Dylan Eucharist Service

United Methodist Church of Geneva
Sunday February 3, 2008

211 Hamilton St.

Geneva, Illinois 60134

630-232-7120

Prelude -- Gotta Serve Somebody
Help us to remember, God, that we who gather today may all be different, but you are what unites us in service to you and the world.

Call to Worship -- A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall
We - your children - have been many places, doing and seeing many things which draw us to be cleaned in the waters of baptism and transformed.

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The Sixties

The people reading this have some awareness of wrestling with God in their lives. My goal with this blog is to get other people to engage in the same inner debate to loosen the soil of their soul that the Spirit may grow. Today I put on my tie-dyed shirt and headband and consider how the Sixties has loosened the baby boomers soil. CLICK HERE to read more

BOB DYLAN LIVE ALBUM SET FOR RELEASE

“Re-Transmissions”, released on March 3 and only available in Britain, includes Dylan's sets from Saturday Night Live in 1979. CLICK HERE to read more

Willie Nelson's, Moment of Forever, (due Jan. 29)

The album concludes with an almost eight-minute version of Bob Dylan’s gospel number “Gotta Serve Somebody” from his first album after his Christian conversion. CLICK HERE to read more

Cat Power "Jukebox" (Matador) ***

The lone new original, "Song to Bobby," is a spare homage to Bob Dylan that rolls sweetly out of Marshall's slow-grooving, blues-rock take on Dylan's "I Believe in You." CLICK HERE to read more

St. George's celebrates the U2charist

Over the last two and one half years, the U2 Eucharist has received international media attention from newspapers, People Magazine, Nightline, The Daily Show, and BBC presentations and documentaries for its innovative use of the band's biblically-rich lyrics and social justice message, for its ability to bring together people of many different generations in a context of worship, and as a tool for raising awareness and empowering communities to respond to the Millennium Development Goals. CLICK HERE to read more

Shout, Sister, Shout!

Last Friday night Alan and I went to the KESWICK THEATRE in Glenside, PA to see a benefit concert held for the Memorial of SISTER ROSETTA THARPE. CLICK HERE to read more

10 Songs About God

God. The Big Guy. The Man Upstairs. The Creator and Ruler of the Universe. The Sacred Mother. A Concept By Which We Measure Our Pain. Anyway you express the idea of god, the fact remains that god has made quite a few appearances in pop music through the decades, being as he is an important aspect of human existence. CLICK HERE to read more

Friday January 11 is Sister Rosetta Tharpe Day

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was gospel’s first national superstar: the musician who, beginning in the late 1930s, took the sounds of the “Good News” music then developing in black churches to popular stages and Saturday-night audiences. CLICK HERE to read more

Benefit to ring with the memory of a gospel great

Marie Knight returned in a big way last year, however, with the acclaimed Let Us Get Together, a collection of gospel numbers by the Rev. Gary Davis that featured Larry Campbell, a guitarist best known for his work with Bob Dylan. CLICK HERE to read more

The religious are slacking in the artistic arenas

There was a time when rock music inspired cultural change, asking important questions about life itself. Steve Turner, a journalist who interviewed many of these philosopher-poets, writes in his work “Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts” about how people such as Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Pete Townshend and John Lennon were “no longer simply entertainers by prophets and shamans. CLICK HERE to read more

'BOB DYLAN IN CONCERT' FROM AUSTRALIAN SHOW (1986)

The set begins with Mr. Dylan talking to the audience about heroes. ''I don't know who your hero is,'' he says, ''maybe Mel Gibson or Michael Jackson or Bruce Springsteen.'' Mr. Dylan's, as it turns out, is ''the Son of God,'' which is the cue for ''In the Garden'' from his 1980 album ''Saved.'' CLICK HERE to read more

Starting the Year with Bob Dylan

I’ve had an old 1989 tune by Bob Dylan running through my head for the last couple weeks. Unlike some other things that get stuck in my mind – like the obnoxious ads for DiTech and Head On, or Pa-Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum - this tune has given me some benefit as it has been on perpetual replay. “A Political World” may turn out to be a decent theme song for a lot of us in 2008. CLICK HERE to read more

JOKERMAN

To call Bob Dylan the greatest Christian poet of the 20th Century (and the 21st Century so far) is probably to damn him with faint praise. CLICK HERE to read more

Caroling with Bob Dylan

On the nice new collection of holiday songs organized by E Street Band member Garry Tallent, Texas rocker Joe Ely chooses one from Bob Dylan. CLICK HERE to read more

BOB DYLAN- MODERN TIMES

At 65, Dylan has seen and done it all, musically, and definitely the last three albums are more reflective especially about his own mortality and on Modern Times, the music is less visceral and less melancholic with one eye firmly focused on God. CLICK HERE to read more

Bob Dylan Podcast - Episode 10

“Gotta Serve Somebody” - In the late 1970’s, Bob Dylan changed again by declaring that he was a born-again Christian. Much of his music from this time reflects his new religious awakening. In this podcast, we’ll hear how Bob Dylan incorporated gospel and more explicit religious ideas into his music. CLICK HERE to hear

my favorite Christian singer - Bob Dylan

I found this album after listening to 3rd Day's "Offerings" album which played "Saved".

