Devotion: Cantata
Cantata
Take a moment to read Luke 2:1-20
It’s often difficult to find a way to “say something new” during the Christmas season when this holiday’s meaning has been encultured within so many of our lives since before we could talk. In fact, sometimes I long to experience it as a first-timer with fresh eyes and listening ears.
But part of the beauty and sacred nature of this month is the rituals it brings–the reminding that comes with familiarity and repetition. There is renewal and belonging in the simplicity of the words found in the passage of Luke 2:1-20, words like:
Joyful event
Baby
Glory
Savior
Peace
Angel choir
Manger
Shepherds
In examining these words I discovered a connection to the word “cantata.” By definition, the word cantata means “a medium-length narrative piece of music for voices with instrumental accompaniment, typically with solos, chorus, and orchestra.” One could say that this Luke passage is the scriptural embodiment of a cantata, a universally applicable narrative comprised of voices, collectively and individually. Take a look at Sheridan’s Christmas Cantata from worship this weekend.
The solo voice of God’s angel sharing the good news eventually blended with the angelic chorus bring the musical story of praise and glory to life. The key “instruments,” here? The humans all play their unique parts in the narrative–Caesar Augustus, Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, and the angels. The cantata concludes with an orchestra of celebration, affirmation, and future hope.
We can all uncover what is meaningful within the cantata inspired by the small wonder born within a manger. So what voice do you identify with within this ever-loved story? The terrified shepherds? The traveling couple? The census-taker? The pregnant mother?
Perhaps our metaphorical place in this story changes from year to year. But regardless of who it is, may it bring us closer to the power and love that change the course of humanity from the smallest corner of the world.
God, Jesus, and Spirit, let us find our way through this life-changing narrative to the truth you long to reveal to us. Make us present and self-aware. Show us what this journey is. This Christmas, we ask that you remind us always that you are God with us. Amen.
Written by Joanna Clay
Joanna and her husband, Matt, live in Lincoln with their two young daughters, Emery and Madisen. The Clays have been members of the Sheridan community since 2014. Joanna is Senior Content Manager for a San Diego-based healthcare coaching company called Practicing Excellence. She enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, longboarding, binge-watching historical dramas, and connecting with others over life’s big questions.