In my second piece, which has just been published, I share two songs that explore spiritual and redemptive themes by being songs of immense joy and hope. For Van Morrison in ‘Brand New Day’, joy and hope are found in the transition from living under dark clouds while feeling ‘lost and double crossed’ to the sun beginning to shine so that freedom can be seen, and life is lit with love. In ‘New Morning’, Bob Dylan is to be found fully in that moment where life and love bring happiness.
If you are looking for encouragement, inspiration, joy, and hope now that 2021 has transitioned into 2022, you can’t do better than these two songs with their shared hopeful themes and vibe. To pray that in 2022 the dark clouds roll away, the sun begins to shine, and, in its light, we might be happy just to be alive seems to me to be a great New Year prayer and one that many of us – whether in or out of church - might be willing to pray.
For more on faith and music, see the Rock of Ages website where Delvyn Case of Deus Ex Musica shares his research into Jesus and Popular songs. Additionally, I am co-author of ‘The Secret Chord’, which has been described as an impassioned study of the role of music in cultural life written through the prism of Christian belief.
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Bob Dylan - New Morning.
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