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Our May 27 morning service will feature a concert by Jim Croegaert! May this reflection increase our anticipation, as we savor songs that open the windows of worship. -Renée
Songs to Remind, Songs to Remember
Something I find interesting, and noteworthy, is the special place songs can have in the remarkable landscape of memory. We all have songs that transport us back to a time or experience in ways hard to explain, but powerfully real. Songs were vital to the Civil Rights Movement, and to many other social movements. When people’s memories are eroded by dementia, oftentimes songs provide remarkable exceptions, seeming to have carved out a space in memory that has withstood the erosion all around them. And songs have always been an important part of how God’s people worship, celebrate, mourn, and build community life.
As a songwriter, I am honored to have my songs take on meaning for people, to have my hopes, my struggles, my relationships with God and others, connect for people in meaningful ways. Some of my songs have been spread by others, e.g. “Was It a Morning Like This” by Sandy Patti; “Why Do We Hunger for Beauty” by Noel Paul Stookey; “Here By the Water” by Steve Bell; etc. Some have also found homes in churches and fellowships, including NCF. I appreciate the varied interpretations, but am also glad to have a chance to do the songs myself, and I look forward to sharing some of them May 27 at New Covenant – some will be familiar, some less so. But I hope we will enjoy them together.
There’s a joy in giving
No one can take
A joy in loving
That will not break
And when the sky turns
This shade of blue
Everything here
Reminds me of you
-Jim Croegaert
Copyright 1994, Rough Stones Music, 827 Monroe St., Evanston, Il 60202, USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission. |
