Goodness of God -- Jenn Johnson, Ed Cash, Jason Ingram, Ben Fielding, Brian Johnson

God is good. Have you ever heard someone say that? And yet, even Jesus – God in the flesh – had a reply to that compliment which must have befuddled those with whom he traveled and spoke (see Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19). Jenn Johnson had a reason to say out loud something about the “Goodness of God” though, because a new life was in her arms, and in a most unexpected way since she hadn’t even been pregnant nor really considering having another child. But, adopting a new baby boy was an awesome thing, and has been for so many parents over the decades since its beginning in America in the latter part of the 19^th Century (see Sister Irene and children at New York Foundling orphanage in this picture; Sister Irene is among the pioneers of modern adoption, establishing a system to board out children rather than institutionalize them.) And, it wasn’t an accident that the song spoke to the four men – her husband Brian, and Ben Fielding, Jason Ingram, and Ed Cash -- who helped Jenn finish off what she started writing in a car one day.

 

Adoption by many people can be a long process, with lots of anxiety and uncertainty, but for Jenn and Brian, it was like a miracle that proceeded so smoothly. The birth mother even related to the Johnsons so well, that she appeared at the hearing that finalized the process, one that had begun when this woman hand-picked this Christian songwriting couple to be her baby’s parents and even met them at the hospital on the day of the baby’s delivery. Even a judge of several decades who presided at the court said he’d never seen anything like it. That’s how it must be when God’s intimately involved, one might conclude. That must have been on Jenn’s mind too, when one day on the way to a doctor’s appointment, she spontaneously began to sing a song about God’s goodness, as she reflected back on her life and had a feeling that God’s faithfulness had shone through to her. Her newest child (they named him Ryder Moses) was the latest sign of His goodness, and this thought helped her produce 50-60% of the song about God’s goodness on the spot in an otherwise routine car trip to see a doctor. In talking with Ben and Jason a short time later in Redding, California, they remembered feeling that Jenn’s efforts had already produced a winner, and that little remained to do in its creation. One thing that stood out to them was that her words were so universally true, that they felt like the story she was relating through the already-completed lyrics was also theirs. Ed also contributed with some thoughts that became the song’s bridge section, saying that while the message of the song was one he hadn’t heard before, he felt that it had been around for some time. And so, he thought that that was something he wanted to communicate -- that God is relentless in running after us, meeting us in all the pain and struggle of life, even if His presence sometimes might not be very discernible. Amazingly, Ed says his anxiety at flying on a plane would depart from him whenever he listened to the song in flight.

 

Thank God for adoption! None but One is His unique (some bible translations say ‘begotten’) Son, so for me to be part of His family, I have to agree to be His adopted son. That idea was really special for someone like the apostle Paul (see Romans 8:15,23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5), for though of Jewish birth, he considered himself to have been the worst sinner (1 Timothy 1:15-16), and deservedly far from being included in God’s family. And so, when he talked to Gentiles whom he often encountered, that same message flowed to them from him, an adopted son in God’s kingdom. It is indeed special to be chosen by Him. What is the alternative to being adopted? Sister Irene must have seen and grimaced so many times at the circumstances that ensued when a baby was rejected by everyone, leaving it without a home and loving parents. God doesn’t operate an orphanage, and He sure doesn’t want to reject you and me (2 Peter 3:9). In His image-making generosity, He’s already visualized you on a path toward, and living space inside His home, and even provided a special brother and a Spirit to make sure you find the way there. The other operative factors really are the choices that you and I make.

