10
Jun '24
June 10, 2024
10
Jun '24
I won’t be playing Paul Simon’s new album “Seven Psalms” at any pool parties soon, but I think it will be my summer song of 2024. It’s a long song, 33 minutes, made up of seven songs (psalms) he wrote after a night time vision. He’s not a typically religious person, but the songs are filled with fresh and interesting spiritual ideas I want to explore this week. Here is a section from the first psalm “The Lord” that clearly takes its inspiration from Psalm 23.
I’ve been thinking about the great migration
Noon and night they leave the flock
And I imagine their destination
Meadow grass, jagged rock
The Lord is my engineer
The Lord is the earth I ride on
The Lord is the face in the atmosphere
The path I slip and I slide on
The first four lines are about the large number of modern people leaving religion, the great migration. What will they find when they leave the “flock.” He imagines some might find grass but others jagged rock. In non-traditional terms he affirms that he chooses to follow the Lord who is his engineer and the path he slips and slides on (remember his song, “Slip Sliding Away?”) At 81 years old, Paul Simon makes a vague but personal confession of faith that just might resonate with others who long to have a Lord. How would you describe the Lord you trust in?
Pastor Andy