I’m not sure who or when Classic Music was named. We were too busy
listening to it to think to the future, the future was right now, right where we
happened to be at that moment. The early seventies brought us Oldies, from the
50’s, even WCBS-FM identified itself as an Oldies Station. We went to see band
like The Four Seasons, who were the house band at Frank Coppola’s Garage Room,
Jay and the Americans, what a voice Jay Black had. I cannot count how many
Beach Boy concerts I have been too, but one thing all these groups had in
common, I saw them after they had been stars, and had faded away. In an ever
changing music world where talent didn’t matter, just sell records, they had
survived, even though on life support. Today we call them Classic, and entire
stations are devoted to them. And as they are all in their seventies if still
alive, it is the music I remember, but seeing them live brings life to it, and
them.
Union Catholic High School had The Who, The Association, and Iron Butterfly
in their high school gym. I saw the drum solo In- a- Gadda-Da-Vida live! For
$3.50 because I wasn’t a student there. If you never heard Chick Corea and
Return to Forever, I saw them in a college coffee shop jamming. Where Stanly
Clarke gave a session on how to play the Fender bass. But one night will always
stand out, in a blizzard at Seton Hall University, where only about 30 of us
nuts enough to be out in the weather saw The Byrds. Post David Crosby, but
still with McGuinn and Skip Batten, they were scheduled to play in an old
auditorium that held a few hundred, and was empty due to the storm. But played
they did anyway, really a jam session for a couple of hours, intermixing with
the audience, playing requests, jamming alone, and then others joining in. What
to them may have been a paid rehearsal, contract date to be fulfilled, to us was
maybe the best concert ever. And from Alice Cooper to a new Band called The
Eagles, to Peter Frampton, to ELP, YES, and others, I had seen some pretty good
bands, back before they obtained Classic status. I may be old, but I saw them
when they were new. But that one night I will always remember, even putting a
little leg kick in Chestnut Mare for me, by request. When was the last time you
saw any such band in such a venue? A drummer sitting on the edge of the stage,
drumming on the wooden stage floor? Acoustic guitars without electronic boost?
And voices sans mics....in the midst of a storm?
It seems only the faithful and devoted or the crazy showed up that night.
To some that might have been considered righteous, showing up in faith, for
later we learned the show had been cancelled, from the radio. But I was there,
the band was there and played. Such faith, such music. Such was Abraham, as he
was credited as being righteous and faithful because he trusted God. We don’t
know how many events between God and Abraham took place where Abraham was
faithful, only those recorded in scripture. Was it when God told him to go?
When he promised him to have infinite descendants? Was it when being told to
sacrifice Isaac? Was it when he put Isaac on the altar, about to plunge the
knife into his own son? Was it when he believed God’s promise of him? Here we
focus all our attention on Abraham, and can go crazy trying to emulate his
faith. How many times did your mother say “why can’t you be more like so and
so?” How many times do we wish to have faith like Abraham? But are you willing
to go to the lengths he did to believe? Is it your faith, the promise, or the
one who will deliver the promise? Is it faith in Abraham, God, or ourselves?
if Abraham had only looked at the world, his difficulties, or his own
selfishness, his decisions would have been much different. Go to Sodom, by pass
the altar, hide Isaac, or even quit trying to have him. But he looked to God,
where he saw his deliverer, not his problems. Last night a lady called telling
me how God answered her prayers. Bragging on the power of prayer, not fully
knowing it was the one who answered that gave prayer the power. That it is the
spirit who she called out to and answered. It was not time to correct her but
to encourage her more in Jesus, from whom all blessings flow.
How many instances has God given you to be counted as faithful and
righteous? Abraham was excited about a promised son to come, how excited are we
about the son who has already come? Can we cease from just asking God and
thanking him, changing our relationship as we see his promises fulfilled fully
in Christ? Can we dare to let that first act of faith that led us to Jesus
become part of our daily routine? Can we called faithful because we just trust
Jesus? Will we be found righteous not by our church friends, but by God in
heaven because we are faithful to him? Abraham believed and his actions proved
it. What do your actions prove about Jesus? Your lack of faith?
Today many classic Christians fill pews, they have been saved so long their
relationship has just becom a ritual, another concert date on the calendar. One
night in a blizzard, The Byrds showed up because of a contractual agreement.
The rest of us showed us to hear the music. We both showed devotion, which one
showed faith? We expected them to show, I wonder if what they expected? In the
end, it was a night to remember, a personal show with music from the heart,
playing requests. Sounds like a good night with God, where he shows up and we
don’t know what to expect, he makes it personal, and hears our prayers and
answers them. A show like none other, playing right now, in hearts everywhere.
That’s love, that’s faithfulness on his part. His righteousness, his sending
his son while we were yet sinners. Saving us a seat up front, and meeting the
band. All on a winter night on a dead quiet college campus, on an old stage.
What a venue. Not what we expected, but so much more. That’s faithfulness,
letting God give us so much more than we expect. Letting Jesus rule in our
hearts. And then telling others what he has done. Just think, your act of
faith may point someone to the one who can answer! What an encore that will
be! All because you trusted God....you may have been at Woodstock, I was at
Seton Hall. Like Jesus, there is nothing like being there.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com