Program Notes for My 2024 Christmas Concert Series
FUMC Oak Park Dec 8 and Sherman UMC Dec 23
A blessed Advent to you all,
Today I am sharing my program notes with you for my Christmas concerts happening this season, today at First United Methodist Oak Park and Sherman United Methodist on Dec 23. I’m interested in blending the performative and contemplative. If folk want to just listen to the music, dope. But if folk want a deeper trek, there are prompts below. Either way, may we prepare our hearts for Jesus to come again.
abundantly,
Julian
—
O Come Let Us Adore Him (Frederick Oakeley & John Francis Wade)
The poor Jewish shepherds nearby came to adore baby Jesus because of God’s direct revelation to them. The rich magi from afar (quite possibly Gentiles) came to adore baby Jesus because of their years of careful scientific investigation. We all come to the manger by different roads. Which road are you taking today?
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, Felix Mendelssohn)
The shepherds in the field beheld God’s messengers sing the glorious praise of the Palestinian baby, born under Roman imperial occupation, who would be king of the Jews and Lord of all creation. The music surrounding Jesus’ birth was resistance to the evils of the world. What song do you sing today?
Christmas Time is Here (Vince Guaraldi & Lee Mendelson)
“Oh that we could always see such spirit through the year.” The Charlie Brown classic is a celebration of the warmth this season brings and expresses longing for the Christmas spirit to pervade all time. Perhaps your own disposition changes in some favorable way during Christmas. If so, is there a sustainable way for you to carry this forward into the new year?
What Child is This? (William Chatterton Dix)
God coming as a child made Jesus unlike any other human child and like all children. In the love of all the world, God chose to scandalously live a particular human life as a particular child in a particular family of a particular people group. This, this is Christ the King. As you gaze upon the infant in the trough, what questions surface for you about the children in your midst today?
O Holy Night (Adolphe Adam & John Sullivan Dwight)
In Scripture, night brought with it vulnerability. Of course there was sleep, one of the most vulnerable states any of us are ever in, but night also at times brought sadness, danger, or conspiracy. Jesus’ birth at night declares that the vulnerabilities of our lives are met with God’s grace. As you prepare for Jesus’ return, what vulnerabilities of your life are you invited to give God today?
Mary’s Lullaby (Langston Hughes) & Mary Did You Know? (Mark Lowry & Buddy Greene)
In consenting to God to deliver Jesus, Mary did the harrowing, vulnerable, life-risking work of bringing forth new life from her body. She modeled for Jesus at the beginning of his life what he would then do for the world at the end of his. “This is my body broken for you, take and eat.” What insights into God’s incarnation does your own mother have for you to learn this Christmas?
The Christmas Song (Mel Tormé & Bob Wells)
The Christmas Song endures as a classic because it beautifully pairs invitation and blessing. It invites us to think about the well-loved imagery of jackfrost, turkey and mistletoe. And it blesses us to carry joy in our hearts even if we have been told so already many times, many ways. Who do you need to invite into the warmth of Christmas this year, and who needs to receive your blessing?
Moan (Julian Davis Reid)
For the second Christmas in a row, Israeli-occupied Bethlehem will have a muted Christmas due to the ongoing onslaught of Palestine. “Moan,” initially inspired by the moans rising from the hulls of slave ships in the Transatlantic Slave Trade, is today dedicated to all the mothers wailing in Ramah who will not be consoled. What moan do you lift today?
Mercy We Need (Julian Davis Reid & Tramaine Parker)
This song originated from the mourning of Tramaine’s mother, Mama Mildred Parker. We lift it as a prayer for everybody experiencing a Blue Christmas this year: “O Lord, don’t leave us all alone.” What mercy do you need today?
The Present Audience (Julian Davis Reid)
This song emerged from a time of contemplative prayer I entered recently for my audiences. During that time of silence, God attuned my consciousness to the deep love God has for each audience I play for, including you. I dedicate this piece to my Grandmommy, who modeled for me how to take in a song deeply. Thank you so much for listening today. I pray you heard something of God in these notes.
We Are Christmas (Kevin Johnson & Sarah Stephens)
Christmas is a season and a posture. This song is a declaration to live the story of Christmas in our service of each other and the world, for Jesus’ body now lives in us. In these war-torn lands, may we care for one another. How is God inviting you to specifically embody Christmas today?
This Christmas (Donny Hathaway) Encore
No framing needed – just Black joy at its finest. May you find reason for rejoicing this Christmas no matter your circumstance. Christ will come again. Ashé and Amen.
What’s Next
Dec 8 Christmas Concert JDR & Circle of Trust at FUMC Oak Park (Oak Park, IL)
Dec 11 JDR & Circle of Trust at Ogilvy (Private event)
Dec 11 w/ Zach Finnegan at Dorian’s (Chicago)
Dec 18 Circle of Trust at Principle Barbers (Chicago)
Dec 18 JDR & Circle of Trust at Prairie Moon (Evanston, IL)
Dec 20-21 JDR & Circle of Trust at Andy’s (Chicago)
Dec 23 JDR & Circle of Trust at Sherman UMC (Evanston, IL)
Dec 31 The JuJu Exchange at Dorian’s (Chicago)
Jan 6 Notes of Rest on Simplicity on Zoom (virtual on Zoom at 7.15p for paid subscribers)
Save the Dates
Feb 22-23 Black Contemplative Prayer Summit - Notes of Rest on Feb 23 (Virtual)