AuDivina, April 2021

AuDivina is short for “Audientia Divina” – Holy Listening. It’s a practice we developed during Coronatide to invite music into our faith gatherings in a different way, while we have been limited in some of the familiar ways. We listen to not-so-churchy music alongside texts or themes from Scripture and faith, and see what we notice and how they cast light on one another.

This month we had an Easter-y theme: Fresh Starts and New Beginnings. There are lots of ways to talk about those themes in Easter season, but here are a couple of Scriptures we began with:

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  2 Cor 5:17

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God…. you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all! Colossians 3:1-3, 9b – 11

Then we listened to some songs, read their lyrics, and talked about what we noticed! You can do the same. Our song list came mostly from people’s suggestions via Facebook and email – Rev. Miranda settled on final choices. Use Google to find lyrics, and more information about the song if you want it!

“Light of a clear blue morning” – Dolly Parton (1976)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BaVb8LTooU

“Feeling Good” – Nina Simone (1965)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5Y11hwjMNs

“O-o-h child” – Five Stairsteps (1970)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dguz0IsCuKU

“Come on up to the house” – Tom Waits (1999)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GugzLSbOQE

“Solsbury Hill” – Peter Gabriel (1977)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OO2PuGz-H8

“Return home” – killedmyself (2016)

https://killedmyself.bandcamp.com/track/return-home-2

Honorable Mention:

“Take up your spade” – Sara Watkins (2012)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLpBPiGt248

“Complicated Creation – Cloud Cult (2013)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8RXwy_inBs