Michael CardReseñas

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. I read the description provided for the giveaway and was curious, but I was not quite sure what to expect since the series is titled "Biblical Imagination". I thought there might be significant extrapolation on Mark's life based on the facts of his life provided in the Bible, turning it into something like a fictionalized biography. I assumed it was not an academic commentary, which is something the author confirmed in the preface. I wanted something fact-based. As I read, I was pleased to find it is an easy-to-read, organized presentation of the facts. I started to read it earlier, but other situations intervened, so I restarted when I had time again and read through it comfortably in one sitting.

The author states his goal for the book as:
"It is an attempt to model this approach of 'engaging with the Scriptures at the level of the informed imagination.' It is not an academic commentary, although I make use of the best academic commentaries. Neither is it a devotional commentary, though I hope it leads to a deeper devotion in those who read it. I intend to take seriously the author of each of the Gospels insofar as their individual backgrounds shape the text."
He provides context - historical context, geographical context, the personal context of individuals' lives as known from the Bible - any factors that he thinks can lead to greater understanding.

When the author indulges in imagining additional details, he is clear about that. For example, he writes, "I imagine him [Peter] looking up from the parchment as he writes these words [2 Pet 1:15 verse], perhaps smiling across the room at his 'son' Mark, who might have already begun writing his Gospel." As another example, he writes, "When I listen to the opening verse of Mark, I hear an enthusiastic young man who is almost out of breath." By expressing his personal interaction with the book of Mark, he gives the book less an analytical feel and more a familiar or intimate feel.

I had notes for a longer review, but I don’t know where they are after my house was rearranged by friends who were preparing it for my post-surgery needs. If they survived, I will add to this review.½

a book in which a contemporary christian musician discusses what his lyrics mean - not bad - lots of faith - makes me want to reexamine how/why i believe

Card, a singer and songwriter, maintains that Christians have forgotten the language of weeping and so are "robbed of our true identity before God"; he prescribes an antidote through paradigms of lament found in Scripture. When sin and dire circumstances cause us to doubt God's hesed, or loving-kindness, lament is a proper response to despair. Without lament, Card claims, we cannot adequately confess sin, worship or experience another's pain. With this in mind, Card illustrates the hows and whys of sorrowful prayer in the lives of Job, David, Jeremiah and Jesus. Long on exposition (what does it mean that "the Word became flesh?") with a touch of speculation (David's personality is attributed in part to his being a youngest child), these chapters chart terrain that will seem foreign to proponents of easy, feel-good Christianity. Especially jarring are sections about imprecatory Psalms ("The righteous will be glad... when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked") and the book of Lamentations, which describes compassionate women boiling their own children. Card illuminates a neglected, difficult doctrine, in the process accomplishing his goal of providing "assurance that we can lament... and a fuller understanding of what that can mean." Appendixes summarize biblical and extra-biblical laments. (Publisher's Weekly)

I loved this story of William Lane's discipleship/mentorship of Michael Card from Michael's days as a student at Western Kentucky University where Bill taught a young Michael until Bill's death due to multiple myeloma. Throughout the book we see Bill pour his life into his students and into Michael. We see how to live out the Christian life. Without Bill's influence on Michael's life, I suspect the world of Christian music would never hear Michael's theologically rich songs. I received this book at a conference and recently found it stuffed in a conference tote that I never fully emptied until my cleaning project. I'm sad I did not read it earlier. I absolutely loved the book. If someone wants to see what Christian discipleship and mentoring in the faith looks like, this book demonstrates it.

Summary: The author helps us consider Jesus through lyrics from his songs and biblically informed reflections.

Michael Card has been singing and writing about Jesus for over thirty years. I first encountered his music in the late 1980’s and was struck with the depth of the lyrics that made the biblical text of the gospels come to life. Later on, he began writing more about the biblical texts that had informed his lyrics in books like Scribbling in the Sand, and commentaries on the four gospels titled The Biblical Imagination Series. Last year, his book Inexpressible made my “Best of the Year” list (review).

