Our March 23 program of Sing For Joy will include Cary Ratliff’s wonderful piece, "Come to the Water," a choral setting of portions of Isaiah 55, the assigned lectionary passage for the Third Sunday in Lent. Ratcliff is a composer based in Rochester, New York, where he serves as the Artistic Director for the vocal ensemble Madrigalia. I heard and sang several pieces of his during my time as a St. Olaf student, including a delightful Christmas piece, "Let Every Heart," which the St. Olaf Cantorei sang for Christmas Festival. The music I know of Ratcliff’s is whimsical, in the best sense of the word: the melodies are light and free, with surprising rhythmic movement that invites the listener to contemplate the text’s poetry in unique ways.
"Come to the Water" is a joyful musical expression of Isaiah's invitation in Isaiah 55, which begins, "Hear, everyone who thirsts; come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." This passage comes from a portion of Isaiah that scholars believe was composed around the time that God's people were returning to their homelands after a prolonged period of exile in Babylon. The exilic period was one of profound disorientation, rooted in systemic oppression. The return to the community's homeland would have been a joyful occasion, to be sure, but not without challenges. The systems that had been in place before exile were no longer there, and economic and political challenges were still deeply rooted. Against this backdrop, those words of invitation from Isaiah would have felt radical. Come and receive abundant food, nourishment of body and spirit, without cost? But how?
Through this invitation of Isaiah, and especially through the dancelike whimsy of Cary Ratcliff’s musical setting, we hear whispers of an answer. In God’s economy, people have what they need to flourish. Full stop. In the kingdom of God, systems are transformed, individuals and communities are sustained, and the human family rejoices in the gracious presence of God.
At the end of Ratcliff's piece, he turns to the New Testament, paraphrasing an invitation of Jesus from Matthew 11: "And let all the poor let them come to the water. Bring the ones who are laden, bring them all to the Lord. Bring the children without might. Easy the load and light; come to the Lord." During the season of Lent that lies ahead, may we be enlivened by the promise that God will carry our burdens, nourishing and sustaining us throughout our wilderness seasons. No matter the chaos that may surround us, God is faithful to invite us to imagine (and hope for) a world where all creation flourishes. May it be so!
Peace,
