In the late 1990s, I pastored a 2-church United Methodist charge in the Finger Lakes region in western NY (gorgeous country!). My pianist organist died, and (without consulting me) one church hired a new music director, who turned out to be a gay, Jewish jazz group leader (about 30) from Rochester with a cocaine addiction, who was just looking for extra cash. I thought Jon would only stay a few months, but he stayed for many years, long after I left to pastor a church in distant Buffalo. People would urge me to confront Jon about his lifestyle, but I resisted on the grounds that I was afraid that would just drive him away. Many years later John asked me to return and participate in his baptism. The Holy Spirit spoke to Jon through our worship and he eventually toned down his lifestyle, gave up drugs, and became a devout Christian. What made his presence particularly touching is that our church was conservative, not open and inclusive, and yet, they grew to love Jon so much that our elderly women would drive up to the gay bars in Rochester to support his band (freaking out the patrons!). Keep this in mind as background for my first posted hymn.
Neither church featured modern praise choruses and I was quite ignorant of them back then, but I sensed a need to enliven our worship. One day, as I was walking a few miles down our highway in beautiful scenery. I silently asked God for guidance on this matter. Suddenly 2 songs began to play in my head, as if I had a cassette recorder in my brain: "Dwelling in Beulah Land" and "Lily of the Valley." I vaguely recalled "Lily of the Valley," but was quite unfamiliar with "Dwelling in Beulah Land." I must have heard it as a boy at a church camp meeting. But how could I suddenly recall the lyrics of these unfamiliar songs? It felt like divine revelation.
I tracked down the music and showed it to Jon. To my surprise he adored both songs and promised to play them in next Sunday's singing. The result was absolutely electrifying in one of my 2 churches My other more sedate UM church liked them, but didn't go bonkers over them like my second church because they didn't have a jazz pianist like Jon. Jon's church clapped as they sang both songs at the top of their voices. I have never sensed the power and presence of the Holy Spirit more in a Sunday worship service!
In my view, the best of modern praise choruses have poetic lyrics that are more artistic than most traditional hymns. There are 2 exceptions: "In the Garden" and "Dwelling in Beulah Land." To my amazement, I recently discovered that Austin Miles composed them both! Miles composed "In the Garden" after a waking vision of Mary Magdalene leaning to look in Jesus' tomb. After the vision, he said the lyrics for "in the Garden" came to him almost like dictation. "Dwelling in Beulah Land" takes as its inspiration the OT Hebrew word "Beulah" which means "marriage." So "Beulah Land" refers to a second honeymoon with God, after a period of wandering away. The song is based on the image of rising up above our problems to the mountain top of delight in the Spirit's presence (represented by the fountain and manna as spiritual food and drink). The YouTube video below gives you some idea of the difference a jazzed performance of the song makes for a worship service's energy and the difference Jon's performance made to the song. Unfortunately, only a couple of the 5 verses are sung. Notice the enthusiasm of the little girls.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...50ECFBCEAFFCB397E64550ECFBCEAFFCB3&FORM=VIRE1
If you asked my parishioners for the first thought that comes to mind when they think of me, some would reply, "Don's favorite hymn, "Dwelling in Beulah Land."
nice and peaceful too.
