All That Jazz

A few years ago I found an obscure movie entitled Schultze Gets the Blues. It’s about a man in Germany who worked in salt mines all of his life and then in his early 60’s he and his friends all get laid off. They hang around in the local pub all day; they are bored and without purpose. Schultze plays the accordion and enjoys leading a band that plays at polkas. Then one day he hears this curious music on the radio – it includes an accordion but is much more complex and upbeat. It is zydeco music from the Cajun part of Louisiana. Eventually Schultze goes to a music festival there, gets lost and dies. (I guess I should have given a spoiler alert.) To me it is a story about spiritual transformation. He goes from a very predicable life to a land where he doesn’t speak the language and doesn’t know anyone. The only language he has in common with people in Louisiana is music. Music becomes the voice of the Holy Spirit, first on the radio when he first heard zydeco and then as he interacts with people and learns new ways to play the accordion.

Music is often the voice of the Holy Spirit. Throughout history one can see how people expressed how they experienced God in the music they created. From the Gregorian chants to Bach to the hymns of Charles Wesley and Praise Song people have filled their lives and souls with the winds of the Spirit. And the music tells the story of how people experience God. This Sunday we have invited some members of the Jazz Ensemble and Everett High School (including our own Jackson Cruz) to play some jazz for us in the service. Jazz you say? In a worship service? I’ve never heard of such a thing – is rap next? Personally I hope not, but that’s a personal preference and not meant to say that the Spirit doesn’t move through rap. For me, the sky is the limit with regard to music that can express the Holy Spirit. At first listen, zydeco does not sound “spiritual” like Gregorian Chant, but it is clear to me that Schultze heard the voice of the Spirit in this unfamiliar Cajun music. I love the blues. I am moved by the combination of a quasi-structure in chord progression coupled with improvisation. And I like the mood; I think the prophets sang the blues. All music can be an avenue of the Holy Spirit. I think the more music we experience the more chances we give God to move us. Be sure to be here this Sunday for Jazz Sunday. P.Jim