I was asked an interesting question on my Tumbler today. It was based on a quote by Buckminster Fuller about utopia. The question is: If you could snap your fingers and create a utopia, what would it look like?
Oddly enough, my first reaction wasn't Jesus! New Jerusalem! Maybe it should have been, as a Christian, but it wasn't. I think my first reaction actually said a lot about me as a person beyond myself as a Christian (or perhaps as the authentic person I am in Christ.)
My initial response was: more art. More beauty. More people doing what they would love and less concern for money. And then I threw in something pithy about making Rupaul President of the US.
But the sentiment is interesting, isn't it? Aren't people hung up on utopia? From zombies to nuclear war to Ray Bradbury to Left Behind (the series) to HG Wells, the idea of utopia has hung on our minds since the fall (and even more clearly dystopia).
Think about it. What does utopia look like for you?
Well, in the case of this blog, I would like to offer this song for consideration:
I Can Only Imagine (MercyMe): http://youtu.be/N_lrrq_opng
This song is all about the idea of heaven as unimaginable and I like this idea. I think we take God for granted. The idea of his holiness and deity has been cast aside with tradition in favor of his softer and more feel good qualities. But we can't forget that God is deity and all goodness, pure light, and...well, its like that scene from the Raiders of the Lost Ark where the Nazis all get face melty.
This song is pretty romantic in its worship of God and our relationship to the divine. It doesn't dwell on streets of gold or whether we're still married as angels or what happens to free will, but it talks about how God is there. How Jesus, the big kahuna of redemption and love, is there and has waited for us to be with him.
I imagine my utopia as art. God imagines his utopia as us with perfect bodies and no sin. What does that tell you? What does that stir in your heart and minds?
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Love Song
Love. Today we talk about love.
Why love?
Because I have just spent the past week watching the Tumblr meltdown over the Klaine box scene.
Translations: Tumblr (social networking site, like blogging only with lots more gifs)
Klaine (Kurt and Blaine, two characters on Glee, two boys in a relationship)
Box scene (A script from the Christmas episode of the 3rd season of Glee that was purchased (and money raised for charity) with the express intent of finding out what was in the box from Blaine to Kurt. It did not disappoint.)
Where does this leave me as a Christian blogger? Perhaps you are expecting certain things. Certain things from Leviticus or Romans. You won’t find them here if you are. Why? Because I haven’t made my mind up, haven’t researched everything regarding the issue and I don’t want to make assumptions for others in their personal walks with Christ.
I will tell you that a whole host of issues comes up with me and Klaine. And the biggest issue is probably the world’s expectation of love.
First, don’t get hung up on all the different types of love found in the bible (Greek words like phileo, agape, etc…). It’s distracting, lets just go with “love” as a general term and go from there.
Love to a Klaine fan means this speech:
“To always love you. To defend you even if I know you’re wrong. To surprise you. To always pick up your call no matter what I’m doing. To bake you cookies at least twice a year and to kiss you whenever and wherever you want. Mostly to make sure that you always remember how perfectly imperfect you are.”
How can you not like what he says? A bunch of Klainites on tumblr have equated these words to a marriage vow and in many ways I agree. I love the romantic feel (and free cookies!) and the sentiment of embracing imperfections. Its refreshing in so many ways and so poetic and so everlasting.
And it’s love. It’s romance. But is it real?
God proclaimed his love for us by sending His son to die on a cross for us so that we might all be saved.
New casting crowns asks about that love and how far it takes sin away from us. Response: From east to west.
http://youtu.be/GjvOpff_ReE
For me, the trouble is rectifying the two because if another guy said something like what Blaine said to Kurt, I can’t imagine that I would have a problem with it. Truth is, I’m hungry for someone to say that to me in many ways.
http://youtu.be/bKcgJzj6WBU
And I’m hungry for God. It’s like the god things two weeks back- we crave the thing which satisfies but we create something that won’t sustain us permanently just to satiate the temporary pain. The little gods of marriage vows over loving God and the day to day that really looks like.
So love.
Some might say love is in your heart and you’re a prisoner to it.
Some might say that God is love and should be all sustaining.
Some might say to love who you want as long as I don’t have to see it.
Some might say that love has no gender.
Have we made love into our own god? Have we taken the promise of love and bowed to it? Watching Klaine and reading fan fiction makes me think that at least my generation and the one beneath us has. The biggest trouble is not knowing how, when, or why you did it.
Klaine seems natural sometimes and silly sometimes and vain sometimes but it doesn’t seem wrong. Is it wrong though? Do I live in a Roman account or from Levitical standards at face value or do I take into account that there was a commentary that said homosexuality was only a sin for prostitutes and pimps that engaged in it?
More questions than answers.
Especially if you want God more than anything.
Why love?
Because I have just spent the past week watching the Tumblr meltdown over the Klaine box scene.
Translations: Tumblr (social networking site, like blogging only with lots more gifs)
Klaine (Kurt and Blaine, two characters on Glee, two boys in a relationship)
Box scene (A script from the Christmas episode of the 3rd season of Glee that was purchased (and money raised for charity) with the express intent of finding out what was in the box from Blaine to Kurt. It did not disappoint.)
Where does this leave me as a Christian blogger? Perhaps you are expecting certain things. Certain things from Leviticus or Romans. You won’t find them here if you are. Why? Because I haven’t made my mind up, haven’t researched everything regarding the issue and I don’t want to make assumptions for others in their personal walks with Christ.
I will tell you that a whole host of issues comes up with me and Klaine. And the biggest issue is probably the world’s expectation of love.
First, don’t get hung up on all the different types of love found in the bible (Greek words like phileo, agape, etc…). It’s distracting, lets just go with “love” as a general term and go from there.
Love to a Klaine fan means this speech:
“To always love you. To defend you even if I know you’re wrong. To surprise you. To always pick up your call no matter what I’m doing. To bake you cookies at least twice a year and to kiss you whenever and wherever you want. Mostly to make sure that you always remember how perfectly imperfect you are.”
How can you not like what he says? A bunch of Klainites on tumblr have equated these words to a marriage vow and in many ways I agree. I love the romantic feel (and free cookies!) and the sentiment of embracing imperfections. Its refreshing in so many ways and so poetic and so everlasting.
