“Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name; make known his deeds among the nations, proclaim that his name is exalted.” – Isaiah 12:4
Not too long ago, Bob Long did a sermon series on popular songs that have enriched our lives. I specifically remember the message in which he focused on James Taylor’s song, “You’ve Got a Friend” from the album, Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. That was one of my favorite songs from 50 years ago. The song was written by Carole King and both her and her good friend, James Taylor, recorded the song within days of each other and many of the same musicians such as Joni Mitchell performed on each version. James released the song in the spring of ‘71 and it went to number one on the charts. Every time I turned on the AM radio that song was playing. James said Carole King told him she wrote the song as a response to a line in an earlier song by Taylor entitled, Fire and Rain. The line James sang was, “I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend.”
On a birthday, 50 years ago, I remember receiving a gift that included two albums, “Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon” and “Tapestry” by Carole King. I still remember playing those two albums over and over on my Mom’s stereo. For half a century, I have enjoyed the music these two amazing song writers and performers created.
I am writing this devotional on another birthday 50 years later and so grateful that this past week, Kelly and I got to attend, in person, a James Taylor concert in Fort Worth. For me, his songs are still so relevant and his voice so clear. One of the things James talked about that evening was how grateful he was to be singing again in front of a live audience. James loves to perform for his fans and this concert had to be postponed last year due to Covid. So many things were taken away from us last year because of the pandemic. How grateful we can be that many of those things we may have taken for granted have now been restored. We can be grateful that we can see grandchildren or grandparents again. We can worship in person if we choose and, this Christmas, we will again be able to light our candles on Christmas Eve.
This month at St. Luke’s we’re focusing on gratitude and all the blessings God has given us. As I was reading scriptures about gratitude, I came across the story of the people rebuilding the temple in Ezra. The writer says, “With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord…. He is good.” God is indeed good and he never forgets us, even in times of trouble. When we understand this, we can repeat the words of Ezra… “No one could distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping and the sound was heard far away.” As we remember with gratitude our blessings, let us lift our voices so the sound will be heard far and wide.
– Rev. Dave Poteet, Pastor of Congregational Care
