let me introduce you to n.t. wright…

I AM BACK!!
(and I’m not going anywhere for a while, either.)

So I have this friend.  Well, he’s not really my friend, but I wish he was.  I would call him my distant mentor.  He’s teaching me how to be philosophical, theological, and funny at the same time.  He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever read, and you should all read his stuff.  From what I’ve read of his, I’m willing to bet even money that you wouldn’t agree with his stance on a lot of things, but that’s okay; you don’t have to.

N.T. Wright is the bishop of Durham, England.  He’s made a fuss in the theological world over the past few years because he’s been saying some things that aren’t necessarily in line with the established order, but clearly in line with the message of the Bible, and some people don’t deal with difference or change very well.  This spring, I was introduced to him via his book, “Simply Christian,” a book where he walks readers through an explanation and a treatise of the Christian faith that I found moving and insightful; I highly recommend it.  Right now, I am reading his latest work, “Surprised By Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church,” and it’s changing my life.  How is this possible?  Let me be brief, but thorough.

The tagline after the title (Rethinking heaven, the resurrection, and the mission of the church) says it all.  The foundational thought is that the way you understand heaven and the resurrection of Jesus Christ will define how you view the mission of the church, and thus your mission as a follower of Jesus.  If I had to wrap up his thoughts in a statement, I would say this:

The resurrection’s primary implication is that Jesus has done in advance what will be done to all creation when heaven and earth finally meet; his resurrection was a model for our own.  Heaven is not the final resting place; it is, in fact, a “waiting room” of sorts; a place where God’s people reside with King Jesus until the day that the Creator brings heaven onto earth in its fullness and renews his creation.  Sin, and all of its related power and oppression, will be defeated, with death itself being the last enemy to be conquered.  The defeat of death will signify the bodily resurrection of God’s people and the new creation of the cosmos, where God will be physically present and his image-bearing creatures will work with God in the fullness of their self-giving, other-loving relationship to demonstrate his great love to all of creation.  Until then, every follower of Jesus is to live in anticipation of such a reality by rejecting the sin Jesus has defeated and following the same Jesus who reigns over heaven and earth in the authority he’s been given by his Father.

Now, what does any of this have to do with art and beauty?  Everything.  Wright says this:

“We are committed to describing the world not just as it should be, not just as it is, but as – by God’s grace alone! – one day it will be.  And we should never forget that when Jesus rose form the dead, as the paradigm, first example, and generating power of the whole new creation, the marks of the nails were not just visible on his hands and feet.  They were the way he was to be identified.  When art comes to terms with both the wounds of the world and the promise of resurrection and learns how to express and respond to both at once, we will be on the way to a fresh vision, a fresh mission” (224).

Let me straighten this out for you.  Our hope for justice and shalom in this world should come from the fact that Jesus picked a fight with death, and he won.  If we believe that he was raised from the dead, then we believe that sin and death no longer have the power to define and oppress creation.  We believe that there is hope for redemption and renewal for the cosmos by the power and love of Jesus, and we believe that to be a reality RIGHT NOW.  I follow Jesus because he’s committed himself to doing that work and letting me help him out in whatever ways he sees fit.

And so if I follow Jesus, then as an image-bearing creation of the Father I should be committed to creating things that reflect the full reality of Jesus: born to live God’s love on earth, formerly hung, later resurrected, presently reigning and mediating the collision of heaven and earth (and the reception of justice and shalom).

My critique: most Christian art does not give you the impression that full-scale justice and shalom are on their way.  In fact, I would say that most Christian art doesn’t care about the collision of heaven and earth that seems imminent and understood by the vast majority of the New Testament.  Most of the worship songs I know of don’t have the ability to speak beyond personal salvation; writing such a song would amount to attempting to duplicate the Mona Lisa by drawing a black-and-white stick figure of a lady with eyes that follow you around the room.

