What would it be like to encounter a seraph? (See here St. Francis' vision of a seraph, entitled Stigmatization of St Francis [fresco attributed to Giotto; [1267–1337].) We know what one might say, even if its appearance might be something quite unfamiliar, apart from the six wings that Isaiah (6:3) noted were on the seraphim he observed. Peter Scholtes echoed these seraphim calling out “Holy, Holy, Holy” in 1966. It was part of Peter’s determination to bring God into the community where he lived that made him take the words of the seraphim and repeat them, so that they might ring more clearly in the world of 1966 South Side Chicago. How could what angels said to Isaiah be relevant to a culturally diverse neighborhood where Peter’s church resided, and where he tried to minister through a youth choir in a basement? Some people might have thought the rhythm style that Peter chose to accompany the seraphim’s words was rather unusual, maybe even a bit irreverent. It suggested that God could hear people in unconventional ways. Is God conventional? And, is the God of Isaiah’s time connected to other times? Peter answered that in the lyrics he pulled from both bible testaments.
Peter probably would have answered ‘no’ to the above question about God’s supposed predictability, when he put together his version of what the seraphim said. He appeared to Isaiah in a vision, after all, a method that God uses with not just anybody. He had a mission for Isaiah, one of prophecy. ‘Deliver my message’, God essentially said. It began with a reassertion of God’s nature, as testified by His servants -the seraphim. God is love, and is also holy. That was not something confined to the 7th/8th Century B.C. (700s/600s), as Peter’s words help us recall when he repeated what the crowds said about Jesus Christ when He entered Jerusalem (Matthew 21:9/Mark 11:9/Luke 19:38/John 12:13); with words like ‘Hosanna’ and ‘blessed is the One’, Peter reminded the people in that Chicago basement and in the surrounding community that God has not been confined to one time, nor to one place, and certainly not to just one people. With this kind of diversity, Peter surmised that God should not be restricted to one type of music to accompany the words about Him. The Missa Bossa Nova that Peter used was his way of connecting a Catholic mass with a bossa nova rhythm that would be familiar to those Chicagoans of 1966, though it originated on another continent (in Brazil). To some traditionalists in Christendom, this syncopated samba mingled with American jazz while singing ancient words to laud God was probably a bit too out-of-the-box, at least at first. You can listen for yourself (see the link below), but perhaps Peter was really just using what his observation of Jesus had already taught him. He upset everyone’s applecart with His methods, but did He stop? No, His was a resolute conviction (Luke 9:51).
Nothing was going to stop Jesus’ message, and that’s still true today. Only discomfort and stubborn natures can suspend temporarily what He wants done. He’s already spoken loudly in so many ways – like through His creation and through the bible -- that only the spiritually deaf, blind, and unrepentant would reject Him. ‘Bossa Nova’ in Portuguese means "new wave" or "new trend/knack", and that certainly spoke of Jesus. Even people today, particularly of other faiths, still cannot fathom or accept that this God would allow Himself to be sacrificed for our sins. With such utter power, and even after the crowds hailed Him as king, why would Jesus have to die? If you have ever tried to relate to people of a different culture, perhaps you have felt the divide that seems like it cannot be bridged. Is there anything that connects all of us, that overcomes the babel we use with each other? Human nature does indeed connect, and Jesus knew that – that’s why He came, to be like us. All of us humans have needs, which only a Divine Provider can meet. So, don’t let a different style get in the way of communicating a message that’s got a common foundation. Jesus had a different style, but He was still God, still love, and still holy. Now isn’t that something to celebrate with a bit of samba and jazz?
Read about the song/album background here: https://vulcanhammer.org/2013/03/04/peter-scholtes-theyll-know-we-are-christians-by-our-love/ (hear the song here beginning at 15:30 in the distinctive bossa nova beat) and here: https://hymnary.org/person/Scholtes_P
Read about the author here: https://pscholtes.com/obituary.htm
See more information about the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giotto_-_Legend_of_St_Francis_-_-19-_-_Stigmatization_of_St_Francis.jpg …The author died in 1337, so 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, 1931.
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