Songs That Send Shivers

December 15, 2010

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

What music gives you chills?

Are there pieces of music that often manage to give you goose bumps when you hear them? I think of Puccini’s Nessun Dorma, and its exhilarating, swelling crescendos. Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium evokes images of God’s grandeur and majesty. From The Planets, Gustav Holst’s awesome Mars, the Bringer of War overwhelms with power and bravado. And nothing quite beats a chancel choir singing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. These and many other selections never fail to give me the shivers.

As it turns out, music-induced chills are scientifically measurable phenomena. A recent study published in the journal Social Psychology and Personality Science revealed that certain songs can trigger activity in a person’s hypothalamus, the part of the brain responsible for hunger, rage, and involuntary responses like blushing and goose bumps. [1]

But here’s the interesting part: these researchers claim that the style, genre, tempo, and volume of the music does not determine these responses. What’s more important is what they termed a person’s “openness to experience,” one’s willingness to be moved by the music (as well as other aesthetic and artistic experiences).

Now, I’m pretty sure that Luke the gospel writer knew nothing about brain anatomy and personality science. But he sure knew a lot about emotive music. My friend and former senior pastor Jim Harnish likes to say that Luke reads a lot like a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical: every time something great happens to someone, they break into song (consider Mary’s Magnificat, or Zechariah’s prophecy, or Elizabeth’s song in seclusion). And often, those songs emerge from a person’s deep well of emotion. More than their counterparts in Matthew, Luke’s angels are always telling people not to be afraid. (“Fear not!” “Do not be afraid!” “Do not fear!”)

Apparently, there are plenty of goose bumps to go around in Luke.

We might say that Luke’s gospel is written for people who are particularly “open to experience.” Open to the possibility of a surprising word of good news, open to a new song that will overwhelm cacophony and chaos, and open to the arrival of a God who brings harmony in the midst of dissonance.

How about you? Will you be open to the soul-stirring sounds of Christmas, and allow its music to give you shivers? Will you deafen the drones of deadlines and to-do lists, and listen for the overwhelming hush of a faint baby’s cry, and the glorious songs of sky-blazoned angels? Will you quiet the noise within your soul, and raise your antenna heavenward, for what hymn writer Josiah Holland called “a song in the air?”

There's a song in the air!
There's a star in the sky!
There's a mother's deep prayer
And a baby's low cry!
And the star rains its fire
While the beautiful sing
For the manger of Bethlehem
Cradles a King!

In the light of that star
Lie the ages impearled
And that song from afar
Has swept over the world;
Every hearth is aflame
And the beautiful sing
In the homes of the nations
That Jesus is King!

Join us as we continue our journey to Bethlehem. And let’s pay attention to a Song that will give you chills.

Quiet down… and listen up!

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org


[1] http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/09/5619731-messiah-give-you-chills-thats-a-clue-to-your-personality


CHORAL CANTATA THIS SUNDAY
There will be no better place to be stirred by the sounds of Advent than at St. Paul’s this Sunday, as the chancel choir offers its annual cantata. It will feature songs that tell the story of Christ’s birth, interspersed with readings from Isaiah, Matthew, and Luke. You will not want to miss this meaningful part of our Advent season. And as always, bring a friend!

ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE
Having a hard time finding the perfect gift for a person who has everything? Then give the gift of love in their honor this Christmas. For the first time, the Missions Committee is offering an Alternative Christmas Gift Guide, available in church this Sunday. Stop by their table in the narthex for more information.

CHRISTMAS EVE
We will celebrate the birth of Christ on Christmas Eve, December 24, with a service at 5:30pm featuring carols and the lighting of candles.

COMMITMENT CARDS
Thank you to all those who have already turned in a pledge card for our recent “Together in Faith” campaign. We’re eager to share with you this Sunday the totals pledged so far. In the meantime, the Leadership Team is making calls this week to active members who have not yet turned in a card, which are available from the church office or in the pews this Sunday. Thank you for your support!

YEAR-END GIVING
Help us end the year strong with your generous contributions to the church’s general budget. Just a reminder, to have your gifts counted toward your 2010 giving statement, they must be postmarked to the church by December 31.