A Love Supreme

God is, He Always was. He Always Will Be
No matter what … it is God.
He is gracious and merciful.
It is most important that I know thee.
Words, sounds, speech, men, memory, thoughts,
fears and emotions – time – all related …
all made from one … and made in one.
Blessed be His name.

Music, spirituality and theology have been richly intertwined in the history of Christianity, This had often produced works of staggering beauty and rich cultural impact.

John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, is an example – rich, resonant, awesome and with a lasting impact on many who have listened to and studied it. Coltrane attempted to express a unified theory of spirituality, of God, of love and devotion with his music, with jazz.

What makes the album so mystical is not just that Coltrane expresses his theology with music, but that he communicates with properly musical ideas – musical concepts that in the end cannot be reduced to descriptions.

Love is not a word – but if all we use are words to describe Love, we cage our love in acts of speech.

The danger of writing doctrine is that it puts words before the concepts, the experiences and ultimately the thing that we are reflecting upon. The point at which our faith and insight truly deepens is when we realise that theology cannot be contained in books alone, but is also alive in music and art.

Love is not just a feeling, but it is never less than a feeling. The sensing, the awareness of Love builds bridges of understanding and revelation. To express these in any form – music, image, words, dance, requires art and talent.

John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme was an ecstatic and mystical work. This probably shouldn’t surprise us given the gravity of what he was trying to do, to say, to play. That it sits so uncomfortably with much of the “church music” that has been written since should not surprise us, but maybe it should still inspire us to write and play and pray.

“Thank you God.
Elation – Elegance – Exultation –
All from God
Thank You God. Amen.

[tags] A Love Supreme, John Coltrane, Theological Method, SynchroBlog [/tags]