Sunday Lessons: ENDLESS OCEAN

Welcome again to my Sunday lessons series, with today’s post, I am going to kill two birds with one stone by talking about two slightly similar topics in one post. Ready? Let us dive in!

About a week ago, I attended a concert for fast-rising talented gospel artist- An Endless Ocean (AOE). With his recently released album “Decagon” being one of the most streamed gospel albums in 2023, the concert was a sold-out event. Something that stands out for me about AOE is his unique writing skills and the way he crafts the melodies together in his songs, it is a blend of alternative, folk, indie and afro. Such a unique soulful sound, filled with words that express his love for God. At first listen, his songs may not scream gospel as people know it due to his unique way of singing and songwriting. Another unique element of AOE’s music is his creative use and blend of the Yoruba language with English in his songs. He released his debut EP Apeirogon in 2021, with songs like Solid, Alakori and Domino, by the way, if you were wondering, yes, he loves to use polygons to describe his projects.

The event was a huge success with about 500 people in attendance, he performed both previous and recent songs from the EP to his current album. He also shared a new single, Ase (means thank you) with us during the concert. It was a great time with beautiful music, also seeing a lot of my friends and acquaintances was an amazing gift knowing how tight the MBA schedule can be.

Another thing AOE reminds me of is an actual song titled Endless Ocean (by Jonathan David Helser and Melissa Helser). Some lyrics of the song say:

You are an endless ocean

A bottomless sea There’s no end to the affection You have for me!

There’s no end to the affection You have for me!

There’s no end to the affection You have for me!

I love the poetic concept of God’s love for me being as endless and deep as an ocean, it means his love for me is eternal. Did you know that the deepest part of the ocean known (Challenger Deep) is approximately 36,000 feet deep? It is located beneath the western Pacific Ocean, to understand how deep that is, compare it to Mount Everest, the highest point on land that is 29,000 feet above sea level.

I think the songwriter tried to capture the limitless nature of the love and care of God. A love that cannot be stopped or hindered, it goes on and on. From my observation of some of his songs, it is the same with AOE as well who loves to produce songs that are an expression of God’s love for him and vice-versa. The power of music to encapsulate deep concepts in a five-minute song or less truly amazes me. I think it is safe to say that for Jonathan, AOE and I God’s love is an endless ocean and bottomless sea.

There is no end to the affection He has for me. I hope that you also feel loved by God in the same way too.

#MMBA5