We have this one priest who is reverent and hard working and gives good sermons and all, but he just can’t resist doing a little ad libbing at one point. Instead of just saying, “Behold the Lamb of God” — which, for goodness’ sake, is already enough for anyone to say and listen to and think about for the rest of the life of the world, isn’t it? — he says, “Behold, God’s holy gifts to us, God’s holy people. Behold, the Lamb of God . . . ” Why? I have no idea. Obviously it means something to him, and he is reverent and hard working and gives good sermons, so that’s all I’m going to say about that, besides maybe one final “harumph.”
Anyway, nothing does a more efficient job of cranking my attitude 180 degrees away from holiness than being called “God’s holy people.” So now you know whose fault the following is.
Yesterday, I played what I suddenly realized was the first Christmas music of the season in our household:
This does not, to my mind, rise to the level of irreverence, even though it is goats singing “Silent Night.” I do not detect any malicious intent to demean or deride sacred things. It’s just goats, okay? You got a problem with how goats worship? What are you, some kind of fanatic? Just pretend it’s about Laudato Si’ and you’re covered, apparently.
Next up: a song that I find spiritually rich and intensely moving:
Noooooo!
And finally, a fellow who needs to introduction, other than HRRRRNNNNMNMMMMM!!!
I can thank the illustrious John Herreid for bringing Joseph Spence into my world. “He has been called the folk guitarist’s Thelonious Monk.” Heyy, I know that trick. You say something, and then you can honestly say “It has been said . . . ” Well, it has been said that this is the second time in two days that I’ve wanted to quote a British commenter saying something that seemed charming and amusing, but then I looked it up just in case, and it turned out to be shockingly obscene. I mean shockingly. What is with you guys? Can’t you even enjoy a little Christmas music without bringing up . . . that? All I can say is, you better jdd jnnnn, you better yib jrrp, because Sanny Clorr is gammin . . . to us, God’s holy people.
