Dancing in the streets...

Ok, this will totally date me (oh well) but one of the first so-called "secular" songs I did in church was a postlude with jazz pianist and drummer - me on bass - to Martha Reeves and the Vandallas, "Dancing in the Street." It just felt right to close our summer youth worship with an improv on this anthem of unity, spirit and shaking your ass to great tunes so... we did it! And the folk gathered in our old Congregational church - young and old and everyone in between - first looked shocked and then... laughed in joy!

No wonder I kept thinking of this tonight as our little band - Between the Banks - worked on the music for this Sunday's conversation with music. To be sure, we'll be completely 21st century on July 26th at 10:30 am in Pittsfield, but the heart of what we are doing is much like this old Motown anthem - combined with our Good Friday gig. (Here's a rough taste of where we are going with gratitude to Steve who set up his camera during Good Friday worship.)

Steve recorded some more of our takes on tunes like Mindy Smith's, "Hard to Know" as well as Springsteen's, "City of Ruins" and Coldplay's, "Viva La Vida" during band practice. I will be posting my theological reflections on these tunes tomorrow - maybe even some of Steve's video, too - because we want to share what we sense as a growing edge in "incarnational spirituality." Through music our band - and I suspect many, many others, too - not only prays but finds ways of integrating our hearts with our bodies and minds. Music is not only our expression of beauty and hope but our exploration of what is percolating deep within.

So... maybe you can join us this week. And if not, would you send me some of your ideas about how God speaks to you through the music you listen to? I would be grateful...