The first time I listened to "Ode to Billy Joe," I was shocked by what I heard.
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Listen to it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1UOJxawBps
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It was sweltering in West Kentucky that mid-summer day in 1967. I had just come in from mowing lawns, an activity my father encouraged to ensure I wasn't asking him for money and to teach me the value of hard work. I was the very definition of "hot and sweaty."
As soon as I cleared the back door, I sank onto a kitchen chair and let the air conditioning wash over me. Then, happy to realize I was the only one home, I quickly turned on the radio.
The guitar strums and throaty voice of Bobbie Gentry flowed gently into our kitchen. "Ode to Billy Joe" was a simple tale, a kind of ballad, so filled with words it was almost spoken. A lot of the song is just a conversation between members of a southern family having a midday meal. The song went on to be a number-one hit in the U.S. and was a big seller internationally. It generated eight Grammy nominations. It is ranked among the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Many have described it as "Southern Gothic," and perhaps it is. Something about it struck a chord across the globe; and continues to capture the attention and interest of people more than 50 years later. But what I heard that day was something only a Southerner could hear.
Us.
There, for the first time in my experience, was a song that sounded like us; that sounded exactly like conversations at our mealtimes. I was captivated by the stunning familiarity of it. More than any other thing I had heard, it captured the language and cadence of the life I was a part of.
Today, when I hear Bobbie Gentry sing, "It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day," my mind overflows with the sights and sounds of the South, the part of the world that was my home. Each new verse says to me: This is important; this is about something that matters.
Yes, it’s just a song. I know that. But, oh, the impact of hearing my world, described in my language. Each language has its own cadences and rhythms, distinct because it reflects the very history and culture of a people.
Many of those present at Pentecost in this week's selection from Acts were away from their home country. Some were likely "visiting Jerusalem for the holidays." Others may have permanently relocated to Jerusalem. In any case, they spoke a wide variety of native languages. Imagine what it must have been like for those gathered—to hear the life-changing message of the Gospel in their own language. Imagine the impact that would have, to hear idioms and nuances that were special to them.
Before them was something entirely new, but delivered to them in the comfort of their own tongue. Surely each of them thought of the people back home and concluded: This is something for us.
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PHOTO (includes a little bit about that Southern staple, Black Eyed Peas, and one way to cook them):
https://minimalistbaker.com/instant-pot-black-eyed-peas-fast-perfect-no-soaking/
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Can you be with us Friday morning? DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast begins at 8:00 and finishes in about an hour (or sooner if you need to leave…but you'll find it's more fun to stay).
We're on Zoom** and at Our Breakfast Place. Come and enjoy good food, friendly people, laughter, and time in the scriptures.
Blessings,
Steve
**Contact me for the Zoom link
NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.
SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK
Find them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=47
Print them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/pdf//Ax_DayofPentecost.pdf
Acts 2:1-21
Numbers 11:24-30
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
John 20:19-23
John 7:37-39
Day of Pentecost (May 28, 2023)
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