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Journey to the Jordan is a reflection of fifteen years of spiritual questioning, which finally led to the writing of "Swimmin' in the Jordan," a song about the peace that comes from trusting the real, present, loving and forgiving God. Journey to the Jordan begins with "To You," a new setting of the Collect for Purity, which I wrote for Tyson House, a Lutheran-Episcopal campus ministry at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Every Sunday evening, as the students finish eating supper, Pastor Ward, Father Chris and I slip away to the chapel to light the candles and pray to prepare for worship. When it’s time to begin, I play the opening chords, and we sing: To You, all hearts are open, To You, all desires known. To You, there are no secrets, Almighty God, we come to You. The refrain repeats and builds as the students file into the chapel, adding their voices to the song. Once the congregation is seated, I bring the song to a close. After a period of silence, the Collect concludes: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts By the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit That we may perfectly love You That we may worthily magnify Your name The next eight songs present a sort of extended Confession and Absolution, as they document the times I sorted out and brought to God the conflicts between the faith I was raised in and the world I lived in. "Yours Eternally" is one of the first songs of faith I wrote, as I came to recognize the simple fact of God's goodness and importance in my life: Under my own direction, My soul drifts steadily off course. When I guide my life by Heaven, I am brought safe to shore… Well, it's one thing to recognize God's goodness and importance; it's another thing entirely to respond faithfully to God's call, whatever form that might take. "The World's Finest Hour" and “Poor Me†explore exactly this issue, as they look into the lives of Mary, Joseph, Moses, Noah, Isaac, Jonah and the rest of us “poor people†wrestling with how to recognize and respond to God’s will in our lives: The World’s Finest Hour If I were Mary, and if I heard What looked like an angel announce That I would carry the living Word, That the very God I prayed to would come down, Down on me, and me so young, Could I possibly conceive that He would be the Son, The Son of Man, a son of mine? Would I whisper, 'Let the Lord be glorified?' Or would I laugh? Would I cry? In the face of embracing such Power, Would I run? Would I hide? Surely I could not deny the world's finest hour. If I were Joseph, and I were told My virgin betrothed was to give birth, And I was chosen to behold The coming of the King of all the earth When I woke, when I knew That it all had been a dream, would I think the dream was true And take Him in as my own? Would I lead her through the desert to my home? If I were Jerusalem, If I laid the palms at his feet, If I shouted, 'Crucify him!' When He rose, would I finally believe? Poor Me Poor Moses, the odds were stacked against him From the moment that they found him floating in the reeds Poor Noah, sweating in the sun Everyone staring, and the ark was still in pieces Poor Isaac, tied to the altar Waiting for his father’s hand to fall But ain’t nobody done God’s will Without that feeling of climbing uphill It’s a long, hard battle and it always will be Even now, even I hear the calling And my heart starts racing, and my mind starts stalling And I know He’s great and good and all But how much more can He make out of poor me? Poor Jonah, sent to save a city Ran the wrong direction, hiding from the Lord He found himself in the belly of a fish Said, “Anything You wish, I’m ready to take orders.†Poor people, free to falter Free to come back at a clip or at a crawl I make it so much worse than it has to be Nothing I cannot do will be asked of me He’s gonna make more, gonna make more Gonna make a whole lot more out of poor me! The next song, "Angels," looks a little more closely into the challenge of recognizing God's image in other people: Lying by your car, beaten and battered, There's a man and a bottle, both badly shattered. Do you stop at all? Do you act as if he matters, too? What do you do? Angels bring a message of hope, Bring a message of love, Bring a message on through. If a stranger can bring a message, then we Can bring a message, and we, We can be angels, too. For many years, I tried philosophically to justify my faith in God. I had come to recognize that I did believe in God, but I didn't want to mislead myself, or my friends, or especially, my children. "Reasons to Believe" documents the turning point when I came to understand that faith must ultimately rest not on what I can prove, but rather on what God reveals: I can build you a strong defense for the hope that's in me. I can list you the arguments for the way I see this world. I can offer the evidence that I've felt in my life. I can hand you the books that help my faith to survive. But nothing I can say, nothing I can do, Can make the message seem true to you. Only God can give you reasons to believe. I can state you a case for prayer as a meditation. I can point you to nature and the order it reveals. We can talk of the ways that love has a mind of its own, And debate our conclusions based on logic alone. But if it's only you and me here, making sense, Nothing's proven but coincidence. Only God can give you reasons to believe. Why is it