I havent listened to the other songs yet - just bought Slow Train Coming, but feel compelled to review... The lyrics of Saved alone contain as much theology as the great hymns of old - every line is profound and taken from the Bible. CLICK HERE to read more

Ron Rosenbaum: Calling All Dylan Fans

I know. there are Dylan fans and there are Dylan fanatics and there are “Dylanologists” and there are what I call “Bobolators”, like Shakespeare’s “Bardolators”, who believe he can do no wrong and that every song, every line, every moment in every movie is a gem.

Well I have a question for any or all of you. It grew out of a conversation I had with a genuinely knowledgeable and thoughtful Dylan enthusiast I met with last week. He was interviewing me about journalism in general not Dylan, but happened to mention that he had my Playboy interview with the Bobster on his iPod! CLICK HERE to read more

Opening the Gates of Eden: Bob Dylan and the Bible

I never read the Bible until I heard Bob Dylan. CLICK HERE to read more

The Sojourning Wayfarer: Gotta Serve Somebody

"Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. CLICK HERE to read more

All Three Alpha Band LP's in their entirety on two CD's

Springing in July of 1976 from Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue, the Alpha Band appeared on the music scene with high expectations. The Alpha Band's sound, which drew from a grab-bag of American roots styles, as well as pop and rock, was centered around singer-songwriters J. Henry "T-Bone" Burnett and Steven Soles, and multi-instrumentalist David Mansfield. CLICK HERE to read more

John Lennon?

Later in the year Bob Dylan recorded Slow Train Coming, a gospel album born out of personal experience. Dylan told Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times that he'd recently accepted that "Jesus was real … I had this feeling, this vision and feeling. I truly had a born-again experience, if you want to call it that. It's an over-used term. But it's something that people can relate to." Hilburn asked him what "born again" meant. "Born once," he answered, "is born from the spirit below, which is when you're born. It's the spirit you're born with. Born again is born with the Spirit from above, which is a little bit different." CLICK HERE to read more

John Lennon's Born-Again Phase

His private feelings about the conversion were expressed in his songwriting. He was particularly incensed by the track "Gotta Serve Somebody" because it opposed his view that there was no single truth. CLICK HERE to read more

COVER STORY: The Real Bob Dylan: What if his Christian phase wasn't a phase?

Bob Dylan’s lyrics have often included biblical allusions and obvious spiritual angles, but when he decided to place his faith in Christ in 1979, many of his fans and the music industry alike were shocked. Scott M. Marshall writes about the progression of Dylan’s faith following the timeline of his life. With at look interviews, career choices and songwriting themes, Marshall examines the question, "What if his Christian phase wasn't a phase? CLICK HERE to read more

Bob Dylan

Most people who know me know I am a huge Bob Dylan fan. Even though I am old enough to have been around during a big part of his career, I really became interested in the 90's while I lived in West Virginia. A guy in my church told me about Bob's Christian albums, and made me some tapes. I was hooked. CLICK HERE to read more

Regina McCrary: I Made A Vow (2007)

http://www.reginamccrary.com/

Regina also tears up Pressing On with the Chicago Mass Choir on Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan

These songs represent each and every descendant of humanity

Gotta Serve Somebody is a well-produced music documentary that showcases highly-skilled and creative artists in studio recording sessions. Individually, and inter-dependently, they attempt to reach personal pinnacles of expression in their interpretations of some well-chosen Dylan `gospel' songs. Opportunities to view musicians recording in a studio are rare; recording sessions produced with such attention to technical details of filming are even rarer and Gotta Serve Somebody may be in a class all its own. Some of the vocalists are well-known; others are probably known to followers of gospel music; their performances are strong and triumphant - even delicate and powerful, at the same time - as they react to the lyrics and the other musicians. Each and every musician, not only the vocalists, is emotionally invested in this music; their collaboration during recordings is a focus, in itself. The interviews with musicians are enlightening but the film is mostly about Bob Dylan's music. Dylan obviously chose gospel as the most easily identifiable and naturally adaptive style to express his words and sentiments in these songs. The music, lyrics excluded, is worthy of reflection to anyone who is interested in what constitutes `great artists' - their development through time and their exploration of nearly every possible genre as a means of personal expression. The lyrics reflect Dylan's personal longing for salvation and joy in the mystery of his own transformation, in contemporary Christian religious vernacular. For those who think that his gospel songs are best left to people with similar religious beliefs, adjust your attitudes. These songs represent each and every descendant of humanity who thinks, wonders, stumbles and falls, and seeks direction outside of what is only obvious and potentially disappointing. It isn't the target of salvation, but the act of seeking it that is, in itself, redemptive. CLICK HERE to read more

