Jazz helps us be sensitive to the whole range of existence. Far from offering us rose-colored glasses … it realistically speaks of sorrow and pain…. Jazz stimulates us to feel deeply and truthfully…. Jazz thunders a mighty “yes.”
—Alvin L. Kershaw, “Religion and Jazz”   

CAC teacher Barbara A. Holmes writes of the spirit of possibility that is present in those creating and listening to jazz:   

When Miles Davis blows the cacophony that can barely be contained by the word song, we come closest to the unimaginable, the potential of the future, and the source of our being. Yet, jazz musicians will tell you that improvisation is risky business. They will also tell you, as [John] Coltrane did, that sometimes they receive their inspiration from divine sources. When you listen to Coltrane, you hear beyond the notes. You hear the old neighborhood and the folks we left behind emerge behind half notes. The straining trumpet blasts away the illusion that our upward mobility will bring peace.  

But while jazz challenges and prods us, it also takes us to church.… [Historian] Martin E. Marty [observed] that the key to understanding links between worship and jazz is subsumed in the word awe. This is an emotion that is accessible to everyone. He says that “jazz can erupt in joy.” [1] Joy infused with the riffs of awe tends to be unspeakable.… 

Art also carves pathways toward our inner isles of spirituality. When we decide to live in our heads only, we become isolated from the God who is closer than our next breath. To subject everything to rational analysis reduces the awe to ashes. The restoration of wonder is the beginning of the inward journey toward a God who people of faith aver is always waiting in the seeker’s heart. For some, the call to worship comes as joy spurts from jazz riffs. [2]  

Jazz pianist and minister William Carter describes how jazz can help us pray:  

I have a high view of instrumental music as a potential spiritual gift for the listener and the musician alike.… A jazz quartet can utter things in the presence of God that mere words fail to say. A saxophone can lament on behalf of those who feel helpless. A piano may offer intercessions for those who are in need. A string bass can affirm the firm foundation of faith. Drums and cymbals may call pilgrims to break into joy.  

Poet Ron Seitz has spoken about how, as a young man, he befriended writer and theologian Thomas Merton…. Seitz tells of the night he went with Merton to a jazz club in Louisville. [3] As the group began to play, Merton leaned over to whisper, “They’re going to start talking to each other now. Listen.” Then he moved closer to the bandstand to get a better look. Later, returning with his eyes wide, he said to Seitz, “Now that’s praying. That’s some kind of prayer! The new liturgy. Really, I’m not kidding.” 

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The first body-swap movie was Disney’s Freaky Friday in 1976 starring a teenage Jody Foster who trade bodies with her mother. The success of Freaky Friday resulted in a steady flow of body-swap films ever since. The gimmick may have started as a family comedy, but it has expanded into sci-fi, action, horror, animation, and even dramas. Sometimes the body-switchers are a child and parent, male and female, a human and an animal, or two enemies. Whatever the details, the body-switching genre remains popular because it provides storytellers with a shortcut to empathy. It’s the quickest way to get a character to see life through another’s eyes by having them literally walk in someone else’s shoes. While technically not a body-switching story, by the end of 2 Kings 5 Naaman and Gehazi did switch bodily afflictions. And a careful reading of the chapter reveals the two men swapped much more. After lying to Naaman to steal his wealth, Gehazi was confronted by Elisha for his treachery. “Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves?” Gehazi only stole Naaman’s silver and clothing. So, why did Elisha mention groves, vineyards, flocks, and slaves?To understand Elisha’s rebuke we must remember the beginning of the story. Naaman was identified as “a great man” and the leader of Syria’s armies. He often invaded and plundered Israel’s territory. He was responsible for taking Israel’s land, flocks, and even its people. Remember, Naaman first learned about Elisha from an Israelite girl he had captured, trafficked, and enslaved. Throughout the first part of the story, before his healing, Naaman is depicted as an arrogant, powerful, and greedy man.After his healing, however, Naaman was transformed. He was humble and generous. He repeatedly called himself Elisha’s “servant,” and he gave his full allegiance to Israel’s God in gratitude for his mercy. Naaman’s cleansed character was even evident when the scheming Gehazi approached his caravan. Verse 21 says Naaman “got down from the chariot to meet him.” For a general of Naaman’s stature to come down from his chariot was a gesture of deep respect and humility. For Naaman to do this for Gehazi, a lowly servant, and a foreigner was even more impressive. While Naaman had been cleansed of his arrogance and greed and not merely his leprosy, by the end of the story we see these sins abundantly in Gehazi. His pride and self-righteousness made him think he was entitled to take Naaman’s wealth. He used deceit and manipulation to swindle the Syrian general, and he attempted to cover up his crime by lying to Elisha. By referencing the kind of things Naaman used to plunder in war—olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, and slaves—Elisha was indicating that the arrogance and greed that once marked Naaman’s heart had now infected Gehazi’s. Therefore, the prophet declared that the disease that had marked Naaman’s skin would now infect Gehazi’s as well. In these final verses, we finally discover the real point of the entire chapter—it’s essentially a body-swap story. Naaman and Gehazi traded places. The prideful man was humbled, and the humble servant was prideful. The sick man was healed, and the healthy man was diseased. The gentile honored the name of YHWH, and the Israelite betrayed the name of YHWH. The foreigner was blessed by the prophet, and the Israelite was cursed by the prophet. The Syrian was cured of leprosy, and the Israelite was inflicted with leprosy. God accepted one of Israel’s enemies, and he rejected one of Israel’s sons. As we’ll see in the days ahead, just like body-swap movies, this surprising reversal was intended to challenge the assumptions of God’s people and grow their empathy. DAILY SCRIPTURE LUKE 16:19-25  2 KINGS 5:1-27 WEEKLY PRAYERfrom Basil of Caesarea (330 – 379) May the Father of the true light—who has adorned day with heavenly light, who has made the fire shine which illuminates us during the night, who reserves for us in the peace of a future age a spiritual and everlasting light—enlighten our hearts in the knowledge of truth, keep us from stumbling, and grant that we may walk honestly as in the day. Thus we will shine as the sun in the midst of the glory of the saints. Amen.

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