St. John 's Feast: Preparing the Way Through Music?

Image attribution: PublicDomain Pictures/ 18043, 2014, https://pixabay.com/en/background-sheet-music-antique-313402/

"Prepare ye the Way of the Lord!!"

Are certain chords from a certain song from the musical Godspell  playing in your head despite yourself as you read these words?  Just curious!  

This song has become so synonymous with this phrase that if I were to say it in a room with a bunch of music-loving Christians, I could virtually guarantee that someone would break out into song.  And whether you approve of this particular piece or not, one can't deny its catchiness.  

Actually, this is one of the many beautiful things about music.  It can take an extremely meaningful and important line of scripture or teaching of our faith and engrave it into our unconscious mind virtually forever.  

For example, have your children ever attended VBS?  There is a reason that the kids sing song after song about scripture verses and doctrine of our faith.  They tend to remember it for a VERY long time.  I can say this from experience, since my oldest is 17 and still finds herself humming lines learned so long ago when she now comes in contact with certain scripture verses.  She may not remember the entire song, but the music that accompanies the words she now reads comes back to mind almost instantly.

This is a good thing.  This is a VERY good thing.  

The truth is, most of us are not gifted with a photographic memory.  As we persevere on our journey on earth, our minds tend to push out the old to make room for the new - in other words, our minds begin to prioritize for us according to our needs at the time.  Music can be incredibly helpful in retaining information that our minds may not feel is important, but the rest of our bodies know is significant for our life in Christ.  

And although it may sound odd, one could even say that music itself can help us prepare the way of the Lord!  By consistently calling to mind all that the Lord asks us to remember and keeping His teachings close to our hearts, we gain a strong foothold to holiness as we climb that mountain toward heaven.  We prepare the way not only for ourselves but for those along our path and those who will soon follow as well.  

So, as we celebrate the Nativity of St. John the Baptist today, let's take some time to listen to at least one song that draws us closer to the Savior for whom St. John declared his famous phrase.  

Remember today:

Prepare Ye the Way!!