A picture may be “worth a thousand words” according to the old adage- but words have their own power. Learning to read is a priceless skill; learning to interpret correctly is equally priceless- and being gifted in expression is a truly rare ability.
I’ve been listening to old Bob Dylan songs (some also recorded by the Byrds) and my attention was snared by the lyrics of “Chimes of Freedom.” It is a song that informs and mystifies at the same time: here’s one verse-
Starry-eyed an’ laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time an’ we watched with one last look
Spellbound an’ swallowed ’til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an’ worse
An’ for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.
-Bob Dylan, (c) 1964, “Chimes of Freedom.”
Complex ideas and cultural references- the civil rights movement, assassination of JFK – have left musicologists grasping vainly to understand Dylan’s art. Some “explain” one or two verses- but I don’t think anyone other than Dylan understands the whole song! A thread runs through though: “the chimes of freedom flashing.” It became an anthem of the Sixties protest movement. Yet many of the same background issues and trauma remain resolutely unfreed… My photo today was taken in Lustleigh Baptist chapel in Devon. It too has a theme of freedom: the “words, words” of an open Bible set ready for people to see and hear the words of Jesus Christ.
“So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” – John 8 v36
There is a Cross, a communion table, and a Bible: and they have the power to change the world, one life at a time because these symbols represent true reality. We humans need rescuing, forgiving, and re-purposing: and we do that by being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and by doing what Jesus did.
Simple, isn’t it. The chimes of freedom were struck by the hammering of nails into the hands and feet of an innocent man.
The Reflectionary 