Yesterday, I revved up my Mac and activated Garageband loops for Sunday Service. After a deep pad synth sequence, other electronic sounds were added to give it some beat. This was followed by a booming club bass beat. Other elements like Tabla and Eastern Drums were added into the mix from time to time. It went on for 15 minutes, Marge and Ai May sang spontaneously; listeners either were drinking in the groove, reflecting about the search for God (Jer 29.13), or trying to understand what these strange new sounds were about.
Malaysia has a version of Yes We Can. Can you guess what it is?
The Candidate’s Excellent Speech:
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.
Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can.
We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics…they will only grow louder and more dissonant ……….. We’ve been asked to pause for a reality check. We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea –
Spotted at a carpark this morning. The ‘eyes’ are made with plastic/foam. The hood is probably modified to give the eyes an angry look. Notice the lack of numberplate.
