Sound Theology by Colleen Butcher

The earth echoes with sound – from the silent reverberation of air waves, to the crashing of the ocean waves on a rocky shore. Waves ebb and flow. They respond to other waves and are affected by solid and moving elements that stand in their way. Some things amplify the waves, other things redirect the waves, and still other things work with the waves to create something entirely new.

The videos this week include two different creations that amplify and transform moving water into music.  The artists in these two locations, on different sides of the planet, have created natural vehicles for amplifying the ocean waves. The waves do what waves do: according to the circulation of the moon and the timing of the tides, they move against the shore. When they move against the shore in these two locations, they flow through pipes, crevasses, and tunnels, making unique music! read more…

In 1995, I lived in London, England for 10 weeks, on an exchange of sorts. I went to London to observe and assess a program initiated by the Guildhall School of Music. Their instructors had developed a new model of training professional orchestral musicians to facilitate integrated music programming in inner-city schools. I was there to learn all I could about the project.

The project itself was amazing, but what I remember most, was how much time I spent exploring all that the city had to offer, musically. I went to hear choirs and orchestras, operas, musicals, string quartets and organ recitals. I heard ancient music and pop music, my favourite classical works, and the newest commissions of contemporary composers. I visited the concert halls and churches – everywhere and anywhere that music was being performed. read more…

My dog, Sally, takes the lead most mornings. She bounds down the three flights of stairs to freedom. Usually I let her begin the walk off-leash, so when she gets to the bottom, she gets to choose which way to go. Her favourite direction is toward the park (no-brainer), because that direction includes both a romp in the thick grass, but also, the possibility of the adventure-walk (down the big hill and through the fields). Sadly, most days, the morning walk is perfunctory – I am pressed for time, and so we take the “usual” walk through the neighbourhood, no park and no adventure.

The predictable path of our morning walk is a rut, and I am becoming as bored of it as I imagine Sally already is. Today, the walk became a metaphor of all of the ruts and routines that govern my life. At the core, I am an adventurer – an explorer. But, I am also very much reliant on routines, as we all are. Structure helps us function in the world, providing hooks on which we can hang our necessary tasks and tools, freeing up space for attention to the unexpected or unusual. read more…

Last week I gave an overview of the weeks of the Christian Year called “Ordinary Time.” The themes and scripture passages of these next 25+ weeks give the church time and space in which to notice and name the ‘ordinariness’ of life … and yet, the ordinariness is so full of mystery and meaning. Each repetition of the hours, days, weeks, months and years reminds us that our existence both craves order and creates disorder. Our ability to hold order and disorder together – to integrate both so that we trust the movement and the music that they create – is explored during Ordinary Time. The lectionary cycle opens for us the opportunity to set our own disciplines, to develop our own practices, and to determine our own rhythms. One of the opportunities it holds for me is to explore new musical genres and groupings. read more…

The wonder and mystery of Pentecost signals something big – something new. But, unlike Advent or Easter, Pentecost is not a season of the liturgical year. That is because, although Pentecost is both big, and new, it is actually the culmination of the entirety of the Lent/Easter journey. The birthday of the church is the epic conclusion to the Way, Truth and Life of Christ. The pouring out of the Spirit on all people, this manifest, visible presence of the tongues of fire and the energy of the new-ancient person of the Trinity, brings full circle the in-breaking of God with Creation. From the Spirit’s hovering over the deeps in the Genesis stories, to the Spirit coming upon Mary, to the creation of the Church, the fullness and presence of the third person of the Trinity is completed. read more…