Expecting no change

You may have gathered that I am still thinking about change.  Spring seems like a good time to ponder that and this year, maybe more than others, the turning of winter into spring has been a bit of a shock and surprise.  In all my years in Winnipeg (36 and counting!) we have never reached +25C on March 19.

As I re-read the title, I realized it could be taken several ways!  If your bill at the store was $15.75, and you had the exact amount in your wallet, you would ‘expect no change.’  Under unpleasant circumstances, perhaps at a hospital, a doctor might warn you to ‘expect no change’.  Neither of these uses of the phrase are what I had in mind.  In fact, I was not thinking in human terms at all but rather about the character of God.  I understand from scripture that God is unchanging; that Christ is ‘the same yesterday, today and forever’.  (Hebrews 13:8)  How reassuring this is in the face of 21st century life!  Is there an expression of that truth in song?  Well, the first example that comes to mind is the hymn “Great is Thy faithfulness” where in verse 1 we sing

...Thou changest not; Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.
Words by Thomas O. Chisholm, c. Hope Publishing Company, 1951

I like this hymn.  The melody and harmony of the refrain naturally build in strength as we repeat the words:  Great is Thy faithfulness.  To my ears, it is a good solid piece of music married to an equally strong text.  Does it resound with every person sitting in worship at a specific time and place?  Probably not, and to me that is one of the most important reasons to find other musical expressions of our faith.  A couple years ago I was introduced to a wonderful, newer hymn which expresses the ideas of God’s faithfulness and justice in updated language.  The hymn is God of the Bible; here is the first verse and refrain:

God of the Bible, God in the Gospel,
hope seen in Jesus, hope yet to come,
you are our center, daylight or darkness,
freedom or prison, you are our home. 

 

Refrain:
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change.  (repeat)

 

The author is New Zealander Shirley Erena Murray;  you can read more about her here.  The complete hymn text is available on the Hope Publishing site.  While you’re at the site, I would encourage you to check out some of her other texts.  The words are deep and well articulated and span a variety of topics and seasons.

I have sung this text with a lovely, vibrant tune called Fresh as the Morning by Tony E. Alonso.  He is a fairly young writer; this tune was composed at the age of 21.  You can hear part of the tune by going here and searching for it by tune name then clicking on the “listen” icon.

Here are two print sources for this hymn:
More Voices, c. 2007, The United Church of Canada
Sing the Journey, c. 2005, Faith & Life Resources, a division of Mennonite Publishing Network.

Anticipating Change

Click here to read my post over at the Presbyterian Record.

It can't be 25 years - can it?

Well, yes, the truth of it is that it has been 25 years!  The picture on the left was taken on Friday, March 13, 1987 shortly after the delivery of my first and biggest 'baby'.  Baby Petrof, measuring 5'8", and weighing in at (I have no idea!) came to my home on a snowy March day a quarter century ago. 

I never could have imagined then where I'd be now or what paths my professional life has taken.  I didn't yet know my husband, Gord.  Now we have a teenaged son.  I recorded my CD on this piano.  Countless students have sat on its bench to learn how to play.  Today is not the end of the story by any means, but it does feel like a significant day somehow.   And really, who would have thought dolman sleeves would be back in style?!

Exciting news!

I love how a figurative door can open and I suddenly realize there was a room on the other side I didn't know existed until that moment.  That's what happened last week when I was asked to blog for the Presbyterian Record's online presence.  The website has been renovated and now, under the "Blogs" tab on the main page, you will find a sub-heading "Affiliated blogs".  That's where you will find my pieces as well as those of other affiliated bloggers.  I am grateful for this opportunity that has come my way!  I haven't quite figured out the best way to post.  Should I write one post for both places?  Maybe it would be better to write separate entries for here and there.  Whatever way I work it out you can be sure that I will continue to invite (and welcome!) your comments in either place.  I will continue to express opinions on music - worship music most of the time - and hopefully relate life to faith and music. 

So what song has been going through my head today?  The song it seemed I dreamt all last night:  By faith we see the hand of God, a new hymn (2009) by Stuart Townend, Keith Getty and Kristyn Getty.  If I had to summarize it, I'd say the text was Hebrews chapter 11 set to a very singable tune which is exactly what I've come to expect from this writing team.  You can read the text and download the music by going here.  Better yet, you can hear it at Gettymusic.

What's the difference? Part 2

In our family photo library, there seem to be a huge number of photos of me sitting on the piano bench.  That's not really a surprise, I guess, when you consider my occupation.  Sometimes I'm sitting with my back to the keyboard, sometimes facing it. I'm still thinking about the stubborn/persistent thing and came up with this comparison; please accept it as my attempt to lighten up a weighty thought!

The notes on the page are stubborn - inflexible and unchanging.  

I am persistent in my practise until I can perform those notes to the best of my ability.