Filed under: Thoughts with a Theme
Growing up I was always one of those kids that just loved music, I think I went through just about every phase a kid could go through with the help of my brother (supplementing the rap portions). I was a band nerd growing up and had no problem with it, I just LOVE music. I love how music has the ability to effect so many people in so many different ways. Its in my mind a lot like the bible or the Gospel. Though it has been heard from thousands of years it still effects each and every person on a very personal level. In the same way music can effect people the same way, for someone a song can bring joy, others pain. Its so odd how something as simple as a melody when played in the right key and arranged just right can move a person to tears. Music can hold with it memories of so many different times and places. I know I can be sitting in my car or house and hear the song “Hey There Delilah” and I instantly think of Youth 2007, a youth conference I took my kids to when I was at Jacksonville. We played that song so many times on the 18 hours up there and the 18 hours back that it became our theme song. So that trip and those youth and adults will forever be locked inside the melody and lyrics of that song.
All of that to say that the stories in the bible, the different letters that are written, they all have within them these messages, these ideas. And some people can read them and think on thing and someone else can look at a scripture and see something else. I think that is why they call it the Living word. (its not like frankenstein or anything, its not going to bite your hand off if you look at it wrong.”its alivvvvee!!!!!!!!”) I digress, but there are people that would like to package the bible in this one way, the way they see it and then be done with it. The bible doesn’t work like that, and I think so often we forget that. We think to ourselves that we know the story of the Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, what else is there for us to take from it. But if we allow ourselves to think this then we are severely limiting the power of scripture and more importantly the message behind AND its ability to effect us. Yes we may know the story of the life, death and resurrection of Christ, but do we FEEL it.
There is a particular song that I know most people probably know, by Taylor Swift called Love story. I find it interesting for a couple of reasons, first being that its essentially about the story of Romeo and Juliet, which in my opinion is probably the second best love story next to the Gospel. I did an activity a while back on valentines day with my youth where I had a few of them act our the balcony scene. I must admit this was not a totally original idea, but one that I got from a book that I read by Donald Miller where he talks about Romeo and Juliet and how the words, if your open and listen to what is being said the words hit you in a way that can take your breath away. And so we find this story embedded in this melody that in my mind is very well arranged. Maybe your one of those persons that doesn’t really care or think about arrangements and different aspects of music but this song if listened to with ears open has the power to move you. The music starts off very simple and has this progression and get stronger and stronger, and then comes the really powerful part.
As she says “I got tire of waiting…” the music slows and simplifies again, and then withing just a few second it picks up and then key change. I probably love nothing more when it comes to music then a well placed key change. Something as simple as going from a major to a minor, anything really so long as its placed right. When I heard this song I can honestly say that it gave me chills the first time I heard that. Not even so much because the lyrics but because i felt that I had been on this ride and my emotions followed the music every step of the way. After listening more to the music I started to hear things. I heard another story within the music, its a story of depth and meaning. A story of working towards something, coming to the very edge of what it is that is happening and when it seems that its almost over there is a key change and now its even stronger, more meaningful than ever before. You start to realize that from the very beginning the song was working towards something, and you thought you knew what it was, but you really had no idea. Ah as I sit here and write this i feel my heart racing at the implications of such a story.
A story of a Baby born in a manager who people knew was special, but did they really know just how special? This baby would grow up to be this wonderful teacher who people sought and adored, but did they really know just how wonderful he was? And then he would give his life for all of those people, and all of the people to come after them, he would sacrifice himself, but did they realize fully what kind of a sacrifice it would be, do we realize? And as they are defeated and sad having denied him and feeling as though they had lost him, he appears to them, to the sad and to the lonely, to the those who doubted and those who believed, to those who denied him and asked those four words “do you love me” in this key change in the story where hope is restored and grace is abundant we finally see that although the journey was magnificent in the end they saw what it was really about, it was about love. It was one very GREAT love story.
Ah but it would so easy to leave the story their, its seems fitting but the real truth is that it doesn’t end there, it continues 1 john 3:16-24 says “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.” It doesnt end with Jesus because if we are to be easter people if we are to be followers of Christ then it cant end there. Verse 17 “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” We are called to carry on the song, to make sure that the song doesn’t end and if it means picking up with a different song to carry the message then we do. My friend Sarah (who is the best at finding clips on youtube that will blow you away) showed me this video of a composer that arranges the Taylor Swift Love Story song with Viva La Vida of Coldplay. Its amazing because i feel like it speaks to this idea that just because this song is over with doesn’t mean that its over, we pick it up, we put our story with it and take what was a GREAT love story into an even GREATER love story. We dont do this by word or speech but by truth and action. We are called to act, to have boldness before God and to receive God’s story however we can. To Love God and to Love one another.
There is a great story here, but as I said before there is the potential for so much more depth and that depth comes by adding your own song to the mix, to take the melody of the life of Christ and blend it to the melody of your heart, to take it upon yourself and allow it to change you, to change your tune so that we may be more in tune with the message of Christ, “For he laid down his life for us – and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.” This is what it means to be a christian. Its not saying a prayer, its not being baptized, its not even about going to church. Those things are good but they are nothing if see our brothers and sisters in need and refuse to help.
May we hear the song set before us by the Gospel, may it become etched into our soul so that we are and ever will be a changed people. May we pay tribute to this wonderful song with a song of our own, weaving in our melodies so that we may keep the song that has played for thousands of years going. And may we open ourselves up and realize that real evangelism comes in “laying our lives down for others” because if we can do that, if we can play that song for people, then we are showing people who Christ was and who God is. God is Love.
Special Thanks:
Sarah Meyers Fowarded me this clip and got me on my way. THANKS!
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