“I’ll Be On My Way” by Shawn Kirchner

Some have asked me to share the audio recording my wife made of “I’ll Be On My Way” by Shawn Kirchner, performed by the Calhoun County Civic Chorale directed by JSU faculty member Dr. Eliezer Yansen, Jr.

I am the baritone soloist featured in the piece. 

Review by Rev. Steve Harper

I’m honored by this recommendation and book review by Rev. Steve Harper, author and retired elder from the Florida Conference, former seminary professor at Asbury, blogger at Oboedire, and important voice in the UMC.

Honestly, I’m in tears this morning.

You can find his original Facebook post here. It is reprinted below.

"Something Happens Here--Be Part of It."

Steve Harper

For some time, I have believed that the increase of divisiveness in The United Methodist Church (and the larger Christian community) is, in part, due to a decrease in our theology and practice of Holy Comnunion. When we stop coming to the Table together, we open the door to separatism that can too easily turn toxic.

And worse, when some divide so severely that they are willing to speak and write about excluding people from the Table, they have reversed the intention of Jesus for the holy meal to bring us together, counterfitting Communion, making it exclusionary, and using it to legitimize and widen the divide. 

Conversely, I also believe that the renewal of the United Methodist Church (and the larger Christian community) must include a recovered theology of the Lord's Supper and a revived partaking of it. I believe the new awakening is eucharistic. 

What I have only discovered recently is that Steve West not only believes this, he has written a book about it--a book which weaves together multiple threads of sacramental theology to offer us a eucharistic coat of many colors, complete with a winsome invitation to put it on. I have not seen a book that combines the various elements of sacramental theology the way his does.

Rooted in the Bible and in the Wesleys' words and hymns, West offers insights as ancient as Macarius the Egyptian and modern as John Pavlovitz. Along the way, his own pastoral experience with the sacrament puts flesh on the conceptual bones, sometimes in surprising and moving ways--the first story in the book serving that purpose in spades.

West's title, 'Something Happens Here' sums it up. And after you read his book, you will find yourself saying, "It is something that needs to happen again, here and now." And more, you will find yourself drawn into a mission to make it so.

--

The book may be found on Amazon or Wipf & Stock.

O Holy Night

This is a Christmas gift for you, my friends, on the longest night of the year. Blessings.

Spirit of Christmas

This is an original Christmas carol to share with you, my friends.

May you have a blessed and wonder-filled season.

I wrote it years ago during seminary, when I was enrolled in a class on the history of Christian thought with Drs. Roberta Bondi  and Bill Mallard (and sitting next to an attractive young woman named Sandy O'Quinn who I was not yet married to). We were studying Athanasius, who was very influential in the 4th century in clarifying the doctrine of the incarnation. He was well known for the idea that God in Christ came down from above that we might be brought from below.

For more on Athanasius see this article.

Praying through Music

This is my recent podcast on "Praying Through Music." I created for the "Pray Together" podcast series put together by members of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church.

In it, I suggest one who sings "prays twice." See if you agree:

https://prayingtogether.podbean.com/e/praying-through-music/

Reckless Love

Sunday my heart soured as our worship band did this song ... it’s my favorite now.

It’s about prevenient grace, which warms my Wesleyan heart and reminds me why I am (and always will be) Methodist!

“Before you spoke a word, you we’re singing over me” ... “I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still you give yourself away” ... “there is no shadow you won’t light up, mountain you won’t climb up, coming after me” ... “there’s no wall you won’t kick down, lie you want tear down, coming after me.”

That’s the God we worship, the hound of heaven who pursues all God’s children with reckless love!

Church piano restored to former glory

This is my column which appeared in The Arab Tribune on Wednesday, March 2, 2016.

There are a few perks to being a pastor besides the obvious ones (hospitality in homes and coffee shops, leftovers after church dinners, a nicely furnished home, and plenty of interesting personalities to enjoy). One of them is those quiet moments after hours, when no one is around and you have the sanctuary all to yourself.

I sat down to play it, and soon I became lost in the moment. Our church piano has been restored to its former glory. Wow. The notes resonate warmly and the touch is exquisite.

This instrument has a story and it begs to tell it. It's a beautiful 7 foot Steinway grand that has been in the sanctuary of Arab First UMC, and her former church sanctuary, for 60 years. No wonder it needed restoration.

I ponder the weight of over 3,000 Sundays of lifting hearts to sing God's praise. And here it is, fresh and new again.

In 1956, it was given to the church by Elmer Skidmore, who bought it at Forbes Piano Company to replace the old upright that would not stay in tune. He and his wife were in the choir.

