Music in the Round Series: A Conversation on Art, Faith and Culture

Music in the Round is a monthly web series where we debut music and discuss its theological implications with a panel of dear friends and esteemed colleagues from the worlds of art, academy, church, and business.

Join us on Facebook Live (Tavares Stephens’ page) at 7p on 22 May 2020 for our first broadcast!

The Depths of Good Friday

Jesus’ seven last words from the cross need to be heard anew. In fact, we think they need to be reharmonized. A musician reharmonizes by putting a familiar melody over new chords and rhythms. A poet reharmonizes by recasting images and symbols. The Depths of Faith seeks to do both for Jesus’ dying words from the cross. Using the full array of artistic expression, we hope to draw attention to under-explored nuances of The Passion. This offering is meant to challenge those in the church who too readily embrace the triumph of Sunday while giving hope to those who only know the lingering pain of Friday.

The Depths of Good Friday is our re-sounding of these ancient texts. It is a 21st-century psalm experience that serves as a hearing anew of what Christ, the Lynched One, says to his church from the cross. We need to hear anew the call of the condemned, of the one whose family members are in need of new kin, of the one who has no water to drink. We need to hear anew the call to repent, to receive forgiveness. We need to hear anew the mystery from the cross that sounds in Christ’s final words: “It is finished.”

Stay tuned for details on our 2021 release of this project.