I happen to think that God’s given a high calling to artists who know and love him.  We happen to be one of the clearer living reflections of the character of God on earth, as we hold the ability to bring things into existence through our imagination.  As such, we have the ability to demonstrate a fullness of his character by “painting pictures of Jesus” that are beautiful and whole.  People will know the character of the Creator by how and what his creation creates.  And so it is okay to write and express personal salvation, for that is part of the character of God.  However, personal salvation is a dollop of whipped cream that rests upon a beautiful pie.  The truth is, personal salvation is too small of a mission for God.  He’s going for the entire cosmos; and your salvation happens to be how he wants to save the rest of the world; so why would we have people sing and pray that this is all they need?  Why would we have people reflect on this as though it’s their key to heaven?

I think that art should make people excited about Jesus and the marriage of heaven and earth.  I think that art should move people to live as though such a marriage is imminent.  I think that art should tell the truth about Jesus.

I think I should get started…

for he is our peace.

This one’s pretty simple…
(click here for audio)

for he is our peace
in his flesh he’s made us one humanity
for he is our peace
by his blood he’s broken walls that divide us in hostility

you draw us all to yourself
you bring us all to your house
so we can know your love and praise your holy name
you draw us all to yourself
you bring us all to your house
so we can know your love and praise your holy name

This one comes directly from Paul’s correspondence to the churches in Ephesus, around AD60. In this particular part of the letter, his claim is that the gaping chasm between the chosen people of Israel and the foreigners has been bridged by Jesus’ death on the cross. He’s speaking directly into the potential temptation for Gentile Christians to feel inferior and separate from their Jewish Christian counterparts. They can look back on a collective past filled with alienation and lostness, and know that they look forward to the same intimacy with Jesus and fellow believers that has been made to Jewish believers. There is an equality of dignity, opportunity, and humanity that comes in the gospel, and the product is seen in the level of unity and community to which they are called.

I wrote this song after being in a discussion with some students about race and hearing the things that were said. I cannot remember all of what was said, but I remember feeling lost and separated in that room. I was lost in a sea of cultural majority, without my experience or my pain being spoken for, validated, advocated for. I felt so small, boxed in by the juxtaposition of some strong opinions and the desire not to shame my brothers and sisters. And as others interacted with comments in the room, the air was filled with subtle, yet painful misunderstanding, tension, and lingering questions everyone was afraid to ask. We were here to talk about race, but nobody was really talking. It made me think about this part of Paul’s letter precisely because of all the talk about breaking dividing walls and fellow citizens and one new man. We were (and we are) 4 different people, not seeking to give any glory to God for who he had made us to be, but seeking to exalt our cultural and ethnic stories because that’s the only way we know to interact with our culture.

But it’s really quite simple. Jesus Christ is one man, looking to turn us into one man, sharing one house, with the same ONE Father, Son, and Spirit. And so there’s no room for us to huddle together in our own ethnic bubbles because there’s no way that Jesus can do what He’s died to do if we’re stuck together in little mono-colored ballons.

When Paul says, “For he is our peace,” he’s talking about shalom. And for the Jewish people, they know how big that is. We translate it as “peace,” but apparently that’s a really watered down summary of the word. From what I understand, shalom implies a togetherness that comes from correct relationships; with people, with God, and with the other elements of creation. Peacefulness is how you can characterize those relationships, but what makes shalom is the complete interconnectedness demonstrated by the peaceful relationships between God, humanity, and nature.

I wrote this song because we need peace. The world needs peace, and the church needs peace. We hear it over and over again: “Sunday is the most segregated day of the week.” And as much as that may make us pause, I think it’s because we’re offended, and not because we’re moved to compassion. Because to stop the segregation on Sunday would mean to stop our racism and prejudice and stereotyping and fear from Monday-Saturday. And if the church won’t obey Jesus and lead our country into renouncing its xenophobia, then who will? We need peace. And that’s Jesus. His broken body on the cross signifies the creation of a salvation that crosses all ethnic and cultural bounds. His blood is the blood of God’s new covenant, available to any and all who believe in him.

