Thursday, March 19, 2009

Megan's prayer: Matt Maher's "Ressurection Day"

Tonight I watched "Sister Act" on TV. I loved watching this movie when I was young, and nothing has changed. One of my favorite parts of the whole movie is when the teens, or young adults, who are standing on the street, hear the music coming out of the Church, and decide to go inside to see what is going on.

The excitement in the song, the joy coming from the choir, brought them into the Church, brought them back to Jesus.

Great things can happen when we sing for joy.

Chris' prayer: Matt Maher's "Resurrection Day"

I recently finished the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. I'm a big fan of Gladwell's, so I had to pick this book up, his newest release. Overall, the book is about the subtle opportunities and choices that make someone or something outstanding.

In one of the chapters, Gladwell talks about how language and culture affect the airline industry, and in particular, how pilots communicate with their copilots and ground control. He uses this lens to explain a crash that occured several years ago in New York. In relaying information about fuel to to the ground control, the copilot does not communicate urgency and panic at all. Rather, the tone of his voice downplays the perilous situation they are in and accepts the instructions from the ground crew, who have no idea that this plane does not have enough fuel to comply.

Sometimes, the tone of one's voice can mean everything. It can tell us when a friend is having a bad day, even though their words might suggest otherwise. It can also, as illustrated in Outliers, be vital to correctly pass along a message.

The tone of this song is absolutely perfect for its message. It is the perfect exclamation point to what we are waiting for this Lenten season. The words and the tone come together to show the excitement that Easter holds for us this, and every, year.
We sing for joy, we shout your name
We celebrate your resurrection day


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