New Hymns by Mudcatters

Subject: Lyr Add: Who'd Have Thought the Lord Almighty
From: Haruo
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 09:58 PM

Apologia pro Cantico Suo: I wrote this hymn (or "sacred ballad") in memory of Jesus female ancestors, and especially the five mentioned in the genealogy in Matthew 1 (the competing/complementary genealogy in Luke ignores women's part in the lineage entirely; Matthew singles out 5 -- out of 42 -- for special mention, and interestingly they are all in some way (sexually or ethnically or both) scandalous. The song is applied as follows: first you preach briefly on the life and scandalousness of Tamar (Genesis 38: impersonates prostitute in order to get her father-in-law to impregnate her), then sing v. 1; then tell about Rahab (Joshua 2: traitor to her country, Jericho; bordellista), and sing v.2; then Ruth (Genesis 19 emphasis: illegal alien descended from the incestuous survivors of Sodom), and sing v. 3; then Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11), and sing v. 4; then Mary (referring to the fact that her reputation in Matthew's day was not, at least outside the church, one of immaculate virginity; the word on the street was, it was a Roman soldier) and sing v. 5. Then a little homily on the moral of this story, if you call this "moral" ;-), with vv. 6-8 following as a "Reprise and Conclusion". I have presented it twice in worship, once at a retirement center near my church, and one at our evening service. It was well received. My apologies to any whom its premise or manner may be offensive.

Who'd Have Thought the Lord Almighty

(Leland Bryant Ross)

(1: Tamar)

Who'd have thought the Lord Almighty

from all women on the earth
Would have chosen Tamar the wily

to prepare for Jesus' birth?
But he chose her, and we laud her

for her chutzpah and her brains,
In gratitude we applaud her:

Hallelujah! Jesus reigns!

(2: Rahab)

Who would dream the God of Moses,

and of Joshua son of Nun,
Would elect a Jericho harlot —

and a traitor — for his Son
To descend from? Yet he picked her!

Praise the wisdom of his choice:
Hallelujah! God is with us!

Let us marvel and rejoice!

(3: Ruth)

Who'd imagine, of all nations,

God would call on Moab's aid
To advance the cause of salvation?

that a needed role played
A widowed exile sprung from Sodom

— and from incest — that her part
Would be great-grandmother, in Israel,

of a man after God's own heart?

(4: Bathsheba)

Who would guess that when, in wartime,

on her roof Bathsheba lay
And occasioned maybe the worst crime

in the annals of her day,
God, the righteous Lord of Zion

through that lust would vict'ry win,
From their union bringing a scion

who'd annihilate all sin.

(5: Mary)

Who'd suppose a country girl

such as Mary would attract
The Creator of the whole world?

But she did, and that's a fact.
She conceived and bore a child

by the Spirit of the Lord —
Our Redeemer, "meek and mild",

sharper than a two-edged sword!

(6-8: Reprise)

Who'd believe that these five ladies,

and so many nameless more,
In God's great assault upon Hades

would be called and chosen for
The advancement to perfection

of the Lord's ongoing plan
By a process of election

to bring forth the Son of Man?

Mudstained cloth and damaged vessels

are the means our Lord has used,
Yet our sense of pride still wrestles

with the meaning of these truths:
Not the holy and the haughty,

but the humble and the flawed —
Be they prostitutes or monarchs —

are the forebears of our God.

Hallelujah, hallelujah,

hallelujah, hallelu!
Hallelujah, hallelujah,

hallelujah, hallelu-hu-hu!
So we sing their praises gladly,

named and nameless, brash and shy,
For the offspring of their body

is the Apple of God's eye!

Tune: CHEATING GAME, similar to the tune of "Silver Threads and Golden Needles",
though when I came up with it I thought I was imitating "Scarlet Ribbons"

Text: Leland Bryant Ross (Dec. 7, 1996)

I'm still working on the MIDI, and once I'm done I'll post it permanently with music in my online hymnal.

Subject: RE: New Hymns by Mudcatters
From: hesperis
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 10:13 PM

Interesting.

Although I read a book recently that said Mary was actually a Judaic Princess, and was married to the Roman soldier who was Governor (or the son of the Governor) of Israel! One of those political alliances.

The book said that the reason Pilates found no fault in Jesus, was that he was actually the King of Israel by Roman law as well as the descendant of David in the Judaic tradition.

I wish I'd bought the book, cause then I'd know the name of it...

Subject: RE: New Hymns by Mudcatters
From: Haruo
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 10:22 PM

And here I always thought He was a Hohenzollern. ;-)

Liland

Subject: RE: New Hymns by Mudcatters
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 10:24 PM

L, yours is astounding!!!!!! I love it!!!

I've been writing a few, and have posted them in various locations. I'll try to link them in next week.

~S~

Subject: RE: New Hymns by Mudcatters
From: MMario
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 10:34 PM

Liland; I think I am going to LOVE having you around! This is great!

Subject: RE: New Hymns by Mudcatters
From: John Hardly
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 10:43 PM

Liland--Wonderful writing!!

Subject: RE: New Hymns by Mudcatters
From: Haruo
Date: 13 Oct 00 - 11:26 AM

Many thanks. My other two English pieces I'm rather fond of (I mentioned them in another thread, but heck, it pays to advertise, right?) are my Christmas/Innocents carol In Bethlem Town and my Easter Monday Breakfast ballad Come Then, Let's Have Breakfast. And completely off-topic, check out my Hindi page (with New Britain [Amazing Grace] playing on the sitar in the background, I hope).

Namaste!
Liland

Subject: RE: New Hymns by Mudcatters
From: Tinker
Date: 13 Oct 00 - 03:14 PM

Liland, This is great. I can't wait to hear the midi.Even when the interpretaions differ, It's great to get the lady's names out there.
Tinker

Subject: RE: New Hymns by Mudcatters
From: Haruo
Date: 13 Oct 00 - 09:48 PM

Umm, that background music on my Hindi page isn't Amazing Grace, it's "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"...

Liland

Subject: RE: New Hymns by Mudcatters
From: Uncle Jaque
Date: 13 Oct 00 - 10:21 PM

Awesome, dude! I love it! From the little I see here, you seem to be a fairly open and eclectic sort of Pilgrim; no doubt there are some "True Believers" about who would have a Holy COW (breech delivery) if they ever heard "Amazing grace" on a sitar! Heck; it can't be much worse than bagpipes, eh? I know that it sounds more Unitarian than Baptist to sense a trancendant Spirit and Light intricately woven over and through many diverse cultures and Faith Traditions... yet I do.
Women certainly do seem to get short shrift (when did they ever get long shrift?) in the Bible; I never could quite reconcile St. Paul's apparant sexist and chauvanistic Old-Tesament attitude with Y'shua's (Jesus') radical (for that time & culture, certainly) compassionate and inclusive heart for the repressed gender. Perhaps that's one reason why I make lanterns and others preach the Gospel. Anyway... that's a beaut' of a lyric, and I hope to hear you sing it on HearMe some night. Did you catch my posting of "Night in Jerusalem" a while back? whaddya think? Keep up the good work & may God abundantly bless!

Subject: RE: New Hymns by Mudcatters
From: Haruo
Date: 23 Oct 00 - 11:14 AM

Just a link to the more recent thread on Entomographical Hymnody with my Potato Bug Hymn and others' pertinent replies and referrals. In case anybody's still tracing this one.

Liland