As the story goes, no announcement was made about who donated it. But everyone knew Elmer must have bought it since he is the one who got people to donate stained the glass windows. He had come home from his store every day to get on the phone with church members until he had enough agreeing to pay $100 of the cost. Elmer also arranged for the purchase of the church's first Hammond organ.

The Skidmore's daughter, Jo Fox, recollects when the new organ was brought to the church. "It was delivered on November 21st, his birthday. Bess Hinds was the pianist and when it was delivered, the first thing she played on it was 'Happy Birthday' to him." Bess could also play the organ. "Music was a large part of his life and he had a strong voice. He led Sunday night songs and Linn Hinds led the morning service. I'm very proud of my parents. they worked tirelessly in our church and we never missed a service."

Apparently, after Elmer had pushed for folks to pay for the windows and the organ, he thought the old upright piano just ruined the sound when you played them together. He didn't want to go back for round three of fundraising, so he paid for the piano himself.

So here resounds a 60 year story of dedication, faith, and congregational song at my fingertips.

And it's not just any piano. It's a Steinway. Their 7 foot model is often dubbed "the perfect grand piano" today, and a new one would cost about $80 grand. It is the choice of top recording studios and has impeccable balance, beauty, and strength.

The Steinway has been completely refurbished and made like new. Anthony Wilson, our church pianist, says "the feel of the keys and the overall sound is like playing on a brand new piano. And with the physical transformation it also looks as if it is brand new. It is an amazing instrument and I am honored to have the privilege to play it each week."

Brian Quillin, our music director, adds “our church is extremely blessed to have such an incredible instrument and I am excited to see and hear it now that the restoration is complete."

For the restoration, we used Mike Reese of Reese Piano Service in Birmingham, Alabama. The project was much more involved than replacing the strings. It entailed rebuilding all the internal mechanics for a complete refurbishing, reconditioning, and refinishing. The project cost $13,000 and was paid for by an anonymous donation. And this month, it began its next next chapter in the unfolding faith story of the people of Arab First UMC.

Music has a way of carrying me to another place whether I'm playing my favorite Chopin "Raindrop" Prelude, breaking into a contemporary praise song, singing a rousing old hymn, or just jazzing something up.

I feel like the luckiest man alive to have a wonderful family, a healthy church with a vibrant story, and some renewed time as an empty nester to make music on the side.

There something about music that soothes the soul as I sit in the dark sanctuary and play some more. This is an instrument of praise, and it lifts hearts in worship. That's what it does, and that's what it's going to do for the next 60 years.

Even Jesus sang hymns with his disciples and quoted psalms they all sang regularly at the temple. Psalm 150, the pinnacle of praise in the Bible's book of songs, is a reminder that hymns of praise are enhanced with all sorts of instruments.

In one of those hymns, we sing "Come, thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy praise."

I wonder as I sit and play, what does it mean for me to become an instrument, too? If I'm going to be the kind of person that gets my heart tuned, the kind of person that lives as an instrument of God's praise, every once in a while I need a complete restoration, too.

I need renovation of the heart. I need renewal and care, and thank God for the transformative grace that refreshes me so I can keep doing this for him.

Saint Augustine is famous for saying "he who sings prays twice." I wonder if the one who plays for worship prays three times. Sometimes it feels that way. It certainly does today.

Steve West is a husband, father, minister, musician, and writer who pastors Arab First UMC. His blog, "Musings of a Musical Preacher," is found at www.stevewestsmusings.blogspot.com.

Taken and Blessed

I have revised one of my original hymn texts after spending part of my summer in a class, "Liturgy and Moral Imagination." The class was a wonderful experience with my old friend and esteemed professor Don Saliers.

I share it with you today in hopes that it enriches our common prayer. May we be continually shaped and transformed in patterns of grace by God's gift of the sacraments.

I have a simple setting of it with an original tune, if anyone would like to use it. I'll be glad to email it to you and grant permission freely.

Steve West

---

"Taken and Blessed"

Taken and blessed, broken and shared,
We come back to the table the Lord has prepared.
Washed by the water, born by the wind,
We come back to the fountain all over again.

Here you are present in holy space,
And you shape us and form us in patterns of grace.
Life is a circle of joy and pain,
So refresh us, oh God, with your baptismal rain.

Always becoming what we receive,
May our breath take on life beyond all we achieve.
Transform our purpose to love outpoured,
So our living is sharing the cup of our Lord.

Take us, your children, bless us with grace.
In your hands, gently break us, who dodge your embrace.
Share us with others, bread for the world.
We're the body of Christ, now redeemed by his blood.