And it’s love. It’s romance. But is it real?
God proclaimed his love for us by sending His son to die on a cross for us so that we might all be saved.
New casting crowns asks about that love and how far it takes sin away from us. Response: From east to west.
http://youtu.be/GjvOpff_ReE
For me, the trouble is rectifying the two because if another guy said something like what Blaine said to Kurt, I can’t imagine that I would have a problem with it. Truth is, I’m hungry for someone to say that to me in many ways.
http://youtu.be/bKcgJzj6WBU
And I’m hungry for God. It’s like the god things two weeks back- we crave the thing which satisfies but we create something that won’t sustain us permanently just to satiate the temporary pain. The little gods of marriage vows over loving God and the day to day that really looks like.
So love.
Some might say love is in your heart and you’re a prisoner to it.
Some might say that God is love and should be all sustaining.
Some might say to love who you want as long as I don’t have to see it.
Some might say that love has no gender.
Have we made love into our own god? Have we taken the promise of love and bowed to it? Watching Klaine and reading fan fiction makes me think that at least my generation and the one beneath us has. The biggest trouble is not knowing how, when, or why you did it.
Klaine seems natural sometimes and silly sometimes and vain sometimes but it doesn’t seem wrong. Is it wrong though? Do I live in a Roman account or from Levitical standards at face value or do I take into account that there was a commentary that said homosexuality was only a sin for prostitutes and pimps that engaged in it?
More questions than answers.
Especially if you want God more than anything.
Friday, May 25, 2012
How God Is Great and Jealous
I'm not satisfied with what I've been writing this week for the blog. It seems to lack my usual heartfeltness and direction. To be perfectly honest, I may have been able to mix a CD for my friends Angel and Lisa, but I couldn't choose what I wanted to say about God this week - partially because I'm still hooked on the love song ideal and partially because I want to know what songs you guys like to hear about and/or sing to God. I'm curious because I have a point of view, but I want to know about the songs and albums that rocked your world. Thoughts?
Two songs for today-
How He Loves: http://youtu.be/h7SQBJTjwOw
Fun fact: The original band for this song was not the David Crowder Band.
How Great is Our God: http://youtu.be/CFP4C6aJ5WY
I know there are great biblical references in these songs to be decoded, but I'm not feeling it today. I also didn't want to leave you hanging though, I wanted to give you something.
I chose these songs because of how they expand and react to God. How He Loves starts as this startling intimacy and then becomes a cry out to God because of his love, because there is an undeniability - how are you supposed to hold it in when someone has lyrics like:
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
It's pretty good poetry, really it is.
And honestly, when you think of God's jealousy, you can see it in Hosea. Hosea is almost like an Old Testament parable instead of just a book. Hosea is representative of God's love and Gomer (along with the second wife) show the wandering of God's chosen Israel and how it grieves him. That is his jealousy when they sacrifice animals or infants (seriously, it happened all the time - the Israelites had minds the span of a goldfish or something) to a god that did not get them to a promised land and did not help David to achieve great and beautiful things for the nation.
It's an honor to have God be jealous for me as a gentile, not gonna lie. Betcha that Paul and that centurion whose slave was healed would say the same thing.
But why then would I follow with How Great is Our God? It's a great anthem but its not as intimate, feeling more formal and choral, almost like a Phillips, Craig, and Dean hymn. Well, there is a more personal reason to it. I was raised Pentacostal and taught that the Trinity was a lie and false and to believe it was to die (essentially) and when I came to believe in the Trinity, it was the first song I sang- so there is special meaning behind it.
You're the name above all names
You're worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How Great is Our God?!
I'll leave you with those thoughts for now.
-John
Two songs for today-
How He Loves: http://youtu.be/h7SQBJTjwOw
Fun fact: The original band for this song was not the David Crowder Band.
How Great is Our God: http://youtu.be/CFP4C6aJ5WY
I know there are great biblical references in these songs to be decoded, but I'm not feeling it today. I also didn't want to leave you hanging though, I wanted to give you something.
I chose these songs because of how they expand and react to God. How He Loves starts as this startling intimacy and then becomes a cry out to God because of his love, because there is an undeniability - how are you supposed to hold it in when someone has lyrics like:
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
It's pretty good poetry, really it is.
And honestly, when you think of God's jealousy, you can see it in Hosea. Hosea is almost like an Old Testament parable instead of just a book. Hosea is representative of God's love and Gomer (along with the second wife) show the wandering of God's chosen Israel and how it grieves him. That is his jealousy when they sacrifice animals or infants (seriously, it happened all the time - the Israelites had minds the span of a goldfish or something) to a god that did not get them to a promised land and did not help David to achieve great and beautiful things for the nation.
It's an honor to have God be jealous for me as a gentile, not gonna lie. Betcha that Paul and that centurion whose slave was healed would say the same thing.
But why then would I follow with How Great is Our God? It's a great anthem but its not as intimate, feeling more formal and choral, almost like a Phillips, Craig, and Dean hymn. Well, there is a more personal reason to it. I was raised Pentacostal and taught that the Trinity was a lie and false and to believe it was to die (essentially) and when I came to believe in the Trinity, it was the first song I sang- so there is special meaning behind it.
You're the name above all names
You're worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How Great is Our God?!
I'll leave you with those thoughts for now.
-John
Thursday, May 17, 2012
As the Deer
Since I confessed I liked Glee last week, I thought it would be good to give you just a bit more insight into my brain and I hope you will enjoy it, and we will become closer through it. If you have not yet guessed - the above cookie jar (I know, there’s something underneath those cookies?!) is a TARDIS.
What is the TARDIS you might ask? I’m glad you did. The Time And Relative Dimensions in Space machine is the starship of Doctor Who of BBC fame. The Doctor has recently begun to surpass cult fame, but has been an institution almost continually since 1963. The doctor is allowed to do this through the simple death cheat of regeneration, thus creating and preserving new story lines, characters, and actual set change.
This does not explain why I like Doctor Who though. I like Doctor Who because of his messianic complex, his strange brilliance, and his knack for picking up earthlings and helping them learn about themselves while traveling the stars and saving the universe. The Doctor calls them companions but really they become disciples. You can especially see this in the second series of the “New Who”, which is when David Tennant took the role of the good Doctor.
