The First Ever Gospel Country Music Song ...

I am sure there are a lot of artists who would love to make the claim that they are the first one to ever come up with the idea and execution of a Gospel Country Music Song.  But then let’s make sure we are talking about the same thing here.  In order for it to be a “Gospel” song, it must tell some aspect of the Gospel or Good News story of Jesus Christ coming to save our sins (or perhaps coming back to claim us as His own).  If the song does not have that component, it is just a normal country song.  And as for the “country” aspect of this.  In my mind, to qualify as authentic “country”, you cannot cook up an original song using analytics from a supercomputer that predicts what people want.  The artist needs to come from, or still be living in, parts of the world away from cities, like the mountains, or backwater areas that are far less traveled.  The “people” from “there” tend to move slower, be more polite, and have different priorities than the rest of us.  We rush around like proverbial headless chickens trying to accomplish everything on our lists before our time runs out.  In my experience, country folk, understand life is not a race, but a journey, and they want to enjoy every minute of it.

Now as for the music itself, creating something new is not just for everybody.  It does not come from a formula, but from revelation.  When it is moving, inspiring, soul transforming – it usually moves through you, it does not originate in you.  Composers and Lyricists will understand what I am saying.  After having listened to some of the very popular musical artists of our day explain where they get their “gift” from – most gave credit to God, or to drugs.  That is a pretty good summation from my point of view.  Two sources, even if the outcome was meant to be the same.  Not all music inspires.  Not all music makes you the better for listening to it.  Adding “Jesus lyrics” to a tune, does make the tune “religious”, or for that matter, worth listening to at all.  But pouring out your soul on paper, testifying to what the Lord has done for you, and putting that against a tune – makes that tune unforgettable, no matter what the tune sounds like, or what instruments they play with it.

So I guess it will come as only a mild surprise given the above, that the true source of the first ever Gospel County Music Song was the Holy Spirit.  But much more surprising is that it was recorded in Luke’s Letter of the Gospel, right there in chapter one.  When you swirl up God fearing people, who love Him, and listen to Him, and find that love moving them to obedience – the sky is the limit to what can be done.  In order to give this song a second look, lets set the context beginning in verse 39 saying … “And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;”  Mary was no city girl herself.  She lived in Nazareth, which was nothing like L.A. or Nashville, it was more like Palm Springs – way outside of L.A., desert like, and far less people.  If anything, Jerusalem would have been the L.A. or the Nashville, or NYC of that day and age.  Nazareth (traditional home of the Nazarene’s or at least in namesake only) was more a home for hippy folks who didn’t cut their hair.  They ate ultra-kosher.  At least the ones still thought of as virtuous, most of the rest just worked for a living and didn’t pay much attention to following all those burdensome regulations the Sanhedrin had invented to insure they were following the Law.  Mans rules, masquerading as God’s.  You can imagine the reputation of the place was not one where good things come from, given this lack of attention to the details of men.

But Mary had just been told she was going to have Jesus without any help from any man.  She accepted this idea, and started to travel to see her cousin Elisabeth.  Her cousin lived in a city so small, Luke does not even know what it was named.  Perhaps a village so small it carried no official name.  It was off the beaten path, and up in the “hill country”.  Country cred established.  When she gets there she gives them a big “howdy ya’ll”.  Or as Luke continues saying in verse 40 … “And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. [verse 41] And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:”  Get ready ya’ll, something’s about to happen up in here.  Mary was already pregnant.  When God predicts the impossible, He does the impossible, and when we get out of His way (in this case Mary agreeing to what was revealed), He moves quickly.

Elisabeth, the old barren cousin, from the remote hill country, was also pregnant despite that being a total impossibility.  Zacharias discovered the Viagra of the Lord, and of course was still unable to tell anybody about it.  But He did what He did not think was possible again, with his wife, who was fairly surprised herself that everything still worked like it used to.  Elisabeth was pregnant with a miracle baby of her own.  John the Baptist who would be only slightly older than Jesus, but would go on to prepare the way of His Lord, and turn the hearts of the people back to Love, and Justice done through love.  But that six-month old pre-baby John (still inside mom) was able to be filled with the Holy Spirit himself despite not being born yet.  And God recognized God, causing him to leap for happiness at being so near Jesus.  And to be clear Jesus was even less old, still inside mom.  Could pre-babies so young still be able to lead us, perhaps influence our thinking on whether the Holy Spirit does not see age as any limitation to His work, even when it is still inside the womb.