"Taken and Blessed" by Stephen P. West,  copyright Stephen P. West 2004, revised 2015.

"Spirit of Christmas" on YouTube

"Spirit of Christmas" is a song I wrote a number of years ago, during my first semester in seminary. We had been studying Athanasius, an important fourth century church father, in class.

Athanasius is the one who coined the phrase "he became what we are so that we might become what he is" in his quest to clarify our belief in the incarnation. I often think of him around Christmastime.

A musical version may be found on my "Living Stones" CD, and you can listen to Spirit of Christmas on YouTube.

I share the lyrics in hopes that it helps you fathom the mystery of the incarnation during this holy season.

Spirit of Christmas, O come to us
As you came to the wise men of old,
As you came to the shepherds who found their way home
In a manger, so loving a fold.

Spirit of Christmas, you came to us
As a mother and father, so kind,
Surrounded the babe with a blanket of love
That the world, so hopeless, would find.

For God sent the Son to reveal to the people
A love unlike that which was known.
The Spirit of God came down from above
That we might be brought from below.

Spirit of Christmas, O come to us
As we follow our Morning Star,
Our minds be uplifted, our hearts rejoice
In discovering whose savior you are.

Spirit of Christmas, O come to us
As we seek to bring life to the world.
Abide in our hearts, let us rest in your care,
That the Spirit of love be unfurled.

Copyright 1994 Stephen P. West, all rights reserved

Moses by Steve West

What do you hold in your hands? Two Sundays ago, I shared a dramatic musical rendition of "Moses" by Ken Medema in worship. Click the link below to see it.

One Stroke of the Paintbrush

Lord Jesus, you do not call me to achieve or succeed. But neither to you call me to mediocrity.

What you call me toward is creativity. To be creative is to express the beauty and glory of God using the gifts I've been given ...



- to create blessing where there is cursing
- to create beauty where there is ugliness
- to create healthy atmosphere where there are unhealthy dynamics
- to create conversation where there is jockeying and positioning
- to create music where there is silence
- to create silence where there is noise
- to create appreciation where there is assumption
- to create reconciliation where there is resentment
- to create acceptance where there is no opportunity for reconciliation

Lord, I can't do it all, please everyone, or fix everything. But I can try to make the world a more beautiful place. I can't do everything, but I can do something. Forgive me for the sin of thinking I'm responsible for everything. That's your job. Forgive me for withdrawing and doing nothing, when you have given me a small candle to carry in the darkness with joy.

May I be overwhelmed with the joy of offering something, if only one stroke of the paintbrush on the massive canvas of what you are creating.

The Spirituality of Creativity

This week, I would like to share about what I call the “spirituality of creativity.” I believe that God gives each of us unique and marvelous gifts for the building up of the body of Christ. When we try to serve in ways that are not in our “gift mix”, we tend to be frustrated or unhappy. But when we serve according to our God-given design, we experience joy and fulfillment even when it’s challenging. I am convinced that people who don’t serve actively in the Church probably just haven’t yet found their “sweet spot.”

Personally, I confess that I am the right-brained artist type. As a musician and writer, I have found great joy in offering gifts within and beyond the local church I serve. I love to blog, write devotionals and columns, and create hymn texts. I also love to sing and play.

I have always admired people who had entirely different creative gifts, whether it is cooking, dance, textiles, crafts, art, or worship visuals. I also admire people who had creative gifts such as woodwork, construction, project planning, and architecture. I remember the scripture in which the Spirit of God rested on craftsmen who helped create the tabernacle. Even in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was bestowing gifts.

Claiming a spirituality of creativity means living in a way that is always discovering where the needs of the world and my gifts cross. And a local church is most vibrant when we recognize that all God’s gifts are unique, wonderful, and equally important.

Leading Song at SoulFeast

I had a wonderful experience leading worship music at SoulFeast. Lake Junaluska Assembly is such a holy and beautiful place anway, but to be with others who have a longing such as mine for a sense of the mystery, the holiness, and gracious presence of Christ is wonderful.

There is something that is difficult to describe about leading singing for those who are truly longing for God. When I sit at the piano and take the microphone, it does not feel like performance. It feels like intense prayer, which I have practiced and shared and invited others to join.

I remember what Augustine famously said, "one who sings prays twice." Sometimes I am brought to tears by the extraordinary opportunity to lead others in worship, whether in song or in Word and table. All the things that divide us melt away for a moment and we find our rootedness in God. Our hearts are inflamed with passion for the needs of the world when we remind ourselves that life is not about us but about God.