Two cases to make about Doctor Who as a nerd religious symbol:
1) School Reunion: Old companion Sarah Jane meets then current companion Rose (Giles from Buffy plays a memorable villain). Current companion learns old companions don’t fly with the Doctor forever and perhaps she is not as special as she thought (well, she is, but that’s because Rose was the best companion pretty much ever). Her faithful discipleship of the Doctor is shaken. Donna Noble is a later companion who comes to this grim realization when she almost dies saving 27 planets (including Klom and the lost moon of Poosh).
2) New Earth: Perhaps the most blatant of messianic (savior) visuals comes from this episode. I actually love this episode quite dearly but the ending with the water and cleansing (I won’t spoil if you haven’t seen it) makes a case for the goodness and belief in the Doctor. I couldn’t find a decent clip to visualize, but I wish I had.
So what is the point and how does this relate to Christian music? Well, it relates to any Christian music in which Jesus is discussed as the savior and only God. I mean, people believe in Doctor Who and Joss Whedon. People are hardcore Harry Potterites (though less crazy) and some people even still have grand fervor for Ayn Rand.
Whether or not you want to argue, you can look inside and see for yourself that everyone has a god they bow too, whether it be God or god (and sometimes there is a terrifying duality inside the person which causes painful warring). Truth be told, if I didn’t believe in God, I would fully embrace the Whovian (Doctor Who) lifestyle with the same reckless abandon I took for being an Angel aficionado (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Green Lantern, and even the Power Rangers.
Interestingly enough, a god that is not God will often be modeled after the so called seven deadly (or cardinal) sins: Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, Envy, and Wrath. Those little gods that we tote around might be simple daily things (“I cannot get through my day without coffee!”), things that are means to an end (workaholic, alcoholic, Fight Clubaholic), escapism (voyeurism, bondage, fan fiction), and even other actual gods (pagan beliefs included here).
People try and debate me on this, but we love stuff that is not god. We’re guilty of it -sometimes even after we actively choose the real Christ. Its sin in its truest form, the dark whispers from the garden. Anyone who states otherwise is lying to themselves and I used to be that way too, so trust me when I say you are not alone in that one.
So what do we do? How do we recognize the emptiness in us that comes from other gods? How do we let the true God fill us and replace that? How do we long after him the way he longs to come for us as though we are a lost sheep or Mary? (Luke 15: 3-10)
The first thing is to recognize how unfulfilled you (we) are. Truth be told, you may not actually think you are. Percentages work in my favor here because blogs are still relatively youthful enough, but those mid-life crises that movies make fun of or that we read about as runaway brides and such on slate? That is a lack of true fulfillment. That’s how you know its counterfeit to Jesus.
And there may be nothing outward about it. After awhile, a callous may easily build against your heart and soul, numbing out God and the thing you’re running after that’s not God. Dullness, desensitization, a lack of quietness in the confusion all come next. And its not pretty. Sometimes someone will end up cutting themselves or committing suicide because of that feeling. Sometimes it will motivate them to physical healthiness (jogging, for instance). And sometimes, it takes God wresting with them and their demons for someone to understand.
Don’t mistake this wresting for a lack of power on the part of God. There is biblical prescient for wresting, as when Jacob became Israel and would go on to birth a great nation and a great peoples and eventually the Messiah. (Genesis 32)
The best illustration in song I can think of right now is As the Deer. As the Deer is not quite a hymn, but its not a new song. It was represented and became quite famous about the same time as God of Wonders but it predates God of Wonders. Also, you may recognize some of it as Psalm 42.
As the Video Panteth For The Water: http://youtu.be/TF27EczT_pU
God’s spirit and holiness are the waters here that fill. Jesus talked about with the woman at the well (Gospel of John Chap. 4), also using things like bread to make the same point. The point of us being naturally more like deer and him naturally more like that pure water.
Remarkably, as the Deer continues a tradition of giving names to God that are intimate: Friend, Brother, Strength, Shield.
The author also talks about wanting God more than gold or silver (something only a handful of Israelites could say) and even more than anything.
And that, my friends, seems like an incomprehensible love. At least it does to me. I pray more out of need that love or praise. I don’t follow through with Christian things like telling people about Him (though in my defense I am working on that kind of). I don’t discipline myself or even read the Voice every day like I should to be fresh and renewed (there’s that water metaphor again!). And sometimes it doesn’t bother me that I don’t do these things like I should.
And it should bother me more. It should bother us more. And I’m not talking about shouting through megaphones, I’m talking about Peter. Peter whose love for God redeemed him. And Stephen, whose love for God ended in his death. And David. And Ruth. And Jonathan. And John. And Paul. I’m talking about us. Not our holy wars or the wages of sin.
I’m talking about loving God back with a microscopic version of what he gives us. And it haunts me sometimes that I cannot give him enough. That I don’t deserve his love and yet, there it is, waiting to wash me. I go off and I sin lustfully with men, for one of the worst examples. And the weight of it might not be biblical. It may be shame rather than the easy burden and light yoke that we’re actually supposed to have as Christians, but I don’t think we’ve ever known that burden and yoke because we expect to work for our salvation and feel like… hey! Good deeds!
And good deeds are good. But they are not salvation. They do not fill you. You are not Scrooge from the Christmas Carol. And I am not Mother Theresa. I am John and I am loved but I do not love back enough.
Thanks for reading,
John
Friday, May 11, 2012
Writing A Love Song
I didn't think there would ever be an appropriate time to mention that I am sometimes a fan of Glee (because some episodes are great (like On My Way) and other episodes are centered around the musical "stylings" of Justin Bieber). All the same, Glee is kind of an inspiration for this week's post. Case in point, a sampling of songs from recent episodes:
Take My Breath Away
What Makes You Beautiful
I Have Nothing
I Will Always Love You
The First Time (Ever I Saw Your Face)
If I Can’t Have You
How Deep Is Your Love
The common denominator between these songs is that they are all love songs (and for the most part, incredibly cheesy). How does this relate to a blog about Christian music, you might ask? The answer for me is simple. These love songs express human love, limited and narrow in scope, but they share a singular trait in that they are a glimpse of the love God has for us.