This work is a series of forty devotions, nearly all associated with lyrics from his music, beginning with his title “The Nazarene.” They are grouped in four groups of ten based on each of the gospels. Each of the devotions can be read on its own or in conjunction with listening to the recordings (not included with the book).

Each section begins with an imagined reflection on each of the attributed gospel writers. Matthew is found reflecting on the expulsion of Jewish Christians from the synagogues. This gives added meaning to his reflection on Jesus’s words, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” His last devotion on the Kingdom reflects on the hidden and revealed, its smallness and enormity, its nearness and far off character.

In Mark, the devotion on “A Great Wind, A Great Calm, a Great Fear” brought to light the demonic character of the storm, enroute to the encounter with the Gadarene demoniac. Most fearsome was not the storm but the authority of the one who calmed it. It raises for me the question of whether I want Jesus to be that powerful. This is followed up with the devotion on “The Stranger” and how we the real Jesus may be a stranger to us. I think of the many times of reading the gospels, and asking, along with Card, “who is this Jesus?”

For me, one of the most thought-provoking of the reflections from the Luke section was number 26 on “The Bridge.” He writes:

From the head to the heart
From the heart to the mind
The Truth must make a journey

He believes that the “bridge” from heart to mind is the imagination–that we often read scripture only with our hearts or only with our heads. He proposes that the parables of Jesus help bridge these. It seemed to me that this devotional captured the essence of Card’s work–a life of studying and meditating on the word and using the imagination in lyric and writing to enter deeply into the narratives of Jesus.

Finally, in John, I felt Card brought to life for me the significance of Jesus’ proclamation on the last day of the feast, “come to me and drink” in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles. He also takes us deeply into the shortest verse in scripture, “Jesus wept” and why he did so at the death of Lazarus.

This work comes out just in time for Advent but equally would make a great collection of Lenten readings. More than that, Card invites us to join him in singing the songs of the Savior. When asked why he writes all these lyrics about Jesus, Card responds, “How can you not sing about him?” Perhaps amid a pandemic and after contentious election, we don’t want to sing at all, and perhaps if our worship is online, it has been a while since we’ve sung the songs of Jesus. This book will restore those songs, and perhaps help us approach with wonder the Jesus we thought we knew, but knew so little.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review galley of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Simple, short, yet well written, and contains deep thoughts about the cross of Christ.

In the early days of Contemporary Christian Music, Michael Card was one of my favorite artists. His music always seemed to provide a refreshing insight into a familiar passage of Scripture. I'm not sure when I stumbled across this commentary he wrote, but the title intrigued me. I eventually ordered the Kindle version. I decided to pull it out to use in my daily quiet time. Card provides insights into the text by making the reader think about it through the lens of first century culture. He explains some aspects of Jewishness--although Luke is probably the least Jewish of the Gospels. This commentary does not explore textual criticism of passages nor does it argue theological differences. It is perfect for a layman's daily quiet time. The text presented in the commentary comes from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.½

An exploration into the meaning and use of hesed in Scripture.

The author attempts to explain what he sees as the core meaning of hesed and then explores how hesed is used in various passages to make sense of the concept.

His explanations get creative at times, although most of his conjectures remain reasonable. He sees hesed carrying on through Greek eleos in the New Testament, and with reason. He also spends some time considering hesed in rabbinic Judaism and beyond.

He is right to see hesed as a fundamental characteristic of God and His disposition toward His people, but I left the work disappointed in the one-sided emphasis the author espouses toward hesed. Much is heard of love, grace, mercy, kindness, and precious little said about covenant loyalty, even though hesed is marrying love/grace/mercy/kindness in the framework of covenant and God's loyalty/faithfulness to His people in that covenant.

Thus, hesed is being explained while missing one of its pillars, which makes it difficult to recommend the work.½

Summary: A study of the Hebrew word hesed, exploring what this says about God, about the objects of hesed, the incarnation of hesed in Jesus, and how then we should live.

