Christus Paradox and Hot Cross Buns

I'm not proud of this fact, but I must admit that when our choir prepares anthems and praise songs week after week after week, it's easy for me to fall into a bad habit of just learning the notes and churning out the music for Sundays. But we've been working on Christus Paradox again, and this is one of those that gets me right in the gut.... every time I sing it. In a service, in rehearsal, humming it my head, doesn't matter -- I can't not be affected by this anthem.

The text (by Sylvia Dunstan) wasn't originally intended for it, but Alfred Fedak set the words to the tune PICARDY (that's "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence," for those who don't follow hymntune names)... and it's pure genius.

The text of this music is about the many paradoxes that are God. Needless to say, it makes complete sense, yet no sense at all. I think when I try to explain God to people, I stumble over what to say and how to say it. I believe that God manifests differently for different people, so I don't want to force my image of God onto other people... I want to help them understand their relationship with God. Does that even make sense? I think this text is brilliant in describing what (who!) is ultimately indescribable. The everlasting instant, right? Part of the text is below:

You, Lord, are both lamb and shepherd. You, Lord, are both prince and slave.
You, peacemaker and sword bringer...
Clothed in light upon the mountain, stripped of might upon the cross,
Shining in eternal glory, beggared by a soldier's toss.
You, the everlasting instant; you who are both gift and cost.
You, who preach a way that's narrow, have a love that reaches wide...
Worthy your defeat and victory, worthy still your peace and strife.
You, the everlasting instant; you who are our death and our life.
Alleluia.

I have searched and searched to find an mp3 recording to post here, but I can't find one, so you'll have to trust me when I say it's stunning.

[Ed. Note: shortly after I originally posted this, our new associate pastor, for whose installation we're preparing this piece, emailed me the mp3 file of Calvin College's rendition of this piece. Hopefully you can follow the words and listen here.]

In other music news, remember how Nathan got a recorder in his Easter basket? It turns out that Daddy's favorite song to play on the recorder is "Hot Cross Buns," which I'm pretty sure I hadn't heard since my fifth grade this-is-how-you-put-your-instrument-together band class. And in the last week or so, I have heard enough to last me the rest of my life. If I had known that Mark had such recorder proficiency, I would have personally implored the Easter Bunny to please bring something else. I hope that all of you reading this (like Ace & TJ, I think I am 11 strong!) now have "Hot Cross Buns" running through your heads. Yeah... it's annoying, isn't it?