Because: Finding the Music of Faith Beyond the Instrument of Church
In this reflective and thought-provoking "Because" episode of To Be and Do, Phil Amerson guides listeners through a contemplation of faith, community, and the essential distinction between form and substance in religious life. Opening with Sam's evocative lines about coffee and time, the mood is set for a discussion grounded in both the everyday and the transcendent.
Phil Amerson, discusses the often-overlooked difference between focusing on religious structures—like congregations or denominations—and the deeper “music” these institutions are intended to embody. Rather than becoming preoccupied with perfecting the earthly instruments, Speaker B encourages listeners to rediscover the spiritual essence pulsating beneath the surface of ritual and organization.
A central theme is the tendency of faith communities to search for a “perfect formula”—a guarantees path to success or holiness. Speaker B references Geraldo Marti’s insight, suggesting that continually striving for perfection in form can lead to missing the true purpose: tuning in to the spiritual “music” that both inspires and sustains faith. Anecdotes of denominational meetings, where participants are asked to share prescribed “glory sightings,” serve to illustrate how even sincere efforts can sometimes fall short—feeling contrived or artificially limited in their scope. Instead, Speaker B proposes a more abundant, everyday recognition of the divine, echoing Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s lines: “Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God. But only he who sees takes off his shoes—the rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
The episode closes with Sam's warm, melodic refrain, returning us to the world of daily ritual—a cup of love, laughter, and connection, signifying the perpetual opportunity to encounter the sacred in our ordinary routines.
Key Takeaways
- Prioritize Essence Over Form: Speaker B emphasizes the importance of valuing the spiritual “music” over merely perfecting the religious “instrument” 00:17.
- Beware of Formulaic Faith: The search for perfect formulas can distract from encountering genuine spirituality and the living presence of the divine 00:35.
- Recognize Divine Abundance: Limiting glory to rare, contrived moments diminishes the awareness that every moment and encounter is charged with the sacred 01:19.
- Practice Everyday Awareness: Through poetic reference and personal experience, Amerson invites listeners to cultivate a daily attentiveness—to see, listen, and respond to the constant presence of grace all around 02:11.
This episode invites all to stop “plucking blackberries” and instead, to look for the glory ever-present in the mundane, rediscovering faith not as an instrument to fix, but as a song to live.
Sam [00:00:01]:
Clock strikes ten. Coffee time again. While the world is rushing to its judgment day. Judgment day.
Philip Amerson [00:00:15]:
Greetings everyone. Philip Amerson. As we continue to think about the relationship between the music of faith and the instruments known as congregations or denominations, and how we don't want to confuse the instrument as being the main object of importance, but rather how do we find the music? There was a fine article written recently, Geraldo Marti said the church must abandon its search for the perfect formula. Boy, do I know about that. I've made mistakes trying to find the perfect way to do it rather than learning the music and listening for what's maybe going on outside the doors, in the walls. I remember attending meetings in my denomination where we would sit around the table and we were asked to share a glory sighting that we had experienced in recent days. Now I understood the purpose. However it seemed to me so contrived.
Philip Amerson [00:01:19]:
It seemed an invitation to limit the real and abundant gifts all around us all the time. It was too small, this theology, too trivial in scope. One glory sighting only after a morning, let alone a day or a week or a month. Each time I was asked for a glory sighting, I thought of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's wonderful poem Earth's crammed with heaven and every common bush of fire with God. But only he who sees it takes off his shoes. The rest sit round and pluck blackberries. Look for the glory all around you. All the time it's there.
Philip Amerson [00:02:13]:
We just need to practice on listening for the music and not thinking. We can fix the instrument without knowing the music. God bless. Get up and stop plucking blackberries only. Bye bye.
Sam [00:02:33]:
From now till ever after, it's a cup of love and laughter. So come on, old friend, it's coffee time again.
Philip Amerson [00:02:53]:
Sam.
