A Love Supreme (Coltrane)

Scripture Reading

New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition 1 John 4

7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 15 God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Those who say, “I love God,” and hate a brother or sister are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

Kids to the Knowing Place

Introduction: Finding God in the Music

A failed musician

When I started out, I was a music education major, and two things made themselves abundantly clear to me pretty quickly in to my music education career:

Firstly, drummers can go through all of high school learning to play drums, but neglecting to learn how to read music.

And secondly, reading music is vitally important to success in a music education career.

So after a while I failed out of music education school, and embarked on a journey to become a pastor.

But I’ve never left my love of music.

It speaks to us on a soul level sometimes, doesn’t it?

If it’s true that God is present in all places and in all things, then God is surely present in the music of our world, even sometimes in music that doesn’t usually show up in church.

So when I came across a series from Pastor Brian Zahnd some years ago called Finding God in the Music, I remembered that good musicians borrow, great musicians steal outright.

So we’re going to do this series on Finding God in the Music!

And we’re starting with a fantastic piece by John Coltrane.

Listen to the root

I debated giving you all a hint on this one or not, because Jazz music can be a bit tricky to navigate.

It starts with a really majestic introduction.

As one author put it, A Love Supreme is good for sunrises. It’s like it pushes the sun right out of the earth.

For this morning, close your eyes if you’d like, and just listen and see what feelings or emotions this one pulls out for you.

But what I do want you to hold on to is the bass line that comes in right after the intro.

If you get lost in this song, see if that bass line can’t bring you back in.

<Play “A Love Supreme Part One: Acknowledgement”>

The only words in that song are “A love supreme.”

One of the questions that I have had in listening to it and getting ready has been “What would life be like if my only words were “A love supreme?”

And how does a person get to that place?

John Coltrane

Something found him.

As is not unusual for Jazz musicians, following his time in the military, Coltrane found himself addicted to heroine and alcohol.

We don’t get a whole lot about the details on this, except a quick paragraph in the liner notes to A Love Supreme:

During the year 1957, I experienced, by the grace of God, a spiritual awakening which was to lead me to a richer, fuller, more productive life. At that time, in gratitude, I humbly asked to be given the means and privilege to make others happy through music. I feel this has been granted through His grace. ALL PRAISE TO GOD.

Love found him.

John Coltrane was met by the love of God in Christ.

It can be a little bit overwhelming when you feel unlovable, and God’s love finds you.

It can be a disconcerting experience when you have lost your way, and God’s love finds you.

It can be quite awakening when you’ve been asleep to yourself, and God’s love finds you.

We as Presbyterians might have a little bit of a struggle with this.

Just last night at our new members class, a few of the folks recounted that they have a story like mine.

I don’t remember a time in my life where I wasn’t part of the church, wasn’t in love with God.

I don’t have a conversion moment like Coltrane, where the heavens parted and I was met with the furious love of God.

It’s just always been there!

But still, we would do well to reflect on love ourselves, no matter how it found us.

Repetitive John

Love

What is love? (Baby don’t hurt me)

The word for love that John is using over and over again is Agape.

In fact, in just 21 verses, John uses the word Agape 26 times!

It seems like it’s an important concept here.

Agape defined

Agape love is the love that values the recipient over the giver.

If I love you because you own a donut shop, and being your friend might provide me with some benefit, then that’s not really agape love.

But if I love you because I genuinely care for your well being, and in fact would be willing to sacrifice some of my own well being for you, that’s what agape love looks like.

John in fact tells us a couple of times in this verse that God is love.

If you want to know what Agape love is all about, look to the God of the universe who cares so deeply for you that he is willing to meet your needs.

If you want to know what Agape love is all about, look to the Spirit of love who continues to guide us and lift us up, even in our worst moments.

If you want to know what Agape love is all about, look to the cross, where Christ willingly and joyfully laid down his life so that we could have ours.

Agape is a two way street

John makes it clear that this kind of Agape love should go both ways.

God pours love in to us.

And then in turn we pour love into our brothers and sisters.

1 John 4:11 “Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.”

Having just finished a series on Matthew 25, and our commitment to seeing justice done in the world, at least at a cognitive level we Presbyterians get this.

We understand that the way we love others is at the root of our love for God.

But we ought to start by receiving God’s love

I think the phrase here is that we can’t pour from an empty cup.

If I don’t know the love of God, if I haven’t allowed myself to receive that love, then I’m kind of sunk.