Based on this knowledge and the above list, I set out to try and write a love song to God. You would think it would be easy, I sure did. But its easier to write a love song to a tangible person and apparently for me to sound like Patrick Swayze (seriously, everything I thought about came back to She's Like the Wind).
You might say, wait a minute fearless blogger, aren't all Christian songs love songs to God? Well , yes, some are. But most aren't specifically a love song to God. They are about commissioning, what heaven could be like (I Can Only Imagine- a personal favorite), story songs (think American Dream or While You Were Sleeping...both by Casting Crowns), and praises to God for different attributes of his personality (Revelation Song comes to mind here).
I am working on my own project for God -a love song of sorts, but I am intrigued by this idea of a love song to God. Not merely a personal expression of faith but of a passion that exceeds understanding. Is it/ should it be so much harder to sing I Will Always Love You to God rather than to another human?
There are several good ballads in Christendom that one could argue are perfect love songs to God and I chose on my favorites for this week's deconstruction. Before we begin though, I'd like you think about your love song to God. What instruments would be instrumental (trumpets -I Was Made to Love You, violins- Agnus Dei by Michael Smith, piano only, drums)? What would you write? What would the tempo be?
Well, before I get a little too Sister Mary Clarence on the topic, let me introduce this week's song choice. Wonderful, Merciful Savior by Selah: http://youtu.be/gQzrqmcwg8o
I want you to notice the imagery that is provided for us and I want you to dwell on that - to dwell on who God is through Jesus Christ in those things. Wonderful, Merciful, Savior, Precious, Redeemer, Friend, Almighty, Infinite Father, Counselor, Comforter, Keeper
If you're one of those people that only goes to church for Christmas and Easter, you might notice that several of those titles are represented during the Christmas passage of Isaiah where the coming King is discussed (Isaiah 9:6).
And normally, those titles are glossed over to get to the cute manger scene with the lowing cattle and such. But to think of God as something like Wonderful is more than a nice novelty of Christmas. In some cultures, its almost akin to blasphemy because of the perception of God being so removed from the lives of His subjects -and its seen as quite proper.
But being removed is never who Jesus was. He came into a messy world to grant us life and to give us a chance to join him in his work (in whatever form that may take) and he came to be all those titles and more.
Who would have thought that a lamb could rescue the souls of men?
And Jesus being referenced as a lamb is nothing new. He is the spotless lamb and the lamb that opens the seals in Revelation - him being the only one able. (1 Peter 1:18-20, Revelations 5) The lamb is reference to his sacrificial offering that brought the curse of Adam to an end with his death and resurrection. Curiously enough, you also see a passage like this in the bible where the time is promised where a lion will lay with a lamb.
Hint: Jesus is also the lion of Judah (Revelations 5:5/ Hosea 5: 14). That my seem slightly confusing, but seeing Jesus as a spotless lamb is actually just as difficult to see him as lion overturning tables in the temple out of anger. How is it easier? Well, because of the fact that Jesus being a 33 year old carpenter at the end of his ministry means that he was faultless, sinless, and guiltless through 33 1/2 full blooded male years, while being tempted, while healing demons, and while calling disciples to him and sending them out.
I have a hard time even getting to the gym most weeks. Kidding aside, I'm sure that if you've been a Christian that you have run across some sort of argument that tries to make Jesus seem more human, fallible, and therefore not guiltless (Dan Brown fictional novels come to mind).
Its so hard in our day and age of free access porn and instant gratification brownie mix and buy it now online airfare that there would have ever been anyone like Jesus. There is just a brain pattern that screams It is Impossible! It is Inconceivable!
But its true. Jesus was the Son of God who did no wrong and gave us freedom even though we do wrong on a mostly hourly basis.
Following his titles, there are notes in the song, subtle hints in the wording that leaves you to fill your life into them. Phrases about faithfully loving your own and a Spirit we long to embrace. It comes close to this love song I've been trying to write, a love song that is maybe one day a love story - which, at the end of the day, Christianity really should be.
But its not just about us longing for him, seeing how we've yearned and remembering that need. Oh no. Our Jesus found us in darkness and falling before his throne.
And he loved us instead of throwing us on the funeral pyre where we belonged after we, each person in history, every person reading this blog and every person both before and after, hung that innocent lamb on a horrific cross of crucifixtion. Whether or not you want to toss blame on Pilate, the Romans, the Jews, Herod, the cowardly apostles, or anyone else in the history of the story, you cannot.
The truth is deeply more personal in that he loved us while we were still sinners and an answer is demanded from our lips thus:
You are the one that we praise
You are the one we adore
You give the healing and grace our
Hearts always hunger for
Oh, our hearts always hunger for
So this week, think about your love song to God. Toil with it, struggle with it, don't make it some mediocre achievement, make it a festival and an offering. Oh yeah, and I can't wait to hear or read them.
Thanks for reading,
John
Take My Breath Away
What Makes You Beautiful
I Have Nothing
I Will Always Love You
The First Time (Ever I Saw Your Face)
If I Can’t Have You
How Deep Is Your Love
The common denominator between these songs is that they are all love songs (and for the most part, incredibly cheesy). How does this relate to a blog about Christian music, you might ask? The answer for me is simple. These love songs express human love, limited and narrow in scope, but they share a singular trait in that they are a glimpse of the love God has for us.
Based on this knowledge and the above list, I set out to try and write a love song to God. You would think it would be easy, I sure did. But its easier to write a love song to a tangible person and apparently for me to sound like Patrick Swayze (seriously, everything I thought about came back to She's Like the Wind).
You might say, wait a minute fearless blogger, aren't all Christian songs love songs to God? Well , yes, some are. But most aren't specifically a love song to God. They are about commissioning, what heaven could be like (I Can Only Imagine- a personal favorite), story songs (think American Dream or While You Were Sleeping...both by Casting Crowns), and praises to God for different attributes of his personality (Revelation Song comes to mind here).
I am working on my own project for God -a love song of sorts, but I am intrigued by this idea of a love song to God. Not merely a personal expression of faith but of a passion that exceeds understanding. Is it/ should it be so much harder to sing I Will Always Love You to God rather than to another human?
