Recomposing

This week we’ve been reflecting on Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones, a great vision of future restoration after catastrophe. Although slightly morbid from our perspective, it’s essentially an incredibly hopeful vision. At the heart of it is restoration and a recomposition of the traditions of the dispersed people of Israel after some were dispersed and others remained. Things would have looked quite different when the exiles returned. The Jerusalem Temple was destroyed along with the whole economy of prayer and sacrifice. But still, there was the hope of a new beginning in the covenant relationship with God. So the people and institutions began “recomposing” using the raw materials of their Jewish tradition. As you ponder this in its time, and our own situation of returning to in-person church life after the “exile” of lockdown, here is some wonderful music by Peter Gregson. It’s a fresh spin on the J.S. Bach Cello Concertos. The themes are all there, but the soundworld and structure is a bit different. Maybe a good motif for the church at large to mull over in the coming weeks.