Transmission – the soundtrack
August 30, 2007
All right, so here it is, a year in the making.  The album will be available in a few weeks on Proost, a small London-based boutique label, and in a few months on iTunes.
Proost, by the way, is well worth checking out.  For about $120, you get access to their entire catalog (about 15 CDs, several movies, and a bajillion books) along with monthly updates for a year.  Well worth the price for any church, church plant, or church goer.
Also, for our Transmissioners and loyal readers, I’m pleased to give you a couple of pre-release singles from the Album.¬† All songs on the album were written by me and j. Snodgrass, whose smashing profile you can see on the cover of the album.¬† Enjoy!
First, we have The Stranger, which is a Eucharistic prayer (kind of).¬† If you listen closely, you’ll hear a preface, salvation history, sanctus, memorial acclamation, and the Lord’s prayer, but I also tried to include all my soap boxes about how Jesus has been misappropriated as a tool for oppression.
[audio:thestranger.mp3]
Second, we have a musical rendition of the Lukan Beattitudes.  Although the Beattitudes can come across as a little touchy-feely, I think they contain an extremely radical, subversive message (woe to the rich, etc).  So I threw in some riot noises, some police sirens, and generally tried to make the Sermon on the Mount sound as much like a protest rally as possible.
[audio:beattitude.mp3]
Finally, we’ve got a remix of a song you’ve heard on this site before, the Canticle of the Sun, which is based on a poem written by Francis of Assisi in 1224.¬† Basically, there were these guys called the Cathars who were running around telling everyone that the spiritual was good and the physical was evil, so Francis wrote this poem about how he could find God in his everyday surroundings.¬† It appeals to my hippy side.
[audio:canticleofthesun.mp3]
Enjoy!
Aug 15th for Jesus’ Mama
August 14, 2007
Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth – Tapesetry, originally uploaded by Edith OSB.
It’s the middle of August, so we’re keeping it low-key and simple. Come join us on the funky benches behind Grant’s Tomb for a bag dinner picnic and Bible Study.
Since August 15th just happens to be the Feast of Saint Mary, Mother of Jesus for Anglicans and Lutherans, the Assumption for Roman Catholics, and the Dormition of the Theotokos for the Eastern Orthodox, so we’ll be celebrating Jesus’ Ma Protestant-style, with a Bible Study! (No previous knowledge about Madonna necessary!)
About ‘African Bible Study’
Luke 1:39-56 – King James Version – The Message – NIV
GRANT’S TOMB is at 122nd and Riverside Drive. The 1 train stops at 116th on Broadway. Walk 6 blocks north, and 2 blocks west. Call 646 245-7346 if you can’t find us.
FOOD To keep this mid-August meeting simple, we’re asking people to bring food for themselves, plus a little extra to share (e.g. some chips, cookies, drinks, salad, small dish, an extra sandwich). Hopefully, there will be enough extra for those of you who don’t have time or extra cash to pick something up.
If you can, please bring a MARY piece to share –
A cappella or acoustic versions of the Magnificat welcome!
A visual representation of Mary (e.g. image, statue, jewelry) for “show & tell”
If you speak another language, bring a translation of Luke 1:39-56 to read to the group
Isaac & the “musicianhood of all believers”
August 7, 2007
There’s a great interview with Isaac by Becky Garrison on emergingchurch.info.
Definitely worth checking out…
I like his bit about a “musicianhood of all believers”
Martin Luther talked about the “priesthood of all believers” and the broad, folky appeal of his hymns suggest that he believed in the “musicianhood of all believers” as well. The job of professional ministers and musicians should not be to direct liturgical and musical activity, but rather to facilitate them. A liturgical leader’s job is not merely to pray and to worship, but to get the entire congregation praying and worshiping. Similarly, my job is not just to play well, but also to get everyone in the room participating in the music; my job is to help everyone find an entry point into the ritual activity.