"When the person from which I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything."

After studying all the uses of the Hebrew word hesed, this is how Michael Card ended up defining this word. This whole book is about one amazing word. Translators have groped for words to express in one or a few words the inexpressible wonder of this word, particularly because it most often is used to describe God in his action toward humanity. At the beginning of Card's book, Card lists over a hundred words or phrases the translators have come up with for this word. The King James Version came up with a compound word, loving-kindness, to try to capture its essence.

Card takes us through his own extensive study of every use of the word in the Hebrew Bible. He takes us through passages that have to do with the God of hesed, explores what it is like to be an object of hesed, considers how Jesus incarnates and teaches hesed, and what hesed meant for the Jews after the destruction of the second temple, and what this says for us. Appendices give us a list of every text with the word hesed, the words used in different translations, the words associated with hesed, and ideas for further study.

Card tells memorable stories to illustrate hesed such as that of Keshia Thomas, a black demonstrator at a Klan rally who saw a Klansman who had wandered mistakenly into her group of protesters, and was being attacked until she shielded him with her own body, possibly saving his life. Card speaks of his first visit to a black church, and a black woman, Dinah, who held his hand, and extended welcome. He develops the argument of Moses with God that he is slow to anger and abounding with hesed, a refrain recurring throughout scripture. God may deal with Israel's sin, but he never gives up on her.

One of his most striking reflections is on Jesus with the Roman centurion, who is described as deserving by the people, but describes himself as undeserving and yet, out of love for his servant, and faith, the like Jesus had not seen in Israel, asks for what he does not deserve. He found the hesed he believed in. Eventually, at the cross, Jesus would give to all humanity what we did not deserve, making peace between God and us.

His concluding reflections challenge us to live in this world. He begins with how the followers of Hillel in Judaism dealt with the fall of the temple, drawing on the statement of Hosea 6:6 which says, "For I desire hesed and not sacrifice." The doing and living of hesed, along with the idea of tikkun olam ("repairing the world") have become central to modern Judaism. Card invites us to live into that same reality:

"The final challenge to you and me is to take whatever understanding we have in our heads of hesed and allow the Spirit to move it into our hearts. We must enter into the world of the word hesed and then take that world into our world, back to our families, to our churches and towns--to our enemies. The Scriptures are offering us an unimaginable opportunity to make Jesus believable and beautiful by offering everything (even our lives) to those who have a right to expect nothing from us." (p. 135)

To read this book was to allow God to thaw my heart, reminding me of the everything I have so undeservingly received. To read this book was to clear the fog from my eyes, to give me at least a glimpse of the inexpressible beauty of the God of hesed. Finally, to read this book was to stir my will, my hands, my feet, to think about the places where I might repair the world through the loving-kindness of hesed.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

I meditated on The Nativity in the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola this morning and decided to listen to this whole album (on Amazon Music) and read this book as I listened. I have owned it for years, but the last time I put it on my reading list was 2006! I cannot believe it has been that long since I read it because this is what I said about it in 2006: "This is another Christmas tradition. I decided to just read this and not read Immanuel (Card's other book on the entire life of Christ that includes these songs as well) this year. I love this book; and someday, I would like to make a musical out of it. I need to read it a few more Christmases though!"

Here it is 12 years later, and I am read it cover to cover again. I think I have read parts of it every Christmas though.

It was so meaningful to listen by candlelight before our fireplace crèche and imagine myself in this sacred scene. Profound and lovely and no one writes better about these things than Michael Card. I highly recommend this book.

I found this to be a helpful study of lamentation through the Scriptures, especially in the lives of Job, David, Jeremiah and Jesus. Though Card gets a bit too mystical for me at times, he has strong Scriptural support for his thesis that in the Western church we have taught people that it's not OK to have sorrow. We teach our children not to cry and they never get over it. By tracing the lamentations of four key figures in Scripture he shows the value of laying your sorrows at the throne of God as another form of worship.
The appendices alone are worth the price of the book.

