Pastoral Jam

     Gene Lowry's jazz preaching resonates with me on many levels. One of them is my passion for jazz, as music genre. Trying to sing jazz, I was a little self-conscious about my age: did it make any sense to become a beginner after 40.
     What I learned about jazz, to my full surprise, is that age does matter
for jazz singers, but in a different way. Real understanding of jazz comes with maturity, experience, pain, suffering, and, yes–aging! The voice of a mature jazz singer is saturated with memories, shame of failures, broken relationships, losses, and grieving. The older the singer is, the better is her/his performance, I was told by Everette DeVan and Rich Hill - my professors.
     The whole world is getting crazy about youthfulness. People get face-lifts, collagen fillers, botox injections, and miraculous pills to avoid something that is so natural, unique, and precious: authentic maturity.
     The Methodist Church attempts a serious surgical face-lift, trying to get rid of older pastors and giving better appointments to younger lads fresh out of seminary. Young ministers deserve a good start, no doubts! Look at Adam Hamilton's example! He would never be who he has become if he started in a small dying church!
     When I think about Gene Lowry's jazz preaching, I can't stop thinking about the benefit of life experience. Preaching that comes from the guts, intuition that is nurtured by intimacy with God, practice and praxis, years of reading great literature, and decades of listening to people...
     I believe that older pastors still have lots to sing about... JAZZZ!!!!!