so hard to hear? Why would the Creator's voice be small and still? Are we afraid He won't be there? Or afraid He will? Or maybe we're afraid to be deceived. Maybe we're afraid to be deceived. Only God can give you reasons to believe. This was a scary moment for me, because obviously, if God didn’t reveal Himself, I'd be left with no good reason to believe at all. I am very grateful that He did, and the next three songs are my best explanation of how I experienced this revelation. "The Prince of Surprises" presents the necessary initial step of opening the mind to even the possibility that God might intervene in one’s life. It is also the only song on Journey to the Jordan written from God's point of view. This is not a device I use lightly, but it seems like an appropriate way to communicate God's self-announcement: Your world is built on routine. It tells you what to expect, tells you what you dare not dream. But your world is the one I came to save, And I chose to get it done in an unexpected way. Do you tend to doubt the Power that made the universe would become a man? Is it too much to believe He'd care enough to come and lend a hand? Surprise, I love you! Surprise, you've been forgiven! Surprise, I died two thousand years ago, Surprise, I'm living! Sure as the sun goes down, sure as it rises, I'm the Prince of surprises! Once we’re open to the possibility of God’s intervention, the question becomes, what evidence do we have that God does intervene. "When I Pray for Peace" is about one way in which I know prayer is answered: When I pray for sun, sometimes the rain comes down. When I pray for time, this world keeps spinning 'round. Seems like some kinds of prayer Don't get me anywhere. But when I pray for peace, when I rest in the Spirit Of the One who is life to me I don't understand, I don't know the answer, But peace comes to me, when I pray for peace. That said, "Shalom, Salaam" is a prayer for peace: There is no God but God. The Lord your God is one, One God and Father of all. Shalom, salaam, peace be with you. Let us live, live in peace. Lord our God, grant us peace. Shalom, salaam, peace be with you. In the bread, in the wine, in the body and the blood All that keeps us apart is consumed in Heaven's love. No division remains, we are gathered into one. Love alone is the law, let God's will be done. Shalom, salaam, peace be with you. Songs eleven through fourteen are settings of four liturgical texts, traditionally associated with communion: the Opening Dialogue of the Great Thanksgiving, the Words of Institution, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Agnus Dei, or Lamb of God. By the time in worship when these songs are sung, we've prayed together, sung hymns together, read scripture together, and listened as the Gospel was proclaimed. We share God’s peace with one another, and then together we sing "The Lord Be With You," "On the Night He Was Betrayed," and "The Lord's Prayer" as the bread and wine are consecrated. We sing "Lamb of God" as the congregation comes forward to receive communion. "Swimmin' in the Jordan" is a song I often offer during communion, as it expresses the peace received in communion with God: Swimmin’ in the Jordan, that wonderful water Lettin’ my burdens float on downstream I’ve been a sinner—that’s not important I’m swimmin’ in the Jordan, my soul is clean Nothing can come between me and the Father Through His forgiveness, I’ve been released No longer sinkin’ since I let the Lord in I’m swimmin’ in the Jordan, I am at peace Jesus came to me when I was drownin’ He reached his hand out, he took my sins It’s life eternal he traded me for them I’m swimmin’ in the Jordan, living again "Safe as Baby Moses in the Rushes" is another frequent communion song, for much the same reason: Sometimes it seems like there's no way of knowing Why it's all worth it, or where we belong. Sometimes we pray for a way to keep going. Sometimes it's clear that we're carried along, Safe as baby Moses in the rushes, Floating toward what God has planned. That's the way the Father holds us: Dear in His sight, cradled in His hands. What if we knew all our worries were groundless What kind of freedom would we all enjoy Wrapped in a love and a power so boundless Tenderly lifted like that little boy Even when the river rolls the darkest and the deepest We can rest and rest assured He will always keep us Safe as baby Moses in the rushes… From all I've experienced, when you rest in that kind of assurance, soon you want to share it, to become an active expression of God's love in God's world. The last song on Journey to the Jordan, "Use me up," is a prayer for that very wish: Use me up Let me give everything I am. Pour out my heart and soul according to Your plan. Use me up Let there be nothing of me left No chance to love untaken, Not one regret. —John Tirro, March 29, 2006 (John is a Music Minister at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Knoxville, TN, and also at Tyson House, a Lutheran-Episcopal ministry on the campus of the University of Tennessee.) Track List: 1. To You 2. Cleanse the Thoughts of Our Hearts 3. The World's Finest Hour 4. Yours Eternally 5. Angels 6. Poor Me 7. Reasons to Believe 8. The Prince of Surprises 9. When I Pray for Peace 10. Shalom, Salaam 11. The Lord Be With You 12. On the Night He Was Betrayed 13. The Lord's Prayer 14. Lamb of God 15. Swimmin' in the Jordan 16. Safe as Baby Moses in the Rushes 17. Use Me Up Suggested CDs:Other Genres: |