Poets and artists and musicians help us to collect and articulate our soul's deepest urgings. The most profound experiences of prayer and worship start happening when we come to a place where we discover that at the very end of our natural ability to articulate our longing for God, the Spirit intercedes for us in groans and sighs, in sounds and sights, too deep for words.

I am grateful to the Upper Room for the invitation. I am so proud of Jeremy who played the flute beautifully. And am glad to have shared the experience of being here with Sandy. I am honored to work with such incredible musicians as Jeff, John, and Ebbert. I am delighted to have spent a variety of moments and meals with soul friends.

Water and Spirit

This Sunday was one of my favorite Sundays of the Christian year. It's deep. It's powerful. It's rich.

We held a baptismal remembrance service. I just love sacramental spirituality. Getting in touch with our baptism is getting in touch with our core identity. Our identity is not wrapped up in success, achievement, pleasing people, or accumulation. We are God's beloved! The same voice that said at Jesus' baptism, "this is my beloved," rings at our baptisms too. If we truly lived out of our belovedness, and saw others as beloved by God as well, the world would be changed.

We shared this hymn I wrote years ago for my son's baptism, and it occurred to me that I have never shared the text on the blog. So here it is. It can easily be sung to SLANE, which many know as the tune associated with "Be Thou My Vision."

"Water and Spirit"

Baptismal Hymn by Stephen P. West

Suggested tune: SLANE

Originally published in “Alive Now”

Set to music, with publisher’s notes, on the GBOD Worship Website.

Water and Spirit are joined in this place,

Visible sign of a spiritual grace,

True act of God, not earned but received,

Love we have known before we were conceived.

Eternal streams of your life water flow,

Creative power one day we will know.

First from the womb, and now from the bowl,

Clean us and wash us by making us whole.

Children of God we forever will be,

Marked with the sign of the flood and Red Sea.

Elder and child are born from above,

Graced with the freedom that leads us to love.

“Water and Spirit” by Stephen P. West, copyright 2006 Stephen P. West, all rights reserved.

Hymn "My Hope is In the Everlasting God"

Yesterday was the beginning of Advent, and we lit a candle and focused on the theme of HOPE. It reminded me that I have never shared the words of my hymn, "My Hope is In the Everlasting God" on my blog.

So here it is.

To see the words published and set to music, see the General Board of Discipleship Worship Website. Here is the text, which emphasizes the dual nature of gentleness and strength in God's love:

My hope is in the everlasting God.
The ages tell the story
Of sheltering wing, of strong and might rod,
Of gentle grace and glory.

In whispering breeze, in bravely sounding storm,
Your voice awakes creation.
In Christ divine, you serve in human form
For every generation.

“My Hope is In the Everlasting God” by Stephen P. West, copyright Stephen P. West, all rights reserved

This is the Table of Welcome

On this All Saint's Weekend, I am reflecting on the communion table that binds all God's saints together across time and space. I would like to share the words to a song I wrote called "This is the Table of Welcome."

The solo anthem was published by Abingdon Press in “Church Music Workshop” to an original tune I created, with a musical arrangement by my friend and co-worker Nylea Butler-Moore.

The music can be purchased for download at the Cokesbury Website.

Here are the words. May it bless you for this day.

Refrain:

This is the table of welcome, this is the font of God’s grace.
This is the book of love’s beckon, this is the warmest embrace.
Come at the Lord’s invitation, join in the peace of this place.
We are God’s newest creation, gathered in this holy space.

Joseph received all his brothers, setting the stage for amends.
Abraham showered three others, welcoming strangers as friends.
Those to whom grace has been given find that their circle extends.
Love is our reason for living, people the gift that God sends.

Refrain

“I was the stranger you neighbored, I was the hungry you fed,
I was the prisoner you favored.” These are the words Jesus said.
Welcoming sister and brother into the banquet he spread,
We’ll find the Christ in each other, known in the breaking of bread.

Refrain

Christ is the source of all healing, he is the kiss of God’s peace.
His light and love are revealing, he brings the joy of release.
All who are hungry and thirsty find that their yearnings will cease,
Wrapped in the arms of his mercy. Come, be his guest at the feast!

Refrain

“This is the Table of Welcome” by Stephen P. West, copyright 2006 by Abingdon Press.

Easter Is the Morning of Freedom

I recently wrote a new hymn text for a contest I heard about through the Hymn Society. They were searching for new Easter texts that are free of the typical triumphal or victorious language and full of new images for how Easter pours the energy of God's love into the world.

