Justin Appel

Dear Friends,

This past week, a beloved member of our choir community, and a prominent member of the music community in Tucson, passed away. We are all in a state of grief while we prepare for the funeral this weekend, a service will include music our friend sang many times, by Fauré, Rachmaninoff, and Tavener.

In the throes of this mourning, I am struck again by Psalm 130, which falls in today's readings, the De Profundis -- 'Out of the depths have I cried to you, O Lord.' This text speaks beautifully to the truth that our suffering in this life is not simply a punishment for sin, as we might easily think. The psalmist addresses that concern immediately: 'If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss/ O Lord, who could stand?'

Rather, this suffering and grief seems to be a vehicle for entering into a deeper orientation towards the God who co-suffers with us. It is a chance for us to 'wait for the Lord' in the depths of our souls. The Eastern Christian tradition seems especially to emphasize the notion that suffering carries a redemptive aspect, and that it is allowed by a loving and merciful God. We sense something of this even as we enter into another person's grief. We recognize that their suffering is also our suffering, a cross that we all bear.

This notion is poignantly captured in music, much more brilliantly than with words alone. Bach's German setting of the psalm, 'Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir', BWV 131 says a great deal about this confluence of pain, hope and redemption. I include a link to a beautiful performance below. Bach is always a deep well, and I hope the music uncovers the meaning of this psalm for you.

Yours in Christ,
Justin