 

Watch/hear the song story here: https://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/goodness-of-god-bethel/

 

See it here also: https://www.foxnews.com/faith-values/adoption-miracle-worship-song

 

See information on the photo here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Children_at_New_York_Foundling_cph.3a23917.jpg … This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer… {{PD-US}} – US work that is in the public domain in the US for an unspecified reason, but presumably because it was published in the US before 1931. …found inside this article -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoption

 

Goodbye Yesterday -- Grace Binion, Joshua Holiday, Mitch Wong, Steven Furtick

 

You can tell of whom they were thinking when they penned the words. Grace Binion, Joshua Holiday, Mitch Wong, and Steven Furtick were undoubtedly thinking of new converts, and that comes through clearly when the lyrics they wrote for “Goodbye Yesterday” are sung or heard. Such a group would be doing and feeling more than just sighing with relief  (‘Whew, I’m saved’), but rather jumping for joy, they thought. The transformation that takes place is more than a feeling and a memory; it’s a new life. These members of the Charlotte-based Elevation Rhythm band (see the seal of Charlotte here) take their name and the praise that they help propagate seriously. Elevate has to mean more than standing and singing, because when the depth of someone’s former condition is known, and the certainty of God’s salvation is appreciated, how can the response be anything but what these four 21^st Century composers brought to the table for others to consume and to further themselves with utter delight? One can imagine that that will be magnified exponentially in the new morning to come.   

 

Nate Diaz tells this much in an interview about ‘Goodbye Yesterday: The song has a connection to an old hymn I Have Decided to Follow Jesus (see the blog entry for 4/2/2016), which was the basis for some of the lyrics, and which was on Steven Furtick’s lips pretty spontaneously as the bridge portion of the song. Nate says the song is pretty ‘blunt’ and the bridge lyrics that they sing -- ‘I have decided’ and ‘no turning back’ -- are meant for people who are eager and full of zeal to proclaim their allegiance to Him out loud, who are very unashamed of their devotion. Nate said it was really energizing to see young people singing this with fervor, because the age in which we live is filled with temptation to entertain them, instead of trying to get them to truly follow God. The environment sounds kind of like what you might observe among a group of fanatical sports fans, whose team just won the championship right in front of their collective eyes. It wouldn’t be a surprise if these fans also sang an anthem song at such an event, and that’s how Josh Holiday describes ‘Goodbye…’, as an anthem to celebrate salvation. There’s no hesitation in such a gathering, when people know their hope and expectation is based on a guarantee from the One who made humans and wants them to join Him in the Forever place. Perhaps that was part of the thinking – that it is a celebration of what’s already been won – when this group of musicians decided upon a name for the album, Victory Lap, which contains the song ‘Goodbye…’ that they produced in 2024. ‘New day’, ‘born again’, and ‘resurrection in my veins’ join the song’s title words and the bridge section to reinforce what the new creation experiences when the old dead-end ways are traded for what He offers.

 

And so, the song has an energy, which is not really a shocker. It’s one that the participant just cannot really feel unless he’s on his feet, ready to move even just a little bit. If someone says ‘party’, that would be part of the thrill too, to realize that you are on the winning side and that the door to this gala has been opened for you to step inside and feel the clap on your back and the embrace of everyone you see. There’s an event at a church that this blogger has volunteered to join next month, just to see this kind of sensation. It’s called Night to Shine. Utter joy. That’s what awaits us who believe, and it’s not reserved for just a mild-mannered sort of satisfaction that you might feel after receiving a congratulatory handshake at some routine event, perhaps when you are promoted, one that’s filled with a few pieces of cake and some punch, an event that concludes after 45 minutes. No, as the Elevation Rhythm band reminds us in ‘Goodbye…’, this party goes on ‘again, and again, and again, and again’, as many times as He has  rescued me from a hole-in-the-ground ending. ‘Dancin’ on the grave…’ in this case is OK, because it’s not someone else’s demise about which I sing. It’s the one where I’ve buried my old past. You can choose -- either the hole in the ground, or the party above ground.  

 

Read some brief comments about the song here: https://www.klove.com/music/blog/new-music/elevation-rhythm-s-goodbye-yesterday-sets-the-tone-for-a-new-day-9498

 

Hear some more about the song’s development here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOoRoChETJ3/

 

Read a brief bio on the group Elevation Rhythm here: https://www.klove.com/music/artists/elevation-rhythm

 

See information about the seal of Charlotte here: File:New seal of Charlotte, North Carolina.svg - Wikimedia Commons…This file is in the public domain because official item legally exempt from copyright in its country of origin. The image can be found in this document:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte,_North_Carolina

