Saturday, March 24, 2018

Queerying Holy Week Music

Holy Week is here!

As with past playlists, I've made a playlist for Holy Week.  This playlist has a mix of music that is familiar to me from going up in the church as well as music I've found throughout my life and music that friends have suggested.  I've also split the days into their own playlists, which are not in any particular order.  These playlists will be linked below as each day is mentioned.

Unlike my Lent playlist, this playlist is intentionally ordered.  It begins with Palm Sunday, preparations and a procession of Hosannas into what could be the bad theology of the crowd who thinks Jesus will be the military messiah instead of the suffering servant or street theater critiquing and resisting Pilate's military parade into Jerusalem.

As Palm Sunday winds down, tensions rise in Jerusalem leading into Maundy Thursday, the disciples' reluctant footwashing at the hands of their Lord, the Last Supper and institution of communion, and Jesus' commandment to love.  All of this tinged with both tension and sorrow, though the disciples do not always understand it.

After supper, Jesus heads with his followers into the dark and Gethsemane where he prays (and they fall asleep) until the soldiers arrive with Judas.  We dive deep into Good Friday as Jesus is taken into custody, the disciples scatter.  During Jesus' sham of a trial, Pilate, Herod, and the religious authorities of the time send Jesus back and forth.  Pilate doesn't want to kill Jesus, but also doesn't want a riot on his hands.  Herod wants magic tricks.  The religious authorities are threatened (as religious authorities throughout time continue to be) by this one who resists oppression and collusion with the Empire.  During this "trial," Peter denies Jesus and finally Jesus is handed over to be crucified.

Jesus journeys to the cross, literally carrying the instrument that will torture and kill him.  As he is crucified, fulfilling humanity's demands for death in response to love, the women bear witness to his suffering and his humanity and an unlikely soldier of the Empire proclaims Jesus as God's child.  Jesus connects his loved ones to each other and joins with the oppressed, marginalized, murdered, and suffering throughout history.

Once Jesus is in the tomb, we are left with our grief, our sorrow, our uncertainty through Holy Saturday.  And then in the early morning, as the sun is coming up, we gather with the women at the tomb to find that Jesus is risen!  This playlist gives you just a glimpse of the resurrection at the end.  There will be another playlist for Easter, so check back next week!

My playlists are never set in stone.  Like a good Lutheran, the canon on my seasonal playlists remains open.  Feel free to suggest additional songs or ask me why I picked certain ones (it may just be the title...or the actual lyrics.  Rarely, though occasionally, will the answer be the tune...I just don't know how to music like that).  Check out the playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/user/22zoaq4yqbmnlyw5dfzp4mfty/playlist/6lJ6c1ap85gnQTvoS9DdeA

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