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(This post was written prior to 2016, in a blog entitled “Jubal’s Jottings.”)
Much has been rightfully said about great theology found in many of the songs of Christmas. I did, however, find myself doing some pondering as I sat in a concert of a long-used, well-loved Christmas work – the Robert Shaw/Robert Russell Bennett classic, The Many Moods of Christmas. The work consists of medleys of sacred and secular songs of the Christmas season in four themed suites. I was drawn to two particular songs, their content, and a couple of questions.
“O Sanctissima” is a beautiful Latin hymn and tune that is used with many differing texts. In the case of Many Moods…, the original Latin is used. After beginning by describing wonderful attributes of the Virgin Mary, the fourth line of the text reads, “Ora, ora pro nobis.” For those of us who took too much Latin in high school, we readily know that the translation of that phrase is, “Pray, pray for us.” So, my question is this…though sung in Latin and everyone is listening to the beautiful music, should churches and singers who have no Marian theology be singing that phrase? Did the singers know what they were singing, whether English, Spanish, Swahili, or Latin? Or, is it OK because it is viewed as a work of art? But the service was promoted to me as a time of worship, not a concert? Hmmm…?
The other lyrics of note to me came in the singing of “The First Nowell”…notice spelling! There are nine – yes, nine – verses in the original text of this familiar carol. The ninth verse is seldom used, but in the case of Many Moods…, the arrangers reach into that ninth verse and pull out the following two lines…”If we in our own time do well, We shall be free from death and Hell.” So, does that theology match yours? I happened to think that the Reformed church in which I was hearing this music would likely not preach such a concept from their pulpit. I’m fairly convinced that in my “own time,” I could not “do well” enough to avoid Hell. I thought that’s why I needed a Child to be born…because I couldn’t do it on my own. But, maybe it’s OK to sing it because maybe I didn’t really say it that way. Right? Hmmm…?
Jubal, once again, you were before all this conflictual theological thought process. Lucky you…O, I guess luck is bad theology, too!