Song of Simeon (Nunc Dimittis) – Simeon

 

²⁹ “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; ³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation ³¹that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, ³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

 

You could say it was Simeon’s exclamation, and not just the mark one might make at the end of a sentence. This one was worth a whole life’s wait. (See here the 19^th Century artwork Simeon the Righteous by Aleksey Yegorov.) The story of Joseph, Mary and their unique son Jesus began before He was even born, and four songs marked this unique occasion. Three other songs had already been sung because of events surrounding Jesus and his relatives. The first one was Mary’s song called the Magnificat (Glorifies, in Latin) when she visited her aged relative Elizabeth, and the baby inside Elizabeth rejoiced because he recognized Jesus even when He was still in the womb; the second one was the song of Zechariah (Elizabeth’s husband) and was called Benedictus (Praise Be, in Latin) and celebrated his son John the Baptist’s role as a prophet heralding/announcing the Messiah’s coming ministry and salvation; the third was the song Gloria in Excelsis Deo (Glory to God in the Highest, in Latin), which was the angels’ song announcing Jesus’ birth to shepherds; and the fourth was the song sung by this old man named Simeon. All four of those songs are in the first 2 chapters of Luke.

 

Joseph and Mary, though poor commoners, were doing what the Jewish law dictated, but also what the angel had told them to do, and they named the baby Jesus (Luke 1:31/Matthew 1:21; Jesus is the Greek form of the name that means Joshua [the Lord saves]). They traveled the five or six miles or so from Bethlehem north to Jerusalem to do what was required. Three distinct Jewish legal requirements they performed after naming Him were these: first, they had Him circumcised (the eighth day after birth, according to the law [Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3); second, they waited until 40 days after Jesus’ birth (so, 33 days more), so that Mary could make an offering at the temple for her purification (Leviticus 12:4); and third, they had to offer Jesus, as the firstborn son, as a dedication to the Lord – what is known still today as Pidyon Haben (redemption of the firstborn son) – according to the ancient law (Exodus 13:2,12-15; Numbers 18:15-16). It was probably just before this Pidyon Haben that Joseph and Mary encountered the man named Simeon. Simeon was apparently a ‘devout’ man (Luke 2:25) whom the Spirit had moved to come into the temple courts (verses 26-27).  And he said something that he must have been wanting to say his whole life – that this baby was the source of salvation for all. That’s very important, because it is so strikingly reminiscent of what the prophet Isaiah had said about a servant centuries earlier (see Isaiah passages – 42:6 and 49:6). To be clear, Isaiah wasn’t necessarily looking ahead to a Messiah, but this Simeon was looking backward to what Isaiah had said, and through the Spirit that moved him, projected that that servant who would be a light and offer salvation for the Gentiles, and would be a glory to the Jews, would in fact be this baby he was holding. When Simeon said he was satisfied that he could now be dismissed and feel at peace, would it be too much of a stretch to say he was singing his own funeral’s song? What a way to conclude one’s life, not with a dirge, but with an exclamation of utter delight! Nunc Dimittis (in Latin) – Lord, you now dismiss!

 

 After Simeon had sung his song, Joseph and Mary marveled at what he’d said (verse 33) – very similar to Mary’s treasuring up things in her heart (verse 19) earlier, on the night Jesus was born. But then, Simeon told them some things that must have made them cringe, too – that Jesus was to be a source of clashes and controversy, and some heartache for them too (verses 34-35). Aren’t all children, even occasionally, sources of some anguish for parents? Where would an exceptional child from God rank on that heartache spectrum? An old prophetess named Anna, who stayed at the temple all the time, also was moved by Jesus’ presence, and told others about the redemption of the city. And so, no parents in history had more to ponder, nor felt more responsibility for a child in their care, than those two from Nazareth.

 

The above story details are all obtained via the NIV Study Bible and notes for the Luke 2 account of this episode.

 

See a well-done, pretty moving rendition of Simeon’s Exclamation here: Nunc Dimittis by Peter Wilkinson

 

See information on the artwork here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yegorov-Simeon_the_Righteous.jpg …This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1930.