Monday, March 16, 2009

Wisdom from unorthodox sources - Part 1

Let's admit it: sometimes churches take themselves too seriously. Sometimes musicians are too stuffy. Sometimes wisdom can be found in the oddest and most unexpected of places - a diamond in the rough.

As an eclectic musician, I find inspiration in a range of places - songs and lyrics that make me smile or make me think. We can't bring all music into our worship services, but we can take a Lutheran understanding out into the world where we can laugh or think (or both). So here's the first in a new series of unorthodox songs that I hope will make you hum to yourself and smile and discover God in the least likely of places.

Do you recognize Susan Sarandon from the picture and have you guessed the source? Here's the lyric that I'm "Christianizing" today:

"In the velvet darkness of the blackest night,
Burning bright,
There's a guiding star.
No matter what or who you are,
There's a light..."

Our light is Christ (not the Frankenstein place), but wouldn't it be great if we could always spread the Gospel with such popularity, energy, and fun!

3 comments:

  1. Should we "toast" this music at church? It is what I still consider Barry Bostwick's best work.

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  2. It is interesting to me that Tim Curry's father was a Methodist Royal Navy Chaplain, so maybe your "Christianizing" of the lyric is not that far off the mark

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  3. I will take the liberty of moving away from music for a minute to the topic of unorthodox sources. Tillich says that all truth is God's truth. I have found in particular that some of the Buddhist and Native American beliefs about God contain truths that incorporate nicely with Lutheran perspectives. One of the goals of the Reformation was to have a personal God without intermediaries. Sometimes I think we tend to lose sight of that, relying on the pastor to interpret truth for us. It is spring! Go out and see the miracle that is happening all around you, and make it a part of your "wisdom."

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