Elisabeth too was filled with the Holy Ghost (double portion given John), and that filling, was NOT meant to be a silent one.  Luke continues in verse 42 saying … “And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. [verse 43] And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”  Notice Luke is clear that Elisabeth spoke out with a loud voice.  Perhaps she intended the entire hill region around to hear her.  Somebody did.  Luke is recording these events from inspiration as well as first-hand witnesses.  And Elisabeth then echoes the salutation of the Angel Gabriel.  Elisabeth already knows everything having only heard the Howdy greeting from Mary.  Mary had no time to tell her anything else, but the Holy Spirit instills the knowledge she needs to know.  And Elisabeth will now testify to what she has been told – another emissary, another preacher to the gospel.  Her husband unable to do the same, because he remains mute for a while longer.

Luke continues in verse 44 saying … “For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. [verse 45] And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.”  Elisabeth takes note of the response of her unborn child to the presence of Jesus (also in an unborn state).  Miracle meeting The Miracle.  Elisabeth then takes note of the difference in response of Mary to the announcement of the angel, and that of most of us others when confronted with the revelations of God (be it in the form of Gabriel, or the form of His Written Word).  Mary accepted, where-as most of us doubt.  Yet both words are true, both revelations sure, and all of us to bear witness to them regardless of how we respond.  It is Mary who is blessed, because she does not doubt, but accepts, and the world will be blessed through her because she did.  This is why she will be blessed among women, not even Eve who was created directly by God, will forever carry this honor.

And Mary breaks out in song.  Yup, you heard me right.  The first ever Gospel Country Music Song, bursts out in the hill country of Judah in some nameless village, yet echoes for all the world to see even to this day.  Mary was likely not a musician or a poet by trade, but the power of the Holy Spirit can make anything of anyone at anytime, if we are but willing to let Him do so in us.  It was that same power that turned fishermen into world changing evangelists.  It turned normal men into healers.  It gave men who were willing, the inspiration to write.  And now, Mary bursts forth in the first ever Gospel Country Music Song as Luke records picking up in verse 46 saying …

[verse 46] “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

[verse 47] And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

[verse 48] For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

[verse 49] For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

[verse 50] And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

[verse 51] He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

[verse 52] He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

[verse 53] He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

[verse 54] He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

[verse 55] As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

I wonder what the tune was like.  I wonder if all who heard her words fell to their feet recognizing the power of God behind the lyrics, the poem, the psalm, that Mary reveals.  No one expected this.  No one was preparing for it.  It did not occur in the pantheons of some great theatre for the patrons of the arts to come and sit, and wait to be entertained.  It was spontaneous.  It happened where the Holy Spirit moved.  Not in some great concert hall, or some great church hall, but in the hill country.  In a nameless village of few country folk.  It happened loudly to rebuke the reproach of Elisabeth, and give us a glimpse at the joy of a mother to be who knew her own difficulties but chose to obey the Lord regardless of what it might cost her.  Her cost, is not a verse in this poem.  Her cost, is not a verse or a chorus.  It is nowhere.  For what she feels, is only the unbridled joy of obedience.  For her obedience has led to this outcome, this so great blessing to the humble, who now recites an anthem that has only the hills to echo it, and Luke to record it.

Luke concludes Mary’s sojourn into country music, and support of her cousin during the pregnancy (keep in mind Elisabeth was still old, she did not magically revert her age, and pregnancy is not easy for a young resilient woman in those days) in a simple verse 56 saying … “And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.”  Doing the math, six months at arrival, plus a three month stay, means Mary likely was there to help Elisabeth deliver John.  The first smaller miracle baby to precede the greatest miracle Baby of all time.  After these things Mary, now considerably farther along herself, returns back to Nazareth, to face the music with Joseph, and try to make him understand what her heart knows for certain.  Joseph missed her song.  He does not know what depths her heart has already uttered on this topic.  He does not know his fiancée to be a musician, or poet, of any kind.  He is not aware yet, that the power of the Holy Spirit can make anything, of anyone, at anytime – if we just will let Him do it.