That picture was in front of the House of Blues in New Orleans, one of 12 similar live concert halls and restaurants all across the United States. This one delivers not only blues but also southern cuisine—“where music and food feed the soul.”
“In Blues we trust!”
The blues, of course, is a musical genre with unclear origins, linked to folk music, spirituals, shouts, and chants, that came about primarily from within African-American communities in the South toward the latter part of the 19th century.
The term likely refers to “blue devils,” that cause melancholy and sadness and the musical form often has lyrics that connote depression and loss. As one musicologist wrote, the loose narrative of the blues enabled the singer to voice personal woes in a world of harsh reality—“a lost love, the cruelty of police officers, oppression at the hands of white folk, hard times.” “Blue” has made its way into dictionaries to indicate gloom and dejection.
So why trust in blues?
Doesn’t sound to me like something to trust in! Who cares to be sad, melancholic, dark, and saturnine? Prozac, no wonder, is the best-selling drug in the history of pharmaceutical industry. In 2006, over 200 million antidepressant prescriptions were handed over to Americans. Zoloft’s American sales ($3 billion in 2005) exceeds that of Tide detergent. And in the UK, the total cost of depression and its treatment amounted, a few years ago, to more than £5 billion.
Trust in blues?
With all the bad news around the world and in our own lives, a blue mood seems to be justified. In fact, ever since the Fall of man, there has only been one bit of Good News. Only one.
“In Blues we trust!”
The blues, of course, is a musical genre with unclear origins, linked to folk music, spirituals, shouts, and chants, that came about primarily from within African-American communities in the South toward the latter part of the 19th century.
The term likely refers to “blue devils,” that cause melancholy and sadness and the musical form often has lyrics that connote depression and loss. As one musicologist wrote, the loose narrative of the blues enabled the singer to voice personal woes in a world of harsh reality—“a lost love, the cruelty of police officers, oppression at the hands of white folk, hard times.” “Blue” has made its way into dictionaries to indicate gloom and dejection.
So why trust in blues?
Doesn’t sound to me like something to trust in! Who cares to be sad, melancholic, dark, and saturnine? Prozac, no wonder, is the best-selling drug in the history of pharmaceutical industry. In 2006, over 200 million antidepressant prescriptions were handed over to Americans. Zoloft’s American sales ($3 billion in 2005) exceeds that of Tide detergent. And in the UK, the total cost of depression and its treatment amounted, a few years ago, to more than £5 billion.
Trust in blues?
With all the bad news around the world and in our own lives, a blue mood seems to be justified. In fact, ever since the Fall of man, there has only been one bit of Good News. Only one.
He has risen!
Mark 16:6
Mark 16:6
He conquered death …
… Christ, having been
raised from the dead,
is never to die again;
death no longer is master over Him.
Romans 6:9
raised from the dead,
is never to die again;
death no longer is master over Him.
Romans 6:9
He conquered sin …
O Death, where is your victory? ...
The sting of death is sin, …
but thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55–57
The sting of death is sin, …
but thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55–57
He conquered Satan …
… the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
who is at the right hand of God,
having gone into heaven,
after angels and authorities
and powers had been subjected to Him.
1 Peter 3:21–22
who is at the right hand of God,
having gone into heaven,
after angels and authorities
and powers had been subjected to Him.
1 Peter 3:21–22
That’s the Good News—the only Good News.
Now I make known to you, brethren,
the Good News ….
that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried,
and that He was raised
on the third day…
1 Corinthians 15:1, 3–4
the Good News ….
that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried,
and that He was raised
on the third day…
1 Corinthians 15:1, 3–4
Why be blue?
God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus;
He came to love, heal, and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!
And then one day, I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to vict’ry,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!
William and Gloria Gaither, 1971
No more blues!
Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who according to His great mercy
has caused us to be born again
to a living hope
through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who according to His great mercy
has caused us to be born again
to a living hope
through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3
Happy Easter! No more blues. We don’t trust in them!
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