Do you remember this man?

Did you pick the face? Kris Kristofferson, now 68 tears old and still singing. Jo and I did something quite unusual for us and went to his concert in Hobart tonight. After listening to about 40 minutes of songs from James Blundell, Kris Kristofferson came out and sang without a break for well over two hours. He simply stood with a microphone and a guitar and sang to us. There was the endless list of oldies that everyone seemed to know so well, Me and Bobbie McGee, Sunday morning coming down, Silver tongue devil, Loving her was easy and so many others. They just seemed to flow one after the other. It was a night of nostalgia and memories for many who attended. I glanced around the audience and it felt like Jo and I were about the youngest there! Many of those in the audience could not resist singing along with some of the old favourites.

Music is a powerful thing. It can stir the memory of years gone by and rekindle feelings of yesteryear. Since being in Hobart I often ponder what it is about the old hymns that some of the people here hold onto so dearly. I also enjoy some of the good old hymns, but why is that? Is that they remain meaningful for me, or is it simply that they stir up nostalgic feelings of the past. I can’t sing the hymns without seeing myself many years ago in the congregation of Dandenong Baptist Church where Laurie North or Norm Johnson would be leading the hymn singing. The hymns evoke vivid memories for me. My question is however, is there a difference between nostalgic worship and genuine meaningful worship?

I listened to a 68 year old guy tonight sing songs I have known for many years. His voice was quiet and measured. It wasn’t a voice or a style that would communicate to my four teenagers. They were even rather mystified that we would buy tickets to hear ‘some old guy sing. Those who attended were pretty much all people who were there for the same reason as we were – nostalgia. I wonder why it is that so many of the older people want to sing hymns that my teenagers think are weird. Nostalgia maybe, but maybe nostalgia is legitimate in creating meaning in worship today. I’m not sure what I think about that. I’ll have to ponder the question for a while!