Volume

Volume

I watched some of the Grammys last night.   I did like the Aretha Franklin Diva-Sing-Off Contest at the beginning.  I don’t know why Celine Dion wasn’t included.  I judged it a tie between Jennifer Hudson and Yolanda Adams.  Interesting to put Adams, a gospel singer, in that mix.

 

One thing for sure:  loud must be better.  So many of the live songs were crazy loud with enormous production of dancers, smoke, visuals – you name it.  Watching makes me curious about the psychology of volume and total sensory bombardment.

 

I don’t want to sound like an old man griping about “these kids today and their crazy music,” but I do wonder why so much volume is needed to engage and sustain our attention.  It’s almost as if we are becoming deaf so we must turn the sound up louder and louder.  But, maybe it’s the volume that is making us deaf.

 

Teaching yesterday about the baptism and temptation of Jesus in Mark 1:9-13, makes one realize that God is not that good of an executive producer.  Somehow he has missed the whole volume thing.  For one thing, it’s surprising that after such a big build-up from John the Baptist about the greater one who is about to appear, Jesus shows up, not being lowered down from heaven to an expectant audience, but in the crowd.  A crowd of people coming to be baptized for their sins. 

 

“Hey, Jesus, you’re in the wrong line.  You should be in the line right behind John, not people who have blown it with God.”

 

Oh, but when he comes up from being baptized, things begin to happen.  Heaven is torn open, the Holy Spirit comes down like a dove, and God speaks.  That’s more like it.  Cue the smoke, confetti, balloons, and Queen’s We Are the Champions.  Now you’re catching on, God.

 

But, wait.  Where is Jesus going?  To the wilderness?

 

Mark tells us that immediately, Jesus was thrust into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, who is now guiding him.  For forty days, where he was tempted by Satan and his only audience was the wild animals. 

 

It’s like God turned off the sound.

 

Two things happen when the sound is off.  We get to hear God, but guess what?  We get to hear Satan.  Henri Nouwen says the reason we insist on so much noise is not just to drown out the voice of God, but to avoid hearing our own demons confront us.  He also says that until you are brave enough to face those voices, you will not be in the position for Christ to really show up and speak.

 

You think God knew something about that stage management?

 

Most of us have to crash somehow before we are willing to be led into the wilderness.  That’s where Jesus started.  That’s where he learned how to know and trust God’s voice.

 

Check your volume.  You don’t want to go deaf.  How are you learning how to be silent?  Where's the noise coming from in your life?