1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”

Abide- 7 Times

Meno- To remain.

It carries this connotation of being planted, rooted, settled.

It means that no matter what happens, you are going to stay where you are.

You won’t be distracted or redirected, you abide where you are.

There’s a lot of chaos on top of the root note, and it can be distracting.

One of the ways A Love Supreme resonates with us is how chaotic it can be.

If this is your first experience with free form jazz, it can sound a little bit like noise, or chaos, or distraction.

And if you’re anything like me, that’s true to life!

How much noise do we come across on a daily basis?

How many sounds are trying to get our attention?

How many distractions do we come across?

Life is chaos.

And yet under all of it is that bass line.

Ba dum, ba dum

Ba dum, ba dum.

A love supreme.

A love supreme.

No matter what kind of chaos goes on top of it, that love supreme for Coltrane is the root note.

It’s what holds him steady.

It’s what allows the chaos to not just make sense.

When a Love Supreme is your bass note, the chaos can actually start to sound like music.

When love is where you abide, the chaos can actually become beautiful.

Plant your feet.

John the Evangelist knew this too.

You don’t have to, and in fact you don’t even get to, earn God’s love.

That part is already given.

God’s love is never conditional in this passage.

There is no “If you would only do this, then God would love you.”

God just…does love you.

Our job is that once we recognize it, we have to plant our feet and abide in God’s love.

Once we recognize that God pours his love over us, we can’t allow ourselves to wander off into hatred either towards ourselves or others.

Once we recognize that God pours his love over us, we can’t allow ourselves to wander off into petty arguments and hollow theology.

Once we recognize that God pours his love over us, we can’t allow ourselves to wander off under any other name: we are and always will be God’s beloved.

Once we recognize that God pours his love over us, we can’t allow ourselves to wander off into the land of fear, because there is absolutely no fear in love.

Once we are met by a Love Supreme, we need to allow it to be the bass note in our lives, no matter what chaos might start ringing over us, we abide in God’s love.

Let Love be the bass note.

Don’t let the chaos over run you!

Have you ever had a week where by about Thursday or Friday your loved ones are asking you if you’re ok?

That was my week...

It was chaos!

There were meetings and meetings and meetings and meetings.

There were swim lessons and sick kids.

There were phone calls and questions.

And there were meetings and meetings and meetings and meetings.

If we don’t keep an eye on it, the chaos of our lives can get the better of us.

We can find ourselves gasping for air.

We can find ourselves barely holding on as we run from thing to thing to thing.

We can find ourselves unable to hear God when God speaks over us, because there’s too much noise happening over us.

We keep the root note right in front of us.

In fact, Carolyn had a great idea when we were in staff Bible study this week.

(You know it’s a good idea when I actually name drop the person!)

What if we carried this song with us as a reminder.

I know I’m a drummer and some of us don’t have any rhythm, but tap this on your leg with me for a moment.

We can carry that with us this week.

When you’re in the grocery store and the person in front of you insisted on using the self checkout even though they haven’t a clue how to run the machine...

When you’re running the kids back and forth from camp to soccer practice to summer jobs to sleepovers...

When work has you beat up and worn down and gasping for air...

Let A Love Supreme be the bass note to our lives.

What if we only had one word?

I’m still wondering, what if we only had one word?

John points us in this direction: 1 John 4:12 “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.”

The way people get to see who this God is happens through our love.

It doesn’t happen with our correct theology.

It doesn’t happen with our political views.

It doesn’t happen with our successes, and Praise God it doesn’t happen with our failures.

People see God through our love.

So my prayer all week has been that my life would only have one word.

My prayer has been that when people see me moving through the world, they would only hear one thing from me.

A love supreme. A love supreme. A love supreme.

And as my Dad would tell you, actions speak much louder than words.

It’s not just about what we say, it’s about the song of our lives.

When people watch us move through the world, do they hear it?

A love supreme. A love supreme. A love supreme.

Receive and plant your feet.

Here is the truth friends:

God is love.

God loves you.

And there’s not a blessed thing you can or need to do to earn that.

Right here, right now, right in this moment, whatever you’ve done, whoever you are, wherever this chaotic life has taken you, you are loved by God.

God is love.

Abide in it.

Stay here.

Tap out the bass note if you need to, because you are loved by a Love Supreme.

Don’t wander, but if you do know that you can always come back to it.

A love supreme. A love supreme. A love supreme.