There are several good ballads in Christendom that one could argue are perfect love songs to God and I chose on my favorites for this week's deconstruction. Before we begin though, I'd like you think about your love song to God. What instruments would be instrumental (trumpets -I Was Made to Love You, violins- Agnus Dei by Michael Smith, piano only, drums)? What would you write? What would the tempo be?
Well, before I get a little too Sister Mary Clarence on the topic, let me introduce this week's song choice. Wonderful, Merciful Savior by Selah: http://youtu.be/gQzrqmcwg8o
I want you to notice the imagery that is provided for us and I want you to dwell on that - to dwell on who God is through Jesus Christ in those things. Wonderful, Merciful, Savior, Precious, Redeemer, Friend, Almighty, Infinite Father, Counselor, Comforter, Keeper
If you're one of those people that only goes to church for Christmas and Easter, you might notice that several of those titles are represented during the Christmas passage of Isaiah where the coming King is discussed (Isaiah 9:6).
And normally, those titles are glossed over to get to the cute manger scene with the lowing cattle and such. But to think of God as something like Wonderful is more than a nice novelty of Christmas. In some cultures, its almost akin to blasphemy because of the perception of God being so removed from the lives of His subjects -and its seen as quite proper.
But being removed is never who Jesus was. He came into a messy world to grant us life and to give us a chance to join him in his work (in whatever form that may take) and he came to be all those titles and more.
Who would have thought that a lamb could rescue the souls of men?
And Jesus being referenced as a lamb is nothing new. He is the spotless lamb and the lamb that opens the seals in Revelation - him being the only one able. (1 Peter 1:18-20, Revelations 5) The lamb is reference to his sacrificial offering that brought the curse of Adam to an end with his death and resurrection. Curiously enough, you also see a passage like this in the bible where the time is promised where a lion will lay with a lamb.
Hint: Jesus is also the lion of Judah (Revelations 5:5/ Hosea 5: 14). That my seem slightly confusing, but seeing Jesus as a spotless lamb is actually just as difficult to see him as lion overturning tables in the temple out of anger. How is it easier? Well, because of the fact that Jesus being a 33 year old carpenter at the end of his ministry means that he was faultless, sinless, and guiltless through 33 1/2 full blooded male years, while being tempted, while healing demons, and while calling disciples to him and sending them out.
I have a hard time even getting to the gym most weeks. Kidding aside, I'm sure that if you've been a Christian that you have run across some sort of argument that tries to make Jesus seem more human, fallible, and therefore not guiltless (Dan Brown fictional novels come to mind).
Its so hard in our day and age of free access porn and instant gratification brownie mix and buy it now online airfare that there would have ever been anyone like Jesus. There is just a brain pattern that screams It is Impossible! It is Inconceivable!
But its true. Jesus was the Son of God who did no wrong and gave us freedom even though we do wrong on a mostly hourly basis.
Following his titles, there are notes in the song, subtle hints in the wording that leaves you to fill your life into them. Phrases about faithfully loving your own and a Spirit we long to embrace. It comes close to this love song I've been trying to write, a love song that is maybe one day a love story - which, at the end of the day, Christianity really should be.
But its not just about us longing for him, seeing how we've yearned and remembering that need. Oh no. Our Jesus found us in darkness and falling before his throne.
And he loved us instead of throwing us on the funeral pyre where we belonged after we, each person in history, every person reading this blog and every person both before and after, hung that innocent lamb on a horrific cross of crucifixtion. Whether or not you want to toss blame on Pilate, the Romans, the Jews, Herod, the cowardly apostles, or anyone else in the history of the story, you cannot.
The truth is deeply more personal in that he loved us while we were still sinners and an answer is demanded from our lips thus:
You are the one that we praise
You are the one we adore
You give the healing and grace our
Hearts always hunger for
Oh, our hearts always hunger for
So this week, think about your love song to God. Toil with it, struggle with it, don't make it some mediocre achievement, make it a festival and an offering. Oh yeah, and I can't wait to hear or read them.
Thanks for reading,
John
Saturday, May 5, 2012
A Quick Word about ....
Sorry that this week's post is so late, guys. I think people are reading thus far and I am grateful for that, so I am sorry that I did not post with my usual weekly punctuality.
I want to talk this week about Godspell. This is a rather informal post, different from my usual ones, but important notheless. I am a member of a local theater production of Godspell and I find that there is a powerful connection between my faith, my love/hate relationship with acting, and the music of this play.
Firstly, Godspell is based on the gospel of Matthew, godspell being the old English for gospel (fun fact). It is from the 70s, so some of the music is funkified but its overall goodness weighs the slight need for updating. Oddly enough, it was considered heresy when it was first performed. I can't see it, but some people thought the author was making fun of Jesus. Perhaps its because he took artistic license with where to stage things in the story? Or because the movie Jesus had a white man's afro? Who knows. The 70s were a strange time, methinks.
The show's cohesiveness comes from the centrality of Jesus (whom actually never leaves the stage) and the community of believers he creates. Our version uses the colors of the rainbow to deliniate both this cohesiveness and useful individuality we each possess as a child of God.
Something that is different from both movie and recorded versions (its not even on the original cast album) is that the show opens differently with a different song altogether. Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord may be a great opening for the movie, but the show actually opens with several different kinds of philosphies competing for attention. This actually enhances the entrance of John the Baptist, I think (though I think the movie version actually captures something different and beautiful unto itself).
Prepare Ye the Way of the Video: http://youtu.be/wSIs1MHdFQY
Bonus biblical Nerd points: Before or when the term Christian first came into play, the movement of Jewish Jesus followers was known as "the Way".
Interestingly enough (point 1), several of the songs can be found in old hymn books. My personal favorite is O Bless the Lord, My Soul - call me a sucker for a good gospel song but this song has great capacity for movement and joy as well as being chocked full of biblical references that won't go over your head. Its easier to listen to than try to dissect in one blog post. Fun fact: This song occurs in the midst of act one, and is followed by the Beatitudes (Blessed are the...., For they shall be....), which actually occurs in the gospel of Matthew a lot closer to the beginning but I thought was a great artistic choice for the show.
