Frederick Bauerschmidt reflects on the Gospel for the Third Sunday of Advent.
Roman: Luke 3:10-18 / RCL: Luke 3:7-18
Frederick Bauerschmidt reflects on the Gospel for the Third Sunday of Advent.
Roman: Luke 3:10-18 / RCL: Luke 3:7-18
That was good, Deacon Bauerschmidt. If only all homilists could pare down the way you and your fellow 60-second participants have done!
You mentioned the reading from Zephaniah for the Third Sunday in Advent, year C, which ends with “The LORD, your [Zion’s] God, . . . will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.” That detail—God singing—finally caught my attention this year, although I’ve heard it seventeen times since the new lectionary came in.
I am an organist and, out of charity, rarely sing in choirs. But I got to wondering: If God sings, what is God’s vocal range? Fortunately, other scriptural passages provide some guidance:
– God is often characterized as all-knowing (Psalm 139, Romans 11). God couldn’t be a tenor, then.
– God is also called all-good (Psalm 103, 1 John). So God must not be a bass.
– There are many references to God as all-powerful (Psalm 93, Revelation). It seems that God is not an alto.
– According to the First Commandment, however, God tolerates no rivals. My question is answered: God is a soprano!