I wrote a text that I hope brings the various Easter sightings to life and helps us find our place in the story. It is set to one of my favorite new tunes.

I share it with you now in hopes that it blesses your spirit. I know it's not the Easter season but discovering the rhythms of new life is a journey for the whole year!

--------------------

"Easter Is the Morning of Freedom"
Tune: YOU ARE MINE (David Haas)

In the darkness of the night we are grieving,
Tracing shadows of the soul.
At the dawning of the day, a stone is rolled away.
The cleansing of light makes us whole.

Refrain:
Easter is the morning of freedom,
Dayspring of new life in Christ.
Let all voices sing, let Alleluias ring!
The day is coming, we will rise!

In the garden of the tomb we are searching,
Sensing that we’ve lost our way.
By the voice of one who came and calls us by our name,
We find that our tears roll away.

Refrain

On the long and dusty road we are groping,
Longing for an opened mind.
Yet our hearts will burn instead. In breaking of the bread,
We see we are no longer blind.

Refrain

In a locked and private room, we are restless,
Finding that our doubts bring strife.
When his presence is made known, his side and hands are shown.
He breathes on us peace and new life.

Refrain

In the waters of the world we go working,
Fishing ‘til the break of day.
Jesus comes to have a seat, invites us all to eat,
And shows us that love is the way.

Refrain

“Easter is the Morning of Freedom” by Stephen P. West, copyright 2010 Stephen P. West, all rights reserved.

Reflection on the Conversation of Art and Nature

My family recently took a Fall Break trip to Nashville to Cheekwood Gardens, one of my favorite places to enjoy a fascinating interplay of art and nature. It's a mansion built by a family who began the Maxwell House coffee company. It has been converted to a museum and botanical gardens.

I love the nature and art trails and the way this place brings them together in sort of a holy conversation. God has created such a beautiful world. Art is meant not to detract from the world's beauty but to enhance it, to express the beauty that already is, to call attention to it, to capture its rhythms in a moment of time.

Last week, there was a Chihuly exhibit. He is an internationally known glass artist. What astounded me is the way he blended his art into the natural surroundings. I have never seen such a careful and creative interplay. It was of course fascinating to learn how he and his team made these incredible displays of colored glass. But I was sent into some thoughtful meditation by the displays themselves on the grounds. This blog post contains a few photographs I took. I especially loved the way he incorporated art into greenery and fountain.

I am not personally gifted as a visual artist, but I am an auditory artist. I love music and enjoy giving a large portion of my creative energy to making the world more beautiful.

But this incredible display left me wondering. How do I share my gift of art in a way that dances with nature? With the rhythms of the soul and human life? How can the art of the church bring our soul's natural desire for expression to life?

I recently wrote a hymn for Easter for a hymn writer's contest. It was a joy to bring the song into being in a way that hopefully brings the story, the holy narrative, to life. I was touched that the Easter sightings in the scriptures bring holiness to the regular, mystery to the messiness of life. Writing it reminded me that finding new life in the ways and patterns of real living is what Easter is all about, and for me, this is the power of the story. I look forward to sharing the hymn in my next blog post.

First Hymnal for Atheists?

I saw this YouTube video on Facebook recently and I couldn't resist sharing it on my blog. A nice comic bit from good old Steve Martin for all you lovers of music and liturgy out there!

New Hymn Text - "Great Incarnation"

A few weeks ago while on vacation, I had opportunity to visit a little church near my brother's lakehouse in Renfroe, Alabama. Shiloh UMC was of particular interest since my grandfather served it 70 or 80 years ago. They had recently remodeled the church and it was so beautiful and hospitable.

As Pastor Ricky preached, the new stained glass windows lit up in the sunlight. The three windows depicted the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. Over the years I have often reflected on these three events as the three great mysteries of our redemption. I wrote this hymn as a reflection of my visit and we sang it at Grace UMC a couple of weeks later.

“Great Incarnation”
Suggested tunes: CANONBURY or TALLIS’ CANON

Great incarnation, bring to sight
the presence of your holy light.
Transform the earth, and let it see
God’s love divine enfleshed in me.

Great crucifixion, opening of
the fountain of self-giving love,
reveal the pathway to forgive.
Christ’s new commandment let us live.

Great resurrection, set us free,
complete salvation’s history.
New life upon your people rain.
To live is Christ, to die is gain.

Oh holy God, great One in Three,
who wrote this sacred trilogy,
show to all those who seek your face
the rhythms of redeeming grace.

Copyright 2010 Stephen P. West, all rights reserved.