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Bring It Close
This piece is written for women’s and youth voices.
“Bring it Close” is my response to the story of the binding of Isaac (the Akeda). I was one of 12 artists that studied together via the inaugural Religion, Spirituality and the Arts Seminar at Butler University/Christian Theological Seminary. This is the work I created during my participation in the seminar. It combines chants and rounds in two different sections.
For me, the Akeda is a brutal story of separation … between men and women, child and parent, people and their humanity, and between a God of love and a God to fear. I’m stunned by the far-reaching influence of this story in diverse liturgy and culture over two millenia. It is not the story I would choose to build a world or a faith upon. We need a new story.
The phrase “bring it close” is the translation fo the Hebrew word for sacrifice, karban.
Lyric:
The sharpness of the silence, the echo of the blade
Fills the space between them, and still the price is paid.
How can we bring it close?
We need another story, we need a tender song.
A tale that binds us together, a song where we belong.
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Lyrics © 2014 by Pam Blevins Hinkle, used by permission.
Sound recording © 2014 by Pam Blevins Hinkle
vocals – Aletha Hinkle, Pam Blevins Hinkle, and Le Isaac Weaver
recording – Le Isaac Weaver
