To GOD Be All Glory!

Beloved Dad, Most Glorious, Most Holy in Heaven!
Thank You for the miracle with which You favored me on the morning of April 1, 2007. You are truly faithful and steadfast in showing Your grace in big things and in little things alike! In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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The Praise and Worship tape would not eject from the cassette player of my car [a 2003 KIA Pride model] this morning: it was working just fine two hours before. The Sunday worship service had just finished. I was delighted after having listened to a businessman’s testimony: he was bankrupt, he owed the bank an 8 figure debt [that’s 10 million pesos or more], and it would take him 12 years to pay -- even if the new investment he was counting on paid off [with the help of his financial acumen]. He confessed that God dealt with his pride and confidence in his own skill. In fact, contracts he was counting on were cancelled one after another. He had a perfect attendance record in church, fauthfully bringing his tithes, reading the Bible daily: so why were his prayers seemingly unanswered? God informed him it was his pride, his confidence in his own abilities. After he humbled himself before God, acknowledging that without God he could not accomplish anything, the investment earned enough profits to enable him to pay the bank in one year, fulfill his pledge to the church’s building fund and provide comfortably for his family. He credits God for all the success of the investment, nothing of his own doing. The Pastor’s sermon was a great blessing too: how to know God more intimately and imitate Jesus as the perfection of truth and grace [which, for most humans, are not always feasible or compatible].

Then I was extremely annoyed because no matter what I did the tape wouldn’t function. No repair shop could be found open on a Sunday; I tried speeding on road bumps to jar the eject mechanism; I tried to dislodge the tape manually, prying it with my plastic cards. I even sought help from my sister’s driver, [she lives nearby]. I tried for almost two hours. Nothing worked.
There must be something wrong with the circuitry, or the tape got all tangled up inside and jammed the mechanism: I will lose my favorite Praise tape. [irreplaceable! Cassette tapes like this are no longer on sale! I bought it in the 80’s] It probably will have to be cut, reduced to shreds. Who knows how many days I shall have to drive through the horrendous Manila traffic without the calming comfort of Christian music! I resigned myself to spending the better part of a day having the car radio repaired. “O Lord, please help me,” I sighed.

As I was parking the car in my garage, the tape ejected, it was intact, and the cassette player functioned just fine.

Praise the Lord! He is faithful in great and little things.

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Wes Hampton sings with the Gaither Choir this famous 1923 Baptist hymn by Thomas Chisholm and composer William M. Runyan: it became internationally popular since the Billy Graham Crusades in 1954. The lyrics spring from Lamentations 3:22-23.

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail."

Courtesy of YouTube.

Super Messiah

I’ve been hooked on comics and graphic novels since the Death of Superman saga, arguably the best-selling comics series of all time. The plot is simple: an alien creature called Doomsday, an apt name for an intergalactic killing machine, wakes up one day from his long hibernation in the bowels of planet Earth. He soon leaves a swath of mindless destruction and spiked body counts in his wake as he travels toward Metropolis, the adopted city of Superman a.k.a. Clark Kent. Even the collective efforts of the Justice League, a group of superheroes, fail to stop the rampaging creature. A broken and bloodied Superman makes his last stand in Metropolis. His strength dwindling, the Man of Steel, with his last remaining breath, attempts one final blow to bring down Doomsday. The antagonist, however, slips in his own lethal punch which proved disastrous to Superman. And the world saw the death of the world’s best-loved super hero. For the love of Metropolis and its people. For the love of Lois Lane and Superman’s friends, or so goes the seemingly endless cliches. In the follow-up series uninspiringly titled Funeral for a Friend, one could read how the world mourned Superman’s passing, including the mushy paeans and eulogies that were uttered: Superman the brave, the all-American hero, the greatest superhero, ad infinitum.

Despite the pedestrian plot and trite dialogues, the series rescued DC Comics from ignominy and dire financial straits. It even got extensive coverage from the mainstream media. Clearly, the death of an iconic figure like Superman captured the imagination of millions. But on another level, this “Death” saga is a hollow echo of an event that happened 2,000 years ago, not in a major city like Metropolis but in the backwater of the Roman Empire called Golgotha. And come to think of it, two thousand years ago the world never took notice of the death of its Creator and Redeemer, except maybe those that were in the immediate environs during the sixth hour of Jesus’ crucifixion when, as the Gospels record, darkness came over the whole land.

