Music Speaks

Music has always been a big part of my life. My mother was probably the first to introduce me to it—our house was always filled with the sounds of Willie Nelson. I was singing in the school choir before I even knew what stage fright was! For a while, I was pretty good at it too, competing in contests and even winning a few. But these days? Just the thought of singing in front of people makes me break out in hives!

My uncle Mike is one of the best writers I know—he works with the Oklahoma University Law Review—but he’s also one of the biggest music lovers I’ve ever met. He’s the reason I fell in love with The Beatles and so many other legendary artists. Every Christmas, he’d give me stacks of albums, and I’d spend hours listening, completely immersed in the melodies and lyrics. Even now, every Saturday, he picks two songs and shares their stories—where he was when he first heard them, how they were written, and the impact they had. I love those stories so much that I post them on my Facebook page each week.

There’s something fascinating about the way songs come to be. Did you know Paul McCartney literally dreamed the melody for Yesterday? He woke up with the tune in his head and walked around asking people if they’d heard it before, convinced it must already exist. Until he figured out the lyrics, he jokingly called it Scrambled Eggs! Or take Can’t Help Falling in Love—Elvis’s famous ballad is actually based on an 18th-century French love song called Plaisir d’amour.

Even in our United Methodist Hymnal, there are songs with incredible backstories. Charles Wesley, the brother of John Wesley (the founder of Methodism), wrote thousands of hymns—many of which we still sing today. There’s a popular myth that he set his hymns to pub tunes, but that’s not exactly true. While he did use melodies that were familiar and easy to sing, they weren’t straight from the local tavern. What he did, though, was brilliant—he took music people already recognized and used it to tell a new story, a story of faith.

That’s what great songwriters do. They pour their hearts, their struggles, their joys into their music. Wesley did it with his hymns, just like McCartney and Elvis did with their songs. Music connects us—it helps us tell our stories, share our faith, and express emotions that words alone can’t always capture.

Faith is meant to be shared—through song, over coffee with a friend, or in the way we serve others. And music has a way of speaking when nothing else can.

So, what’s your favorite hymn? Share it with someone this week. And as we journey through Lent, listen closely to the songs we sing. They all have a story to tell—and who knows? They might just strengthen your faith along the way.  See you Sunday!

Peace, Pastor Tracy