O Bless the Lord, My Video: http://youtu.be/19LP4qNYUD4
Or consider our version of All Good Gifts. We have a larger cast than the traditional ten, so we have two different parts of the stage interacting with All Good Gifts. On one side, you will find the disciples in their individual colors coming together for the first time. Jesus and Kelly the disciple (interestingly enough (point 2), disciple names are based on the real person names - if you get a copy of the real script, you'll find disciples with names like Joanna and Gilmer) are in the center of their circle and Kelly is singing about God's majesty in nature.
I'd like to stop and take a moment to consider this. There are several psalms (8, 19, 147, 148) that speak of the majesty of God in nature and there is certainly a movement among some Christians to view nature in light of God (case in point: Donald Miller's books) and praise him for it. But do we think about it? Do we praise him for the soft, refreshing rain or the sunshine?
Conversely, do we praise him during blizzards or heat waves? I don't praise him during heat waves so much, but he made the heat to wave as much as he made the pleasant sun and the sweet scent of the rose. So that is a thought to bear.
The other part of the stage is seperated by those of us in the world, who have not yet or will not choose to follow Jesus. Our chimes at the end of the song sound bittersweet and the black we wear onstage signifies our following of the world and its sin.
Its honestly hard for me being part of world and I'm only more aware of it now in light of what I do not do as a Christian. When I hold up the Bible to myself as a mirror and look at those who have come before, I find myself horribly comfortable and not really living for Jesus. Were I to live in the old days, I fear I would not have been chosen based on my kindess (several disciples are chosen by Jesus and the holy Spirit afterwards this way). That being said, I am glad to be chosen for grace's sake and glad that when I can give, I give. I fear I could have always given more, but that is the past. And since I have no Tardis, I must struggle with giving it to God and leaving it there.
Working in Godspell at this moment in time is great, because there is a revival cast either on or having just finished on Broadway, so we have a point of reference for what we are doing (even though we are a unique cast in many ways). If you have a chance, I recommend a visit to Godspell. Its reminiscent of Jesus Christ Superstar, but its much more like Hair or Tommy (the movie) than Superstar. It is a great joy and privilege to be part of this cast (puns and singing at Red Robin included) and I think this might be the start of something good for me.
I'll be back next week to our reguarly scheduled blog cast. Now that tech week is done and we're onto performances, there will be more time to read, reflect, renew myself, and consider the difficult things in what I read, post, and even sing.
Thanks for reading,
John
I want to talk this week about Godspell. This is a rather informal post, different from my usual ones, but important notheless. I am a member of a local theater production of Godspell and I find that there is a powerful connection between my faith, my love/hate relationship with acting, and the music of this play.
Firstly, Godspell is based on the gospel of Matthew, godspell being the old English for gospel (fun fact). It is from the 70s, so some of the music is funkified but its overall goodness weighs the slight need for updating. Oddly enough, it was considered heresy when it was first performed. I can't see it, but some people thought the author was making fun of Jesus. Perhaps its because he took artistic license with where to stage things in the story? Or because the movie Jesus had a white man's afro? Who knows. The 70s were a strange time, methinks.
The show's cohesiveness comes from the centrality of Jesus (whom actually never leaves the stage) and the community of believers he creates. Our version uses the colors of the rainbow to deliniate both this cohesiveness and useful individuality we each possess as a child of God.
Something that is different from both movie and recorded versions (its not even on the original cast album) is that the show opens differently with a different song altogether. Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord may be a great opening for the movie, but the show actually opens with several different kinds of philosphies competing for attention. This actually enhances the entrance of John the Baptist, I think (though I think the movie version actually captures something different and beautiful unto itself).
Prepare Ye the Way of the Video: http://youtu.be/wSIs1MHdFQY
Bonus biblical Nerd points: Before or when the term Christian first came into play, the movement of Jewish Jesus followers was known as "the Way".
Interestingly enough (point 1), several of the songs can be found in old hymn books. My personal favorite is O Bless the Lord, My Soul - call me a sucker for a good gospel song but this song has great capacity for movement and joy as well as being chocked full of biblical references that won't go over your head. Its easier to listen to than try to dissect in one blog post. Fun fact: This song occurs in the midst of act one, and is followed by the Beatitudes (Blessed are the...., For they shall be....), which actually occurs in the gospel of Matthew a lot closer to the beginning but I thought was a great artistic choice for the show.
O Bless the Lord, My Video: http://youtu.be/19LP4qNYUD4
Or consider our version of All Good Gifts. We have a larger cast than the traditional ten, so we have two different parts of the stage interacting with All Good Gifts. On one side, you will find the disciples in their individual colors coming together for the first time. Jesus and Kelly the disciple (interestingly enough (point 2), disciple names are based on the real person names - if you get a copy of the real script, you'll find disciples with names like Joanna and Gilmer) are in the center of their circle and Kelly is singing about God's majesty in nature.
I'd like to stop and take a moment to consider this. There are several psalms (8, 19, 147, 148) that speak of the majesty of God in nature and there is certainly a movement among some Christians to view nature in light of God (case in point: Donald Miller's books) and praise him for it. But do we think about it? Do we praise him for the soft, refreshing rain or the sunshine?
Conversely, do we praise him during blizzards or heat waves? I don't praise him during heat waves so much, but he made the heat to wave as much as he made the pleasant sun and the sweet scent of the rose. So that is a thought to bear.
The other part of the stage is seperated by those of us in the world, who have not yet or will not choose to follow Jesus. Our chimes at the end of the song sound bittersweet and the black we wear onstage signifies our following of the world and its sin.
Its honestly hard for me being part of world and I'm only more aware of it now in light of what I do not do as a Christian. When I hold up the Bible to myself as a mirror and look at those who have come before, I find myself horribly comfortable and not really living for Jesus. Were I to live in the old days, I fear I would not have been chosen based on my kindess (several disciples are chosen by Jesus and the holy Spirit afterwards this way). That being said, I am glad to be chosen for grace's sake and glad that when I can give, I give. I fear I could have always given more, but that is the past. And since I have no Tardis, I must struggle with giving it to God and leaving it there.
Working in Godspell at this moment in time is great, because there is a revival cast either on or having just finished on Broadway, so we have a point of reference for what we are doing (even though we are a unique cast in many ways). If you have a chance, I recommend a visit to Godspell. Its reminiscent of Jesus Christ Superstar, but its much more like Hair or Tommy (the movie) than Superstar. It is a great joy and privilege to be part of this cast (puns and singing at Red Robin included) and I think this might be the start of something good for me.