Going further back by thirty years around 4 B.C., a rescue mission was initiated from the heavens, beyond the bounds of Superman’s Planet Krypton and outside the confines of space-time, parallel universes and their infinite earths, to save helpless human beings who have become slaves to sin and to the powers of the air. The Scriptures say: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is more than a superhero. He is our “Lord and our God” (John 20:28). 2 Peter 1:1 speaks of “our God and Savior Jesus Christ while Titus 2:13 refers to our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

The prophet Isaiah refers to him as “Mighty God” as he foretells his rescue mission or coming: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God...” (Isaiah 9:6). Surprisingly, the story of Superman’s origin −a baby in a capsule crib who cruised the cold, deep space from an advanced civilization and crashed down into a farm in Kansas − bears similarity to the incarnation of Jesus who was born in a manger at an obscure town.

Since everyone has sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), we are like dead men walking, so to speak, since the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23). Divine justice requires that the penalty due for our sins would have to be paid. God abhors sin and therefore, we could not be reconciled and have fellowship with Him unless the punishment was meted out. In fact, as dead men walking, we are not only within the throes of physical death but we are facing eternal damnation or spiritual death as well.

Without Jesus’ atoning death, we are doomed to spend eternity with our worst nightmares in the lake of fire where there is gnashing of the teeth. Think about spending just a few minutes with creepy beings more menacing than the comic books’ sociopaths and villains like Joker, Two-Face, and Scarecrow; in a place worse than asylum for the criminally insane. Surely, an eternal torment with the hordes from hell would make Freddie Kruger, Jason, Anton Chigurh, and Hannibal Lecter look like altar boys.

Jesus was arrayed against the most powerful empire at that time; against the high priests; against the devil who tempted him in a showdown at the desert; and against all the principalities and powers who probably descended to Jerusalem and incited the mob to crucify Jesus. At the hour of need, his friends and disciples abandoned him (one of them even betrayed him). At the cross, Jesus not only suffered physical pain (aside from the beatings and torture he received from the Roman sadists) and death but also the pain of bearing sin. Wayne Grudem in his book Systematic Theology wrote that “in obedience to the Father, and out of love for us, Jesus took on himself all the sins of those who would someday be saved. Taking on himself all the evil against which his soul rebelled created deep revulsion in the center of his being. All that he hated most deeply was poured out fully upon him”. Compared to what Jesus fought on behalf of us sinners, Superman’s fight with Doomsday would be like a stroll in a mall.

I realized that my continuous fascination with comic books and super heroes is borne out of growing frustration in this world and the state of humankind. This world needs a Superman to set things right and defeat evil. Superman’s exploits resonate within me and reveal a deeper yearning for the Hero (not of the comic book kind) to come again and who would one day “…preach good news to the poor… bind up the brokenhearted,…proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,…proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God…” (Isaiah 61:1-2).

The day of vengeance of God! This will be the long-awaited payback time for all the aborted babies, the martyrs of the Christian faith, the poor and the infirm who were rejected by the society, the innocent, and all victims of evil and man’s depravity. The Super Messiah is coming and we expect His arrival any moment from now. Jesus’ return will be that of a warrior in a white horse. He will be coming in full glory; as a conqueror and a king: “…His eyes are blazing fire and on his head are many crowns…He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood…Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19: 11-16).

He will put an end once and for all to Satan, the sin and evil in this world. Satan would be thrown into the lake of burning sulfur. Even death would be swallowed up in victory. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin...But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”(1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Julia Ward Howe must have thought Jesus as the ultimate Superhero when she penned the lyrics of The Battle Hymn of the Republic:

Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel/
Since God is marching on.

Indeed, I could only repeat what the apostle John wrote in the island of Patmos: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

Horatio Spafford, Tragedy & Triumph

Here is a video of how the joyful lyrics of the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul" were written after a series of terrible events. Courtesy of YouTube.

"I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow."
---Jeremiah 31:13

Another video of the hymn. A beautiful rendition by Westover Church Choir. Also by courtesy of YouTube.

God’s Grace Notes

In a hushed moment, I listen to my audio tapes using my still reliable cassette recorder. In this age of digital recording, the tape is considered a relic from the so-called “good old days”. Indeed, my audio tapes capture the soundtrack of my life −the old songs that mattered most. These songs evoke the yesteryears. And the much maligned tape is a repository of our own neverlands and private Idahos. I still recall an AM station ID which blurts out the query: “Where were you when this song was number 1?” (in the record charts, that is).

And with the songs come the montage of memories. Images from the past appear grudgingly, but they come nonetheless. Listening to the Beatles’ Hello Goodbye and Penny Lane takes me back to the time when I was still a tot carried playfully around by my sisters. This was the late 60s or what the flower people, in their drug-addled minds, referred to as “the dawning of the age of Aquarius”, borrowing a line from a hit song by the 5th Dimension. It was supposed to be the beginning of “harmony and understanding” and brotherly love. But a few years later, on this side of the world, Martial Law tightened its grip on the fearful populace; and with it came the advent of a “New Society” era.

