Melodies of Heaven

June is African-American Music Appreciation Month. From Antiquity to today, music has shaped every facet of our lives. When the children of Israel were delivered from the hand of Pharaoh, Miriam picked up her tambourine, gathered some sisters, and made melody unto God. 

“Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing.” (Exodus 15:20)

Words were insufficient. The mighty work of God in their lives was so great that these women were moved to sing and shout and play their instruments to express their deepest awe and gratitude. Can you hear it? It sounds like freedom. It sounds like joy. It sounds like salvation. Through melody these women claimed their space in the world and proclaimed their freedom. Miriam isn’t the only one who recognized the power of music. She is part of a great cloud of witnesses that includes Hannah, the mother of Samuel, David, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Paul when he was jailed in a Roman prison. 

Black people lilt when our loads are lightened. We wail when our souls are wounded. We moan when melancholy won’t allow for more. Music has gotten Black people through individual instability and collective crisis. When I am questioning myself, there is nothing like blasting “Just Fine” by Mary J. Blige to remind me that I am more than enough. When my children are working my last good nerve, if you lean in close you will hear me humming, “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross.” When the injustices of America feel too heavy to bear, Sweet Honey in the Rock’s “There’s a New World Coming” reminds me that the evil of this day will come to an end. 

What is your go-to song to invoke joy in your soul? What song has given sound to your deepest desires? What song do you play when you are going through and need to get to the other side?

Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah