I know that there’s a movement within the church to only listen to “christian” music, that is, music by bands that are self-proclaimed Christians, with overtly Christian themes, preferably with repeated references to God, Jesus, or the Lord, put out by “christian” music labels. I have three problems with this idea.
One, it tends to create a very insular society, one in which the body of believers that have been commanded to go into all the world are entirely too comfortable staying inside their little bubble, insulated from the culture around them. While I can certainly appreciate the concern that my fellow believers have for the trends we see in popular culture (really, reality television? Sexting? Paris, Britany, Miley, and Lindsey Lohan?) if we completely insulate ourselves from every facet of it, we risk becoming irrelevant to the people to whom we’re supposed to be going. And we risk missing some awsome stuff.
Two, can we just all admit it? “Christian” entertainment is all too often, at best, mediocre. There are some awesome bands out there, doing awesome stuff. Flyleaf, for instance, gets much respect from me for making it commercially without sacrificing their message. Veggie Tales are absolutely amazing; they get love in the secular and Christian markets. But, and I’m sorry you have to hear this Kirk Cameron, “Fireproof” had a good message, but wasn’t that good a movie. Even Christians agree. So if I want quality, I have to look outside of the “christian” market. If I want innovation, I’ve got to get out of my bubble.
And finally, just because it’s coming from a secular source doesn’t mean they didn’t have something worthwhile, or even, *gasp* scripturally sound, to say. Perhaps they didn’t sit down and write Bible verses into their song. Maybe they didn’t even realize how much Scripture they’d poured into it, or even meant to… but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find God speaking rich truth in surprising places. After all, in Acts, Paul told the Athenians that when they worshiped their unknown god, they’d been worshiping God, the Christian God. And in Romans, he teaches that God makes Himself known to all men, so that man is without excuse. In other words… even when you’re disobedient and insular, God finds ways to make sure mankind knows who He is.
But enough of that; I came to discuss one such song that came from a secular source: OKgo’s “This Too Shall Pass.” They have an awesome (and completely kid-friendly) video on youtube right now, featuring a huge Rube Goldberg machine that they maneuver around as they sing the song. The chorus, which dominates the song, and actually changes, is bright and cheerful, making the song infectious and easy to learn. And the message… well, Beloved, OKgo may not be a “Christian” band, but this is so scripturally sound that it’s practically a sermon, only without the snoring!
The first verse opens talking about the weight that ties you down, and questioning if you’re going to let that hold you back. Hrm. That sounds familiar. There’s something in Hebrew about that… Oh, yes. Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” And Jesus tells us in Matthew “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” He tells us to not look back, and to not let our dead hold us back.
The second verse then goes on to talk about not stopping kids from dancing, and about minds that don’t move and knees that don’t bend. I think that if the first verse is about letting go of the things that hold you back, this second verse is talking about not being hypocritical and not holding others back (especially with the line “especially when you’re already gettin’ yours”). It’s about letting go of the legalism and the traditions and the old way of doing things and understanding that maybe fixed ideas aren’t the best way to go about a thing.
Jesus was a radical. When he came, he did things that violated the laws that the Pharisees had put in place in hopes of guiding the people to salvation. The Pharisees couldn’t see that this was God in flesh, the One who had originally given them the laws that they had then added to, that this was the One who had come to set them free from the legalism that so tightly controlled how far they could walk, what they could eat when, what they could do, who they could talk to, every aspect of their lives, so when He started to challenge them, to break their laws, they were incensed. Furious. Who did he think he was?
He goes around with those… thieves! The tax collectors! Either he’s stupid, and doesn’t know what sort of people they are, or he’s a thief and sinner just like them, and how dare he break their laws and gather a following?!? And he doesn’t fast! That’s just shameful. Even that crazy man out in the desert, John… even his followers fast. And he breaks the Sabbath! That’s one of the big 10! *gasp*
Jesus’ reply was simple. “My followers don’t fast because the bridegroom is with them. When the bridegroom is taken away, then they will fast.” He said “The law was made for man, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the law or the Sabbath.” In other words, He told them, “you’ve got it all backwards. You’ve gotten all bound up in your laws, and you bind others in them. The law was made for you, not you for the law. And why would anyone skip the party when the guest of honor is here? I’m here; it’s time for rejoicing.”
Oh, and was it ever! You see, Beloved, in the beginning, when God made everything, God and man walked together. We shared the earth with God, walking in the cool of the day with him, in a personal relationship with Him. When it says in Genesis chapter 3 that God was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, the original language indicates that this wasn’t a unique event. This was a habit. But that all stopped when Adam and Eve sinned. God left earth. There was no God and man walking in the garden every evening anymore. That gulf was keenly felt.
And then God put on flesh and made his dwelling among us. God with us. Emmanuel. Walking with us. Talking with us. Spending time with us. Hello? God on earth with man again. This is grounds for a party, and who is going to skip this party? Jesus is right; it only makes sense for his followers not to fast while He is with them. Don’t let your rules and traditions hold them back!
You see, beloved, the heart of it all is in the repeated chorus, even as it changes. We tend to forget that we live a temporal, temporary, short existence. Nothing in this life is permanent, and yet, we are destined for eternity. This world we live in, all that we build around us, all of that… it’s all going to pass away. Behold, all things pass away, all things shall be made new. Weeping lasts a night… joy comes in the morning! Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail; they are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness! Where we have ashes, God gives us beauty. Where we have grief, he gives us gladness; despair, praise.
All the burdens in your life? This too shall pass. You can’t let it get you down. It’s all going to pass away. All the legalism that have shaped your existence? This too shall pass. You can’t let it get you down. It’s all going to pass away. Beloved, when the morning comes, and oh, the morning ALWAYS comes, it always comes, the morning brings joy. Let it all go; this too shall pass, when the morning comes.
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