The age of disco heralded the late 70s. In the local scene, “namamasyal pa sa Luneta” became Manila Sound’s oft-repeated line. Parroting the soaring falsettos of the Bee Gees became fashionable in high school alongside John Travolta’s gabardine pants and elevator shoes. Soon afterwards, we had our brush with Nippongo when the theme songs from the animé series Voltes V became a hit.

Video killed the radio star in the 1980s. It was the era when MTV music videos killed the golden days of AM/FM radio. It marked a shift in the way my generation listened to music. Audio sounds, to be thoroughly enjoyed, had to be accompanied by slickly-produced videos. This New Wave sound invasion, coincidentally, also saw the passing of an old era with the downfall of the Marcos regime. Images become distinct as I listen to the music: Ninoy’s splattered body at the MIA tarmac; yellow confetti raining down from Ayala buildings; college graduation; my first travel abroad aboard a ship which was symbolic of the start of my voyage to the sea of life with the hope of blazing trails toward success and fulfillment.

The 90s and the early parts of the 21st century form a blur of images. It is a period replete with crossroads and alleyways not taken, and of shredded memories that were consigned to oblivion. And this is the point where my collection of audio tapes ends. I have not developed a liking for rap/hip-hop which is the music dominating this period. Its pessimistic mood reflects the time’s moral and spiritual decadence with the dominance of pop culture and postmodernism. It carries with it the weight of the realization that I am not a master of my own destiny. I am not the pilot of my own airwave.

At some point, I attempt to delete or back mask some audible memories that keep on flashing back, hoping to turn the table against the white noise of existential angst. Life, just like rhythm, seems to be always accompanied by the blues. This laugh is on me, so goes the line in a Bruce Springsteen song.

Despite the milestones, the occasional falls from grace, and catastrophes that have transpired, life still zealously guards its own matrices of meanings. I realize that this exercise of rewinding the storied past could not last. At the end, every memory becomes muffled; backing vocals from old faces remain muted; and only the hissing noise remains to be heard, like the tired scratching in a cassette tape’s loop. I finally see the folly of it all, just like the teacher in the Book of Ecclesiastes. “Life is nothing but a ‘gullible’s travel’ ” seems to be the main theme of my existence.

It is this realization that makes me decide to fast-forward this dry, bare-boned recital of my life’s soundtrack toward tuning in on God’s grace notes. In his book What's So Amazing About Grace, Philip Yancey says: "A composer of music may add grace notes to the score. Though not essential to the melody–they are gratuitous –these notes add a flourish whose presence would be missed. When I first attempt a piano sonata by Beethoven or Schubert, I play it through a few times without the grace notes. The sonata carries along, but oh what a difference it makes when I am able to add in the grace notes, which season the piece like savory spices."

It is not about remixing or synthesizing the sounds through my own efforts and trying to blot out the persistence of memories. It is all about letting God’s overdub of grace to take its flight despite life’s discordant notes and its vicissitudes. To paraphrase the apostle Paul: It is by grace that I have been saved from eternal damnation, through faith-and I cannot take credit for this, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).

Like music, a life with God acquires a new meaning, a heightened sense-surround of awareness of the Creator’s love and grand design for an inconsequential mortal like me. It is like being-born anew and digitally-enhanced for the eternity to come for “…neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39)”.

Now, the crackling of static is suddenly silenced at last, as though after the final act of discarding a worn-out vinyl alongside the cranky old phonograph.

A New Abundant Life by God's Grace 1/4

The Prodigal Son among the pigs, painting by William Etty

“…this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.” Luke 15:11-16, New Living Translation.

Were It Not For Grace

Laranelle Harris

courtesy of YouTube

A New Abundant Life by God's Grace 2/4

The Prodigal Son, Rodin

“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.’ So he returned home to his father.” Luke 15:17-20, New Living Translation.

All to Jesus, I Surrender

by the Vineyard

courtesy of YouTube

A New Abundant Life by God's Grace 3/4

Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt

“We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.” Luke 15:23-24, New Living Translation.

“Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces;
now he will heal us.
He has injured us;
now he will bandage our wounds.
In just a short time he will restore us,
so that we may live in His presence.
Hosea 6:1-2, New Living Translation.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23, New Living Translation.

Oh, What A Savior!

Ernie Haas & the Signature Sound

courtesy of YouTube