Michael Card describes art as creating a pause, opening a space where people can hear and God can speak. He says, "We have forgotten that the call to creativity is a call to worship." (p. 29)

I appreciated this reminder that we're not intended to create in a vacuum, but in response to the One who created us. Not that everything has to have a three-point teaching message, but that somehow it's a response to God.

Scribbling in the Sand is a valuable resource for creative Christians, no matter what their chosen medium of expression.

Immanuel: Reflections on the Life of Christ
Michael Card
This is a must read book. Whether a fan of Michael Card's music or his writings this will not disappoint. I loved how he wove the stories of his songs with the lyrics. It is a personal book of his life and music. How much more can one be exposed by than writing about their memories and family. It like taking a trip with Michael Card down the songs he crafted and the life he has lived. There is seldom something impersonal when writing a book, letter or email. However the wonderful treasury he has given demonstrates the wonderful Christian walk he has been blessed with. This book that is worth reading more than once. It is also worth the search to locate a copy of.

We must stumble over him in faith, or be crushed by him in judgment.

Imagination is a gift from God. With it we realize our creative potential. In this commentary, Michael Card informs our imagination to help us creatively think through the Gospel according to Luke. Card does not recreate the stories by adding new characters or plot twists. Rather he recreates them in our mind much the same way a historical film does with period speech and dress.In this book, Card lends to the reader his research into the grand narrative of the Gospel. As he expounds on the text, you are drawn into the sights and sounds (if you use your imagination) of Jesus’ culture. You will learn some of the Jewish and Roman customs that will bring the narrative into sharp focus. I found myself at several points imagining I was there with the disciples, stumbling over Jesus’ teachings and thinking about the content of the parables as if I was hearing them for the first time.

This commentary is devotional in nature and does not delve deeply into textual issues or theological nuances. It does not need to. Michael Card leads you, the proverbial horse, to the water and even makes the water seem appealing. But the drinking is up to you. This commentary includes the complete text of Luke from the Holman Christian Standard Bible . I highly recommend this commentary as a devotional companion as you read or study through the Gospel according to Luke.

Card's premise is that modern US Christians have lost touch with an ancient practice of the Church--that of lament. Expressions of sorrow are not often welcomed in the Christian community, yet the Bible and history shows that expressions of lament are often useful ways for people to draw nearer to God. In a thoughtful manner Card discusses how the practice of lament is shown in the lives of people in the Bible, discussing passages that are often glossed over because of the brutality of the actions and emotion that is shown. (For example: The righteous will be glad... when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked from the Psalms). I appreciated Card's message that life isn't always pretty, and that open expressions of feeling, sorrow, and even anger before God are not inappropriate. Card brings an important perspective to the realm on modern day worship. I recommend this to Christians with open minds who are thoughtful about their faith and life.

If you are a Michael Card fan, you will love this CD. The celtic arrangements of these old, beautiful hymns bring out the worshipful words and lovely melodies. Some of the favorites on this CD are: Come Thou Fount; Brethren, We Have Met to Worship; How Firm a Foundation; Softly and Tenderly; On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand; Praise to the Lord; O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus; and Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners. 12 tracks.

Michael Card writes books like he writes songs--lyrical, beautiful prose. I didn't want this book to end. He examines Peter's life from his initial call, his first confession, his miracle walk, his babbling in the face of deity on the Mount of Transfiguration, to his ultimate betrayal and forgiveness. On each page you will discover Peter anew, and be reminded that "he is us." I taught this for an adult class and I couldn't decide which sections to read because they are all so insightfully and beautifully written.

Inspirational

This is a must read from my musical mentor. Ought not Christians display the most creativeness in our art and lives since we walk day by day with the Creator of all things?

This is an easy read, but a profound book. Michael Card shows the same depth of insight that shows up in his song lyrics in this easily read book about the crucifixion of Jesus. I try to read this one every Lent in preparation for Good Friday. A small treasure.

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