Music Reflection: Down to the River to Pray

This week I would like to offer you a performance by the Schola Diffusa (dispersed choir) in a virtual performance of Down in the River to Pray. A beautiful piece reminding us of guidance, assurance, and stillness as we walk together with God and Christ through our daily living.

A Camino prayer

May I walk this day in the realm of grace, walking with You my feet firmly on your earth-path, my heart loving all as kindred, my words and deeds alive with justice.

May I walk as blessing, meeting blessing at every turn in every challenge, blessing, in all opposition, blessing, in harm’s way, blessing.

May I walk each step in this moment of grace, alert to hear You and awake enough to say a simple Yes.

-Robert Corin Morris

***

Ryan Keebaugh

Music Reflection: A spark

I would like to offer you this short, yet profound, prayer by the Trappist monk Thomas Merton (1915-1968). The prayer demonstrates unique honesty and truth; a spark I believe we need in this moment of history.

My Lord God,

I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

nor do I really know myself,

and the fact that I think I am following your will

does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you

does in fact please you.

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,

though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though

I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me,

and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. 

 I also leave you with a composition for choir, The Suffering Servant, based upon the text from Isaiah 53. I composed this piece in 2012 in honor of Dr. Jesse Hopkins, Professor of Music at Bridgewater College. Since then, the piece has been performed national as well as internationally by the Western Michigan University Chorale under the direction of Dr. Kimberly Dunn-Adams.  I hope you enjoy it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv7D4J-f_3o

May each of you find love, peace, and rest in the upcoming week.

With Metta,

Ryan Keebaugh 

www.ryankeebaugh.com

Music Reflection: Be Still

Silence is terrifying. I think silence is a journey into the wilderness and into the dark and you can’t be sure what you’re going to encounter there. I think many people are rightly wary of silence because we use noise as a distraction and an evasion, and it’s a way of keeping away from everything that’s inside us and the people around us. Silence is a journey right into the heart of your being. This “being-ness” I believe was demonstrated by Jesus’ example; often disappearing into the desert and gardens for silent prayer and meditation. It's a reminder that when you go into the desert, you find demons as much as angels.

Thomas Merton, perhaps the greatest hymnist of silence in the 20th century, speaks to us I think because so often he’s speaking in a voice of rage, and restlessness, and fear. And what he’s keeping company with in his little monastic cell is doubt as much as fear. Or Emily Dickinson, when she is in her little room in Amherst, Massachusetts for 26 years, entertaining terror and death as well as light and epiphany. But I always think that everybody has dark places. They’re an experience in themselves, and those places don’t go away just by pretending they don't exist, or turning in the other direction. Sooner or later we have to confront them, and I found that there’s no more forgiving and benign place in which to confront your dark spaces amidst the clatter of the I-81 freeway or amidst the quiet of a monastery or a beautiful place in nature, and I think the latter is always going to be a better option.

Today I offer you a longer piece of music. This simple piece, be still, is an hour long meditation on Psalm 46:10 “Be Still and know that I am God”. I know that many of us don’t have an hour to sit and listen to one piece of music. But I offer it to you as a moment of prayer and meditation. If, for some of you, who like to listen to music as you fall asleep, it’s an opportunity to allow the minimalist textures gently rock you to sleep. This performance took place earlier this year at the Toyosu Civic Center, Japan. Enjoy!

Click here to view on YouTube

Peace and Blessings to each of you,

Ryan Keebaugh
www.ryankeebaugh.com

Music Reflection: Kontakia

I sit here in the early morning reflecting back over the past 17 weeks since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak and reflect on the changes that have been made to our lives, society, and environment. Not just externally, but internally. There are numerous events in the world that have placed us in a state of turmoil, violence, fear, and trepidation. But during this time have any of us taken the gift of quarantine to investigate our internal being? Have you noticed how the sounds of the world have changed?--how the birds and natural wildlife seem to be singing more clearly every morning. The beautiful stillness and serenity that surround everyday events and life that we have missed due to our busyness and distracted minds?  These are the gifts that I have discovered during my almost Walden experience. There are beautiful reminders, daily, even by the minute, that God brings our attention to. Ones that we often miss because we do not take the time to slow down and treat every moment, opportunity, chore, and item as sacred. There is a blessing here--a reawakening that can come out of our current events. One that we need to grasp and put into practice--the Here and Now.

I offer you one of my compositions as a moment of silence and meditation. This piece was composed for the cellist, Aleks Tengesdal, and was premiered in 2014 at the University of Minnesota. The piece was inspired by my reflections on the kontakia (Greek form of a hymn) prayers from the Greek Orthodox Church for Holy Week.  Sections of the first two prayers for the week are: 

“Behold, the Bridegroom cometh in the middle of the night, and blessed is that servant whom He shall find watching…” 

“Being mindful of the hour of the end, O my soul,

...O hapless one - be watchful”

The piece is built upon the longing for God in my life. Being awakened to the call of the Divine. Being present and experiencing the Divine in every moment, simplicity, and situation. As you listen, close your eyes, if you wish, and be in the present.  

I wish each of you peace and love for the upcoming days. I pray that each of us experience, accept, and demonstrate God’s compassion and love toward ourselves, others, and Mother Earth.

Click Here to watch on Youtube 

(Title of Video: Kontakia by composer Ryan Keebaugh)

WIth Metta, Ryan

www.ryankeebaugh.com

Holy Week 2020 Connections

We want to stay connected! 

Facebook Live with Pastor Clay Knick:

Maundy Thursday 7 pm: Scripture-John 13:12-17,34-35  Message "Last Night, Last Meal"

Good Friday 7 pm: Scripture-Matthew 27:15-26  Message "Which Jesus?"

Easter Sunday 10 am: Scripture-John 20:11-18  Message "First Witness"

Holy Week Listening

I offer these to you. The following pieces, Tenebrae Responsories, were composed by Tomas Victoria in circa 1585. The pieces are settings of the prayer hours, or, Liturgy of the Hours for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. They are a beautiful reflection with deep beauty as we journey through this week. I also offer them for deep listening as we remember and pray for our world. With Peace and Love, Ryan Keebaugh

Holy Week Resources and Activities

Holy Week Quiz

Worship at Home Mon-Wed

Worship at Home Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil

Adaptable Egg Hunt during Covid-19