Sharing Vision

This coming Sunday will be the second week in our series “The Questions Jesus Asks.” This series is a journey through the Gospel of Luke, using the questions that Jesus asks people around him as our guide.

This Sunday the question we are looking at is being framed as “The Question of Obedience” and the central passage that will be preached from is Luke 6:43-49, where Jesus talks about knowing trees by their fruit and the parable of the wise and foolish builders.

To connect the congregation to the reading, hearing, and preaching of the word I always seek to find music that follows the theme of the the scripture and sermon so that everything is pointing towards each other (this is one of the reasons it is important to plan ahead).

So to line up with the trees and good fruit we will sing Justin Rizzo’s song Tree

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPuzJFzXgU4)

To connect with the other section of the passage, the parable of the wise and foolish builders, I have selected a few verses of “How Firm a Foundation” and the chorus of “Let it Rain” and arranged them together as one song. (foundation, rain… wink-wink, nudge-nudge)

I have a very clear vision for this song,

what it should feel like,

what it should sound like,

and how it should be played.

All of these things live only in my head, I heard it for the first time in my head today!

None of my team knows how to play this song, none of them have heard it, none of them can…

So having played the song over and over to hear how it goes, how the muse moves me, how the parts are connected, and to feel the groove.

Once I played the song enough to know it, I took the time to put it down on paper in a way that makes sense to me, and can be understood by my musicians. (attached)

So once it was on paper, I shot a video of me playing the parts so that my team could listen to it before I ask them to try to play it.