Bob Dylan: Still Christian after all these years? (1997)

THE CHRISTIAN community has not always been kind to high-profile musicians who have espoused Christian beliefs. A prime example is Bob Dylan: although he did some superb Christian albums and a phenomenal gospel tour, and continues to perform faith-affirming songs in concert, I've encountered church musicians who have told me Dylan has "left the Lord." Because of this assumption, they refuse to play his songs, thus depriving congregations of some of the best Christian lyrics ever written. CLICK HERE to read more

HARVARD CRIMSON The Gospel According to Bob Slow Train Coming Columbia Records (1979)

LIKING THIS ALBUM depends on whether or not you like Jesus Christ.

Liking it also depends on how much you are willing to take from Bob Dylan. For years loyal fans have followed Dylan through mediocre efforts like Planet Waves and political gaffs like Hurricane "Indict Me Twice" Carter. But few love Dylan enough not to question his new and curious turn to Christianity. CLICK HERE to read more

Every Grain of Sand A Perfect Finished Plan by Paul Thomas

I don't usually respond to other contributors' articles but John Stokes' well researched and scholarly essay Dylan and The Sick Rose (Dignity 3) on Dylan's Every Grain Of Sand prompted me to write on this song. From the beginning I could accept the research that John Stokes had put in and appreciate the connections he was making but I could not accept his assertion that Every Grain of Sand is not a religious song (in the sense of being biblically inspired or rooted in an orthodox religious tradition). CLICK HERE to read more

It's alright, ma. I'm only preaching

The latest study of Bob Dylan's work could have Christian scholars singing in the aisles CLICK HERE to read more

"Please Pray For Bob Dylan" Asks His Former Pastor (1999)

ANAHEIM, CA (April 25, 1999) - Bob Dylan's former pastor, Kenn Gulliksen, has asked Christians around the world to pray for Bob Dylan. He also said that Dylan has never renounced his faith in Jesus Christ and that "God is not through with him yet." CLICK HERE to read more

You Gotta Serve Somebody

I like Bob Dylan. Sometimes, approximately 18% of the time, I actually understand what he is saying. In 1979, he said "You gotta serve somebody." He was right. The question is not whether we will serve. We all do, and we all will. The questions are 1) whom and/or what we will serve, and 2) whether we will serve as free people or as slaves. These are fundamental questions, and the Bible offers profound answers. CLICK HERE to read more

Gotta Serve Somebody Sermon preached by by Dave Skidmore, 26 Aug 2007

Some months back I heard that song -- I think it was background music on a Sopranos re-run -- and I had an immediate, indignant reaction. I thought, “What do you mean? I gotta serve somebody? I don’t have to serve nobody. I serve myself -- buddy.” Then I asked myself, “Why the pique?” CLICK HERE to read more

The Relationship Between 90&9 and.... Bob Dylan

Many posts the last few months have thrown around ideas as to what makes good music, how to musically get out of a stale box, how to play effectively, how to lyrically make something spiritually legitimate, etc. I would have never imagined finding a music project that, for me, congealed many of the above elements in the most unlikely of characters…Bob Dylan. CLICK HERE to read more

Local Church Celebrates 'U2charist'

RALEIGH, N.C.--People gathered to take communion at the Church of the Good Shepherd. But Bishop Michael Curry says this is no ordinary Sunday service. CLICK HERE to read more

Valdemar: Saving Grace - TBR 11/28

To be released November 28 by Zebra Art Records in Sweden, Norway and Finland is Saving Grace: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan CLICK HERE to read more

America's Music: The Worship Rock Scene

NEW YORK TIMES VIDEO- The worship rock scene at High Desert Church in Victorville, Ca. CLICK HERE to watch

Suffering, Evil and the Existence of God

In Book 10 of Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” Adam asks the question so many of his descendants have asked: why should the lives of billions be blighted because of a sin he, not they, committed? (“Ah, why should all mankind / For one man’s fault… be condemned?”) He answers himself immediately: “But from me what can proceed, / But all corrupt, both Mind and Will depraved?” Adam’s Original Sin is like an inherited virus. Although those who are born with it are technically innocent of the crime – they did not eat of the forbidden tree – its effects rage in their blood and disorder their actions. CLICK HERE to read more