Whomsoever Dwells

💬 Comments
-by Rachel Jones
Read

Sinead O’Connor: Whomsoever Dwells

Reflect
If you watched the video link in the Read/Watch section, you’ve just heard one of my favorite settings for Psalm 91. Even though this Psalm is one of our oldest hymns, coming from the Old Testament, it strikes me as a pretty great Easter song. Saint Augustine reminds us that we are Easter people, and we remind each other of that often. I think Psalm 91 is all about living into Easter even as we are struggling for purchase in the middle of Good Friday–crawling up into the safe hiding place of God’s goodness, nestling into right relationship, hugging tight the understanding that we are made whole and called to be holy in that place of transfiguration under God’s wings. Jesus pulls Psalm 91 around him tightly when he is tempted by Satan in the wilderness. God’s goodness is proven over and over again by the grace we are given to walk through the fire, to be protected from threats we’d rather not imagine, and even in our most extreme moments of doubt and torment, even death, God’s mercy makes a way to comfort and keep us.
We don’t need to go far from our front doors to be confronted with a world full of Good Friday hurt and anguish. Good Friday sits at our tables, sleeps in our beds, lurks in our in-boxes. It is no small wonder that we have to get together so often to remind ourselves that Good Friday is never a stand-alone event, whether it comes as a blown dead line, a blown relationship, a ripping of some veil we just weren’t quite ready to rend. We will need a safe place to hole up and nurse the hurt of those losses, those deaths. This particular song is one of those safe places for me. It’s been a balm to my heart on many hard days. If you’re having a hard day, maybe it can give you a little lift, too. We need to remind ourselves, and to be reminded by our people, that while our present ache may feel crushing, it will not be this way forever. Good Friday is not allowed to last forever. Not for Jesus, not for you. Easter is coming, always. Easter is here. Thanks be to God.
Respond
How does music play a part in the way you understand Easter? Does music play a part in your personal life of faith, apart from church singing? Tweet us your thoughts or share your favorite Easter or “Easter” songs at  #50daysEaster or #singsomeeaster
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