals. I suppose I could add a fifth tier: Most Hated Carols. But somehow that wouldn’t be in keeping with the holiday spirit.
Here’s my shot at the hierarchy. Remember, this reflects my experience as an Anglo, American, Protestant. Now I’m sure almost every reader will want to move things around, to add or to subtract. If you want to have some fun, make your own hierarchy. This could even be a delightful Christmas afternoon game to be shared among friends and family after the presents are open. I do reserve the right to change my order, especially as I hear from you.
Don’t Know “What Sweeter Music”?
“What Sweeter Music” was set to music by the English musician and conductor John Rutter in 1987. The lyrics are from a Christmas poem by the seventeenth-century English poet Robert Herrick. (Herrick is perhaps most famous for the line: “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.”) I’ll print the lyrics to Herrick’s poem below, in case you’re interested. But without the music, the words just don’t sing. Unfortunately I can’t put up a recording of Rutter’s song (copyright limitations), but this link will take you to a link where you can hear part of the song (and buy the album, if you wish).
For several years, the choir of Irvine Presbyterian Church sang “What Sweeter Music” as the capstone of the 11:00 p.m. communion service on Christmas Eve. It was one of my favorite moments of the year. Not only did I get to hear one of my favorite Christmas songs, but also my Christmas Eve marathon, with four worship services was drawing to a close.
At any rate, here are the lyrics for “What Sweeter Music”:
A Christmas Carol, Sung to the King in the Presence at White-Hall
[CHORUS] What sweeter music can we bring,
Than a carol, for to sing
The birth of this our heavenly King?
Awake the voice! Awake the string!
Heart, ear, and eye, and everything.
Awake! the while the active finger
Runs division with the singer.[VOICE 1] Dark and dull night, fly hence away,
And give the honor to this day,
That sees December turned to May.[2] If we may ask the reason, say
The why, and wherefore, all things here
Seem like the springtime of the year?[3] Why does the chilling Winter’s morn
Smile, like a field beset with corn?
Or smell, like to a mead new-shorn,
Thus, on the sudden?[4] Come and see
The cause, why things thus fragrant be:
‘Tis He is born, whose quickening birth
Gives life and luster, public mirth,
To heaven, and the under-earth.[CHORUS] We see Him come, and know Him ours,
Who, with His sunshine, and His showers,
Turns all the patient ground to flowers.[1] The darling of the world is come,
And fit it is, we find a room
To welcome Him.[2] The nobler part
Of all the house here, is the heart,[CHORUS] Which we will give Him; and bequeath
This holly, and this ivy wreath,
To do Him honor; who’s our King,
And Lord of all this reveling.
Topics: Christmas Carols | 7 Comments »
Advent Calendar for December 25
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Click here for the December 25 Advent Calendar entry!
Topics: Advent Calendar | 1 Comment »
Merry Christmas!
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, December 25, 2007
May God give you a blessed and joyful Christmas
as you celebrate the Incarnation of the Word!
BALDUNG GRIEN, Hans
Nativity
1520
Oil on wood, 105,5 x 70,4 cm
Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Image c/o Web Gallery of Art
What a striking painting of the entry of the Son of God into a broken, ruined world. He comes for the healing of all creation, even the animals. In the midst of the humble destruction in which Jesus is born, we glimpse the miracle of His own supernatural radiation, as well as the angelic visit to the shepherds in the background. The glorious God has truly entered into the mess of human life in order to redeem it . . . and us!
Topics: Christmas | No Comments »