Do You Hear The People Sing?

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing the songs of angry men?
It is the music of the people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

This song, from Les Misérables (1980 musical, 2012 film) is about committed determined people uniting in a common cause of justice and truth. Standing against an oppressive powerful government may be costly now, but there’s future hope. ‘Beyond the barricade’ is freedom and peace.

Moving this song from 1832 Paris to the 2022 Ukraine… It’s a rallying cry to action against persecution, injustice and an oppressive powerful government… It’s the voice of a united, passionate, suppressed people who refuse to be silenced. Above all it’s a song of hope… that weakness can become strength, there will be a new life of peace and freedom.

They will live again in freedom in the garden of the lord
They will walk behind the ploughshare
They will put away the sword
The chain will be broken and all men will have their reward!

Musing on Jesus… my purpose to live for, person to live with and power to live by…

The students sing this before the conflict… I’m challenged about my passion, and enthusiasm for the truth I believe in… my determination to identify and confront injustice and oppression… my willingness to sacrifice personal comfort to focus on unity of purpose and effort.

This faith is reflected as the song’s sung as the show’s finale. The battle’s over, there’s been redemption, love has triumphed. Conflict becomes peace, darkness becomes light, despair becomes hope… Musing on Jesus…

Do you hear the people sing?
Lost in the valley of the night
It is the music of a people who are climbing to the light
For the wretched of the earth
There is a flame that never dies
Even the darkest nights will end and the sun will rise