Our current witness of Jesus tells people that he doesn’t care about the needy or the stranger, and that’s heresy. Our current witness of Jesus has him hating minorities and despising foreigners, and that’s unbiblical. Here I am, a minority in this country, trying to hear from Jesus that he loves me and has a purpose for my life, and our church is the first to say that I don’t, closely followed by the rest of society. Might you be able to see why I might write such a song? I wrote it for me. I wrote it to listen to when I feel like I’ve been sufficiently lied to and I need to hear the truth. I listen to it when people like Don Imus happen or things like the Jena 6 happen.

I listen to it when I feel like the reason that I decided to follow Jesus could simply be a pipe dream.

the cornerstone of 21st century popular music is…

unoriginality.

I know I’m not supposed to always be critical, but I had a moment last Friday that had me heated. As I listened to the legendary 95.5 KLOS (classic rock – my new favorite station), I heard a familiar lyric, and I was confused…

Take a look at my girlfriend,
’cause she’s the only one I got…

and so on. As I listened to the song unfold, I couldn’t believe it. The one that I’d been listening to for months was just another cheesy cover! I remember telling myself several times that I liked the beat to that song, and though I thought the rap part in it was cheesy, the chorus beat and overall feel kinda made up for it. And it turns out the Gym Class Heroes covered the original done by Supertramp in 1979 (almost 30 years ago!). They even changed the title and the story; GCH’s song is called “Cupid’s Chokehold” and is about a guy who’s talking to his parents about this girl he thinks is “the one,” while Supertramp’s song is called “Breakfast in America,” has no rapping whatsoever, and is about someone wanting to go to America who’s never been before.

“So what, Michael? This happens all the time; it’s called sampling. What’s the big deal?”

Here’s the big deal: everyone’s insecure. There are so few musicians trying to find their voice, their style, their element; and there are so many musicians looking for someone else’s to borrow…take…steal. And what’s the result? You and I are still looking for music and musicians who can inspire us to do something more important than think about ourselves and the significant others we want and the “stuff” we “need.” The shallowness of the lyrics can be matched with the shallowness of the music that accompanies them. People are scrambling through their parent’s old LP’s, searching for a voice and a style they can recreate and have you thinking is original. I’ve been listening to KLOS for about 3-4 months, and I can tell you that between KLOS and KRTH (oldies and a little classic rock), you’re listening to most of what musicians today wish they could do. And get this: it’s so simple!!! Most of them were experimenting with things we take for granted (electric guitars and their effects, piano synthesizers), and they still managed to do it better than most of what I hear on the radio.

Now, I will not do a complete historical analysis of the music that you may hear on these stations, but I can give you some interesting dates:

• Motown Records began in 1959.
• The Beatles, as we know them, came together in 1962.
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience came together in 1966.
• Woodstock took place in 1969.
• Marvin Gaye came out with “What’s Going On” in 1971.
• Bruce Springsteen put out his first album in 1973.
• The Sex Pistols played their first show in 1975.

Some of the most influential rock and r&b artists got their start somewhere during this period. It just so happens that according to this credible website, the Vietnam War took place between those dates. John F. Kennedy was shot in 1963. MLK was shot in 1968, as was Robert Kennedy. The United States was in the midst of the cold war with no sign of resolution. The UK was in the midst of occasional, yet very present conflict with the IRA. The centers of rock and roll and r&b were filled with drama of all types, and part of me thinks that it’s the collision of such drama that cultivated the fertile ground of originality in which the above musicians planted themselves.

Our country has been in the midst of its own drama for a little while, but it seems that much of our generation has planted itself in the rocky soil of quick gratification and social apathy. While some of us care deeply for our government and foreign relations, many of us would rather be left alone. Our music tells the same story. Once in a while, someone like Pink will come along and make people angry by artfully and passionately stating an opinion about something important. But for the most part, the rest of the popular musicians are content to sit idly by and make music about a boy and a girl or something else “not as intense”, thus achieving the escape that most of us now seem to think is the purpose of music.

