It's grey but warm on this cloudy October 1. I even noticed a few raindrops this morning though it will be 100 degrees this afternoon. It seems like a strange, almost contradictory collision of seasons.
The ancient Hebrew would have understood the imagery that the word "October" can conjure up had they the same names for the months as we do. They were well accostomed to the uncertainty of life through desert wanderings, failed kingships and, finally, exile in Babylon. It was in this Babylonian "October" that they mourned and lamented their forced dislocation:
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
How can we sing the songs of the LORD
while in a foreign land? (Psalm 137)
But it's also during the exile that the Hebrews crafted their worship manual/hymnal which included Psalm 46, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea." The Hebrews were able to reframe and readjust their perspective so that even in exile -- and in fact, because of exile -- they would further God's original mission by being his people and, thus, a light and witness of God's greatness to all the nations. The confluence of lament and mission, of tragedy and purpose might not have been immediately apparent, but it is a powerful lesson for us. "Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us" (Psalm 46).
U2 reminds me of the changes that come, sometimes with great fear and resistance, yet filled with opportunity and liminality. The band, circa 1981, spoke about and performed their song "October" with the resilience of the ancient Hebrews. In the midst of dire social, political and economic times in Ireland they were a collective voice of optimism. Bono, Edge and Larry were part of a community called Shalom, a remarkable experiment in Christian lifestyle. Just entering his 20s, Bono proclaims, "This band stamps on pessimism -- we're anti-cynics." In direct contradiction to the angst of the day this post-punk band championed a voice of love and hope as an alternative to despair. The album, October, is a convergence of lament ("Tomorrow") and praise ("Rejoice," "Scarlet"), even more relevant now than when it was released.
In our "October" we are tempted toward fear and anxiety with each new undulation of a shifting culture. But, "the LORD Almighty is with us." And that changes perspective. "October / And kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall / But You go on / And on."
Here's a couple of clips I edited together. This is U2's "October."
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