Hidden Talents
“At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will he do ill.’”
The German-Serbian iconographer Nikola Saric's depiction of the Parable of the Talents appears in his collection of Earthly Stories with Heavenly Meanings. I am struck that, as much as the offerings are what differentiates the characters as "in the light" and "near the Lord," how small these offerings are relative to the whole frame of the action: indeed, the offering is but the fruit of the posture. Those in the light look with intense concern, with hands gently extended; the one in the darkness looks defensive, almost angry, and his hands distracting and deflecting.
Let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
— The Apostle Paul (1st Thessalonians 5:6)
Twenty-forth Sunday after Pentecost
Texts for this Week
Prayer
Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people, that bringing forth in abundance the fruit of good works, they may be abundantly rewarded when our Savior Jesus Christ comes to restore all things; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A Charge to Keep I Have
Troy Ramey's version of the Charles Wesley hymn is by far the most popular on Youtube, as the song is most popular in Black Churches in America as a postcommunion hymn and an anthem for deacons. It also stands as favorite hymn of former president George W Bush, whose pre-presidential memoir A Charge to Keep is titled after the hymn, although he would probably be more familiar with the hymn in Anglo renditions, such as this acapella version, or this version, with organ, brass, and congregational singing.
A full comparative history of the reception of the hymn in White and Black American Christianity would doubtless be fascinating. That the strong theme of personal responsibility would play well for Americans of many backgrounds and ethnicities makes sense on the surface, but that it should have such a broader popular appeal in the Black Church is a little surprising; and more interesting still is the weight of emotion in the style of its performance -- although this is a specific instance of the general divergence between the free orality of Black Church music and the more retrained quality and musical "polish" of Anglo church music.