Why are your musicians afraid of being original? Because they’re afraid to stand face to face with the issues of our day that run laps in our minds and hearts. And why are they afraid to face our core issues? Because they know that they have no answer. They know that all they can see is confusion, conflict, hopelessness, poverty and deceit, and they have nothing to say about it. They can’t respond to it, because they don’t have a solution. They won’t emotionally engage, because that would take too much time and effort. The easiest thing to do is to turn a blind eye to that about which we desperately need to be stirred, called, and moved.

David, the primary poet of the Bible, uses the phrase “new song” 6 times in the Psalms. It is his second usage that I want to leave you with:

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of a miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
(psalm40.1-3)

It is from the place of being rescued, of seeing hope and being saved, that the speaker acknowledges that God gives him a new song. He says that people will hear that new song and see, fear (worship), and trust in God. And this is what musicians are supposed to do. We’re supposed to look upon the desolation in our own lives, and see God rescuing us from it. And then we’re supposed to look upon the desolation of the earth, and know that God is redeeming that too. Then, in the place of rescue and safety, we’ll find that God has given us a new song to sing, acknowledging God for what’s he done for us and for others. And it is this song that moves people, for they experience the Lord, and have no choice but to be moved to see what he’s doing, and partner with him in what he’s doing.

It’s time to sing a new song,
because it’s time for our generation to be moved.

like rain.

I haven’t talked about any of my songs yet, and I think that’s wrong. So I’m gonna show you one.
(for the audio, click here.)

I write a few different types of songs. I write corporate worship songs, I write reflective songs about my faith, and I write rock songs about life. I hope to have the courage to not just talk to you about art, but to also share with you some of mine. My art and my artistry is a work-in-progress, so any thoughts or impressions you may have are much appreciated.

verse 1
I need overflowing grace
I need everlasting love
I need supernatural peace
From you, my Lord

chorus
Like rain, fall down
Like rain, fall down
Like rain, fall down and heal my soul

verse 2
approaching the throne of grace
desiring your words of love
draw near to me, Prince of Peace
come near, my Lord

bridge
oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down
that the mountains might quake at your presence
oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down
that we might be in awe of your presence

Let me take you through the major pieces:

1. Grace/Love/Peace: These are overused words in the church with loads of meaning and significance. I wanted to give people a way to invite those things into their lives that they might be able to relate to. The first verse speaks of each of those things being large in relationship to our need. The second verse gives specific images that point to those things.
2. Like Rain: Psalm68.7-9 says it all. The image of water has always been one that represents life that God offers us, and the image of rain reinforces that lifelike water image with a heavenly element due to its skyward source: O God, when you went out before you people, when you marched through the wilderness,
   the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain before God, the One of Sinai; before God, the God of Israel.
   Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad; you restored your inheritance as it languished.
3. Oh, that you would…: Isaiah64.1 says it clearly, and we can see the quake theme repeated. The imagery here is striking. Imagine that you are sitting in the front row of your favorite movie, and the curtains open slowly to reveal the beginning of the movie. And as the movie begins, the scene is on the Rocky Mountains, exploding by the minute and putting people in danger.

The song is about our need for God and how he wants to be someone in your life that exhibits grace, love, and peace in you. The tone switches throughout the song, from a baseline need for God to a need for an experience with God, with the desire for God’s presence as the foundation and the desire for God’s powerful coming into our lives as the surrounding landscape. I love Isaiah64.1 because of its dramatic picture of God entering our world and messing things up and coming powerfully and personally into our lives. We can immediately dispel the idea that Elohim isn’t close to us and that he doesn’t want to show up and be strong for us, and we can continue our journey with our God knowing that he is generous to grant to us himself when we need him.

Amen.