"Savior of the World" [Big Sky Savior] — Spotify Link

Here is the Spotify link to "The Savior of the World." 

The song, that is. Happily, you don't need a hyperlink to reach Jesus. He is only a prayer away.

"Savior of the World" [Big Sky Savior]

Just in time for Epiphany, A.D. 2025. Pastors, please share with your membership and outreach committee. Link to it in your newsletters. 

"Writing Case" [Born to Free] — Spotify Links

Here is the Spotify link to this new Christmas tune. 

And here is a Spotify link to the whole TMS discography.

"Writing Case" [Born to Free] — Post 2

So, what is this about a writing case? In Ezekiel 9, the prophet sees a man, a clear Christophany, dressed in linen and carrying a writing case who is told to pass through the city of Jerusalem and mark everyone who sighs (with dismay) over the sins committed in the city; this proto-baptismal mark, like the blood of the Passover lamb at the Exodus, plays a protective function, because the Lord was about to destroy the city, as he did the Egyptian firstborn in the tenth plague (a judgment upon Egypt for Pharoah's destruction of the male children of the Hebrew slaves). In short, those with this protective mark will be spared. Remember how the liturgy of the Sacrament of Baptism says: "child of the covenant, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked (!) as Christ's own forever." The water is applied, drips off, and dries, but the invisible, spiritual mark is permanent, yes, eternal, because the child of the covenant is now engrafted and incorporated into the very body of the Christ who has conquered death, himself the Resurrection and the Life. Baptism into Christ, in which he marks us as his own, is the death to sin that exempts us from a second, permanent death.

Meanwhile, Revelation (which frequently refers to the imagery we find in the book of Ezekiel) speaks of the Lamb's book of life (Rev 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27), a register of those whose names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20) and thus marked for salvation. [There is, of course, that other mark mentioned in the book of Revelation, i.e., the mark of the beast, universally recognized as the mark of those destined for a very different, unhappy end, but this is the happy opposite of that.]

NOTE (likely to be repeated): Although this track is available on most major streaming services, I actually use very few social media platforms; so, when it says, "Please share with those you love," I would be grateful if you would funnel this musical "Jesus prayer" to your loved ones by way of (copy and paste links to) any social platforms that you happen to use. Thank you for doing so. Thank you, as well, for going the extra mile to support indie authors and musicians by, not just liking, but sharing, purchasing downloads, spreading the word, etc. God bless you. God bless us, everyone.

"Writing Case" [Born to Free] — Post 1

New Christmas songs are not born every minute, nor every day, nor even every year; mostly we just hear the old ones rehashed again and again, some beautifully, some less so. The point is: once upon a time, "Joy to the World" (1719), "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (1739), "Silent Night" (1816-18), and "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (1868) were brand new. The same is true, of course, of all the secular songs we have come to think of as seasonal staples, of which there is a seemingly endless stream of dumb covers.

This Christmas song, "Writing Case [Born to Free]," is new this year, A.D. 2024. It was written in less than a day, with the guitar setting coming on the evening of December 18, and the lyric in the early hours of the morning of December 19, 2024. A couple of stanzas from Rossetti's reading of Revelation got me started on the lyric, but only one or two of her (p.d.) turns of phrase made it through unaltered; no, by God's grace, it's my lyric. 

The guitar part is quite simple and was recorded in one take on December 19 (though this single take was shortened, since I repeated it more times than necessary). The vocals were recorded later that day, but I revised a few words, so I did a couple of quick retakes on Friday morning, December 20, with video running, as I awaited for the arrival of a contractor. (One does what one can in the comings and goings of life to "make the most of the time.") After another appointment, the guitar videos were done in the late morning and afternoon (but the afternoon shots were unusable for being too dark and badly framed), video edits in the evening, with a few early morning edits on December 21. The track was released on the morning of December 21. Start to finish, from chords to lyrics and melody to recording to editing to mixing to video to track release, less than 72 hours. All this is simply to say that, when the Holy Spirit has something to say, we do well to just go along and enjoy the ride. 

So, Merry Christmas, everyone. Happy birthday, Jesus. And welcome to the world, little song. May you, "Writing Case [Born to Free]," soon find yourself well-known and happily numbered in the beloved repertoire of sacred Christmas music. 

NOTE (likely to be repeated): Although this track is available on most major streaming services, I actually use very few social media platforms; so, when it says, "Please share with those you love," I would be grateful if you would funnel this musical "Jesus prayer" to your loved ones by way of (copy and paste links to) any social platforms that you happen to use. Thank you for doing so. Thank you, as well, for going the extra mile to support indie authors and musicians by, not just liking, but sharing, purchasing downloads, spreading the word, etc. God bless you. God bless us, everyone.

Oecolampadius, On the Easter Laughter

Benny Grey Schuster evidently issued his German rendering of this multilingual piece in 2019, but without any explicit reference to the Reformer in the title. It was called: Das Osterlachen. Darstellung der Kulturgeschichte und Theologie des Osterlachens sowie ein Essay über die kulturelle, kirchliche und theologische Verwandlung des Lachens. It was translated into German from the Danish version by Eberhard Harbsmeier. 

The English version appeared this year (2024) by Peter Lang, under the title: The History of Easter Laughter: Johannes Oecolampadius' 'De risu paschali' from 1518 with an Introduction, Annotated Translation, and an Account of the Cultural, Ecclesiastical, and Theological Transformation of Laughter.

Oliver Anthony knows which way is up

Which, one would think, ought to be the first qualification for going into ministry. 

[After reading this, my pitiful video play counts all of a sudden don't seem so bad.]

Revenant Psalms, Vol. IV

 

Released November 30, 2024. The video for the final track, Psalm 135 [Maker's Medley] will premiere at noon (CST) today, December 1, 2024. May it help keep you in a worshipful frame of mind, after church, throughout this Lord's Day, and always. [This is not a Christmas album per se, more of an Advent thing, I suppose, as are most of the Revenant Psalms, but ... Merry Christmas anyway. God bless us, everyone.]