I'll be back next week to our reguarly scheduled blog cast. Now that tech week is done and we're onto performances, there will be more time to read, reflect, renew myself, and consider the difficult things in what I read, post, and even sing.
Thanks for reading,
John
Friday, April 27, 2012
You Love Me Anyway
Edit: It was after reading this to post that nowhere in the post did I use the phrase exquisite to reference how much He loves me anyway. This is where that gets rectified. Okay, back to the post.
I struggled with a song for this week. As quick as I am to judge newer Christian songs (and thus have shied far away from Christian radio in the past), I was looking at You Love Me Anyways by the Sidewalk Prophets.
Video: http://youtu.be/y8BBCYFAYRI
They were a few hours away from where I lived recently. They were on a bill with about five other bands and I immediately had no interest in going because I don’t take well to most new Christian songs. In fact, I’ve been quite prideful about it. Coming from the Midwest and breaking the bonds of the Gaither family style of worship has been difficult.
I have had some friends who have turned me on to other bands that lead me to Casting Crowns and Third Day and it was even college where I first heard of Shane & Shane, but I’ve stuck with classic artists for a long time. Heck, even admitting to liking MercyMe took longer than it should have.
And there are some things in You Love Me Anyway that I just don’t get. The opening talks about a question or a lie, very generic, and I’m not immediately drawn to the song. It sounds just like any other song I’d heard on Praise 106.5, some of which just doesn’t always strike me as good and profitable to the Christian walk. They are all creamy 1% milk when the flock really needs a T-Bone steak to be healthy.
And there are more problems as the song continues. The first verse itself seems indulgent, talking about spreading our dreams and flying, when Jesus was very specific about giving up your life to gain it -which I’ve always equated included my dreams.
I know I’m being harsh on the band, I don’t know why they wrote the song or what time in their lives it comes from. Perhaps they are my age and have started to lose grandparents (they even talk about doubt and ask why loved ones have to die in the second verse). That being said, and realizing I have a high threshold for what I consider a “good” Christian song, you have to admit that the chorus is both catchy and resonant.
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
Yes, you love me anyway
Oh Lord, how you love me
How you love me
A chorus like this doesn’t necessarily set them apart from others using the message God sent with Jesus to the world of his love and salvation, but its not dressed up fancy to be something else either and that wins them a point from me.
Truth is, when I was at my lowest, Jesus did grab me and carried me (still carrying, actually) while telling me I was his son and he would get me through this. Its something I can be grateful for, a catalyst to the sometimes nightmare and sometimes beautiful life I have been through this past five or six years.
Anyone with a really hard story that revolves around God (like my friends Harvey or David, for instance, who are both recovering addicts in AA and who I love dearly for their honesty and sometimes propensity for swearing to prove a point) can generally agree that it can become like nothing you’ve ever known. If you let yourself truly be transformed, even colors and the taste of fruit can change. As in my case, it took longer than it needed to, but we’re getting there.
What really drew me to this song was the bridge. It has an unexpected brutality. It is the “Good Friday” of a song that revolves quite heavily around “Resurrection Sunday”.
I am the thorn in your crown
-But you love me anyway
I am the sweat from your brow
I am the nail in your wrist
I am Judas’ kiss
Oddly enough, it does not follow the actual trajectory of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal to Jesus but it references how Jesus prayed for himself, leaving himself ultimately and finally in the hands of the Father. He prayed so much that he began to sweat blood, as though he were a boxer.
And Judas’ kiss is the ultimate mark of betrayal. Jesus references that he knew who would betray him and called him anyway, let him be in charge of funds, and even let him take that first communion at the last supper. He washed his feet, he let Judas watch him heal and then gave Judas the power to heal when he sent the first twelve emissaries out. He did all of this knowing that Judas would betray him.
An argument could be made that Judas was not in charge of himself when Satan came upon him and he decided to betray Jesus, but there is always something when he is mention that makes you stop and wonder if he’s not just not getting it (because the disciples never really understand what Jesus is talking about until after his mortal body is hung on the cross) but if he’s willfully disappointed and hardens his heart or even allows himself to be tempted by demons.
In the end, I don’t think a book called the Gospel of Judas is really going to help up sort it out. People have to make up their own minds about the why. I’ve got things in front of that to ask Jesus when I see him anyways.
See now, I am the man who yelled out from the crowd
For your blood to be spilled on this Earth shaking ground
Yes then, I turned away with a smile on my face
With this sin in my heart- tried to bury your grace
The above speaks for itself, personal to all of us who have turned away from our old lives (repentance) or are actively trying to turn away from our old lives and addiction (still repentance, but some repentance with feet to it) and it speaks to me.
When I was a child, I had a hard time accepting that I would have ever mocked Jesus or beat him or betrayed him. But as I turned to him later in the years, I can see how I did what was above. I can’t say I held the spear in my hand that pierced his side, but I can say that I actively participated in the creation of my sins - whether or not I knew I was sinning at the time.
Its like that old question about natural law and whether people know if they are sinning if God’s law is not present. What people forget is that God’s law does run on nature and its not supposed to be that to do list that we drudge ourselves with. It’s far more Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act than we’d like to admit.
And then alone in the night
I still called out for you
So ashamed of my life, my life, my life
But you loved me anyway
It’s in this little patch of song that I must have been sold on the Sidewalk Prophets for this week. Because, for me, it was true. When I was young and alone and cold in my misery, I did often cry out to God in the night (for a brother, which - if you know my story- is both a funny and cautionary tale of being careful of what you pray for (that I wouldn’t have changed for anything).
Well, that’s it for this week. I’ve got tech week for Godspell next week and then performances, which will be exhilarating and exhausting and worth it. Because He does love us anyway. In a world where remarkable evil can happen, his even more remarkable and durable goodness not just answers prayers, but heals and saves lives until my life becomes my life under Him.
Is there a story waiting to be told there? Not just yours but those around you? Think of someone this week who might be crying out to Jesus alone in the night. Reach out to them. I know its tough and yes, there is a conversion aspect, but its more than conversion.
