An Equal Opportunity Revelation: Lessons from The Incarnation for Musicians

By Julian Reid

When Christ Jesus came to us the first time, he attracted humanity to the manger by appealing to our vision and hearing. The shepherds travelled to the stable to worship because they had heard the sound of the angels, whereas the sages made the trek from distant lands because they had seen and studied the Star of David. To put it in context of music, the divine revelation of the Incarnation involved the two ways that musicians typically play music – spontaneity (shepherds) and premeditation (the sages). On this view, the Christmas story invites musicians and music-lovers to reflect on the theological messages resident in these two modes of music creation.

Luke’s portrayal of the shepherds shows that spontaneous playing is a means of receiving God’s spontaneous grace. Let’s consider these unassuming shepherds. They were watchmen paying attention to their charge, so were not suspecting this loud, divine in-breaking of the band of angels (pun intended). But through this spontaneous sound, the sounding of God’s new activity in the world came to them as a free gift.

Duke Ellington (Second Sacred Music Concert): Shepherd Who Watches Over The Night Flock feat. Cootie Williams (trumpet). Towards the end of his life, Ellington presented his theology in stunning display through these Sacred Music Concerts.

Not only were the shepherds informed that God was incarnating, they were told with the gratuitous gift of beauty in song. At first the sound of God was one angel’s oration – “Do not be afraid” – but then it gives way to the whole heavenly host joining together in chorus: “Glory to God in the highest heaven.” The song was not necessary to communicate the message that Christ had come, but this spontaneous moment of beauty was a testament to the abundance of God’s gift to us in the newborn king.

When musicians play music spontaneously, such as in jazz concerts or at jam sessions, they can encounter God like the shepherds did. Because God freely gives us beauty, opening ourselves as listeners and fellow players to receiving a beautiful solo can be a reminder of God’s grace to us. Not knowing what is coming in the next bar or phrase requires us to be ready to receive the spontaneous sound. This posture of trust is the posture needed to respond to God’s outpouring of grace day by day.

Matthew shows us that we can learn about God’s faithfulness by practicing ahead of time. The sages were student of the stars, and let their careful study guide their trek to the Lord. It is widely assumed that these men were foreigners to Jesus’ people, and were wealthy because of the expensive gifts they brought (gold, frankincense, and myrrh). So for them, the gift of intentional study spurred them on to take the risk of being a foreigner and of being vulnerable carrying those great riches to the distant lands of Bethlehem. They pursued a God who was their faithful guide.

For us musicians who spend a lot of time meticulously planning how to play a piece of music before a performance, Christ’s birth narrative shows us how God is faithful to carry us through the process of planning. Whether we are reading people’s scores or learning music off recordings, we are often spending a lot of time analyzing a passage in order to play it just right. If we play with God in mind, we can remember that the Incarnate Lord drew to himself people who were meticulous and who needed to trust in the Star of David (their musical score) for guidance. And like the wise men, we can risk all that we have through sacrificing time, energy, and money for the sake of a deep encounter with God.

The Incarnation underscores the inherent equality in these diverse ways of playing music. Each method of encounter with Jesus draws us to the feet of the One who came to save us. God can happen upon us and speak to us, and we can study what we see and draw closer. God’s an equal opportunity revealer.

While the Gospels celebrate this diversity, the history of music in the West does not. There is a lot of tension between music communities that privilege spontaneity over meticulous pre-meditated playing, and vice versa. Some people think focusing too much on practicing ahead of time leads to music being stiff or boring, while others think that people who do not know how to read music are somehow less trained. These are tensions I have experienced given my time playing Black American Gospel, Jazz, and Classical, and producing electronic/hip-hop music. Sadly, I have seen Satan promote these lies, because these are the ideas that sow disharmony amongst musicians and thus mute our praise.

But the beginning of Christ’s Incarnation cuts against both of these prejudices. The King born in a pig trough drew people through spontaneity and through studied, careful observation. The wise men might have been too stiff for the shepherds, or the shepherds too unlearned to be in the presence of such smart research scholars. But the point was not for them to come to each other to worship themselves, but rather humbly worship God amongst them. Mary’s baby was and remains the great equalizer.

The same is true for us. Christian musicians of all stripes can render more fulsome praise to God by celebrating the diversity of revelation present throughout musical genres. When we move in humility to join our voices with the spontaneous angels and the premeditated wise men, we take focus off ourselves and join in their unending hymn. And I am hopeful that Jesus will accept our praise whether we pick up the tune by ear in the moment or need to first study the sheet music.

Julian Reid is the Editor of the Deus Ex Musica Blog. He is an artist-theologian with an M. Div. from Candler School of Theology and a founding member of The JuJu Exchange. You can learn more about him here.

@julianreid17

Cover image is “We Three Kings” by an unknown Ethiopian artist. It was taken from this website: https://faithfullymagazine.com/mary-did-you-weep-advent/)