In Luke, when Jesus sent out the 70, he told them to make themselves part of the families they went to. To become more than just isolated zealots, but to give a community new birth and to give themselves permission to be involved in new lives.
Witnessing is this and its very difficult for me (that’s why I hide behind this keyboard, I suppose). But, as the song goes, he loves me anyway.
Thanks for reading,
John
I struggled with a song for this week. As quick as I am to judge newer Christian songs (and thus have shied far away from Christian radio in the past), I was looking at You Love Me Anyways by the Sidewalk Prophets.
Video: http://youtu.be/y8BBCYFAYRI
They were a few hours away from where I lived recently. They were on a bill with about five other bands and I immediately had no interest in going because I don’t take well to most new Christian songs. In fact, I’ve been quite prideful about it. Coming from the Midwest and breaking the bonds of the Gaither family style of worship has been difficult.
I have had some friends who have turned me on to other bands that lead me to Casting Crowns and Third Day and it was even college where I first heard of Shane & Shane, but I’ve stuck with classic artists for a long time. Heck, even admitting to liking MercyMe took longer than it should have.
And there are some things in You Love Me Anyway that I just don’t get. The opening talks about a question or a lie, very generic, and I’m not immediately drawn to the song. It sounds just like any other song I’d heard on Praise 106.5, some of which just doesn’t always strike me as good and profitable to the Christian walk. They are all creamy 1% milk when the flock really needs a T-Bone steak to be healthy.
And there are more problems as the song continues. The first verse itself seems indulgent, talking about spreading our dreams and flying, when Jesus was very specific about giving up your life to gain it -which I’ve always equated included my dreams.
I know I’m being harsh on the band, I don’t know why they wrote the song or what time in their lives it comes from. Perhaps they are my age and have started to lose grandparents (they even talk about doubt and ask why loved ones have to die in the second verse). That being said, and realizing I have a high threshold for what I consider a “good” Christian song, you have to admit that the chorus is both catchy and resonant.
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
Yes, you love me anyway
Oh Lord, how you love me
How you love me
A chorus like this doesn’t necessarily set them apart from others using the message God sent with Jesus to the world of his love and salvation, but its not dressed up fancy to be something else either and that wins them a point from me.
Truth is, when I was at my lowest, Jesus did grab me and carried me (still carrying, actually) while telling me I was his son and he would get me through this. Its something I can be grateful for, a catalyst to the sometimes nightmare and sometimes beautiful life I have been through this past five or six years.
Anyone with a really hard story that revolves around God (like my friends Harvey or David, for instance, who are both recovering addicts in AA and who I love dearly for their honesty and sometimes propensity for swearing to prove a point) can generally agree that it can become like nothing you’ve ever known. If you let yourself truly be transformed, even colors and the taste of fruit can change. As in my case, it took longer than it needed to, but we’re getting there.
What really drew me to this song was the bridge. It has an unexpected brutality. It is the “Good Friday” of a song that revolves quite heavily around “Resurrection Sunday”.
I am the thorn in your crown
-But you love me anyway
I am the sweat from your brow
I am the nail in your wrist
I am Judas’ kiss
Oddly enough, it does not follow the actual trajectory of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal to Jesus but it references how Jesus prayed for himself, leaving himself ultimately and finally in the hands of the Father. He prayed so much that he began to sweat blood, as though he were a boxer.
And Judas’ kiss is the ultimate mark of betrayal. Jesus references that he knew who would betray him and called him anyway, let him be in charge of funds, and even let him take that first communion at the last supper. He washed his feet, he let Judas watch him heal and then gave Judas the power to heal when he sent the first twelve emissaries out. He did all of this knowing that Judas would betray him.
An argument could be made that Judas was not in charge of himself when Satan came upon him and he decided to betray Jesus, but there is always something when he is mention that makes you stop and wonder if he’s not just not getting it (because the disciples never really understand what Jesus is talking about until after his mortal body is hung on the cross) but if he’s willfully disappointed and hardens his heart or even allows himself to be tempted by demons.
In the end, I don’t think a book called the Gospel of Judas is really going to help up sort it out. People have to make up their own minds about the why. I’ve got things in front of that to ask Jesus when I see him anyways.
See now, I am the man who yelled out from the crowd
For your blood to be spilled on this Earth shaking ground
Yes then, I turned away with a smile on my face
With this sin in my heart- tried to bury your grace
The above speaks for itself, personal to all of us who have turned away from our old lives (repentance) or are actively trying to turn away from our old lives and addiction (still repentance, but some repentance with feet to it) and it speaks to me.
When I was a child, I had a hard time accepting that I would have ever mocked Jesus or beat him or betrayed him. But as I turned to him later in the years, I can see how I did what was above. I can’t say I held the spear in my hand that pierced his side, but I can say that I actively participated in the creation of my sins - whether or not I knew I was sinning at the time.
Its like that old question about natural law and whether people know if they are sinning if God’s law is not present. What people forget is that God’s law does run on nature and its not supposed to be that to do list that we drudge ourselves with. It’s far more Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act than we’d like to admit.
And then alone in the night
I still called out for you
So ashamed of my life, my life, my life
But you loved me anyway
It’s in this little patch of song that I must have been sold on the Sidewalk Prophets for this week. Because, for me, it was true. When I was young and alone and cold in my misery, I did often cry out to God in the night (for a brother, which - if you know my story- is both a funny and cautionary tale of being careful of what you pray for (that I wouldn’t have changed for anything).
Well, that’s it for this week. I’ve got tech week for Godspell next week and then performances, which will be exhilarating and exhausting and worth it. Because He does love us anyway. In a world where remarkable evil can happen, his even more remarkable and durable goodness not just answers prayers, but heals and saves lives until my life becomes my life under Him.
Is there a story waiting to be told there? Not just yours but those around you? Think of someone this week who might be crying out to Jesus alone in the night. Reach out to them. I know its tough and yes, there is a conversion aspect, but its more than conversion.
In Luke, when Jesus sent out the 70, he told them to make themselves part of the families they went to. To become more than just isolated zealots, but to give a community new birth and to give themselves permission to be involved in new lives.
Witnessing is this and its very difficult for me (that’s why I hide behind this keyboard, I suppose). But, as the song goes, he loves me anyway.
Thanks for reading,
John
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