Easter ~ The New Beginning!

I must say that it was this song (Sunday Morning) by K-Os that pushed me to finally put together this playlist. The refrain repeats over and over "Everyday is Saturday night, but I can't wait for Sunday morning." It is such a happy and upbeat song, and I realized it fits perfectly into that transition between the emptiness of Saturday and the joy of Sunday. I heard or read part of an interview with K-Os, who spoke of the night life of Toronto and how everyone is so focused on the Saturday nights - the parties, the clubs, the hook-ups, etc. But there is just something different about Sunday morning that calls to us. Sunday hearkens back to memories of our grandparents' church and family meals. For us as Christians, there is also the sense that too often we get caught in the pain of Friday or the emptiness of Saturday. Every day of the week becomes a Saturday night - a time of excessive living in this world. But week after week, I find I can't wait 'til Sunday morning - Sunday when everything is made new, Sunday when we become aware of the risen Christ all around us, Sunday when we celebrate the joy of God's promises fulfilled.

Of course, I couldn't end with Saturday night. Even Mel Gibson threw a few seconds of Resurrection in at the end of his movie. Now that Sunday is here, we need to be reminded that Jesus is still here with us. Ben Harper speaks of the Picture of Jesus, which we keep with us "for the times [we] feel lost." Not only that but we ourselves are called to be a picture of Jesus. Though it may lead to our own crucifixion, we are called to continue to be a picture of Jesus for the rest of the world. We must listen to the prayers of those around us. We must use the gifts God has given us to be a blessing to those in need. As Christians, we claim to be the continuing body of Christ in this world. We are baptized into this body, and then the body is fed at the table. So this Sunday, and every Sunday, look at those gathered with you at the table to see a picture of Jesus. Then make sure that Jesus' ministry is carried on, so that others may know God's love.

Christ is risen indeed!

The Triduum ~ The End...?

The Triduum, the last three days. Jesus has entered Jerusalem, knowing what is to come, while his disciples are still trying to figure it all out. This is where it is all supposed to happen. Passover...when we remember God's deliverance. Gathered in a small room, Jesus calls the disciples to serve others, to carry on all that he has begun. He again tells them that he will be going on without them, that they will have to continue the works of mercy and healing that he has shown the world. And this call is what I hear every time I hear Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. When the song asks if we will "be the savior of the broken the beaten and the damned?...Because one day, I'll leave you" I always think of Jesus' call to continue his work once he is gone. And I respond with the song that "we'll carry on" in the memory of the one who came to save.

Of course, it couldn't end there. Not all of the disciples were happy about things. If Jesus is the Messiah, shouldn't things be different? Why are we traveling around healing people and talking to the poor instead of kicking out the Roman oppressors? Judas had become disillusioned; why, we may never know (at least not this side of heaven). But out of his disillusionment, he betrayed the one he had also come to love. Ani di Franco's song, Dilate, shows just this sort of struggle, the struggle between love and disillusionment, between devotion and betrayal.

And then of course, there is Peter. After Jesus is arrested and taken away, Peter is "accused" of being one of his followers. He is afraid to admit it, and yet he is ashamed once he realizes his denial. I tried to imagine something in our contemporary world that evokes the same feelings of denial and shame. When I heard In Denial by Pet Shop Boys, I knew I had found my song and my example. The song portrays a father who denies that he is gay and feels ashamed both of his sexuality as well as his "need" to deny it. Throughout the song, his daughter tries to encourage him to be true to who he is. Even in a world with greater openness for all people, there are still those who feel they must deny who they are, while at the same time feeling great shame for their denials.

After Jesus has been arrested and abandoned by those he was closest to, he is tried, beaten and nailed to a cross as a criminal. I imagine this must have been the loneliest day of his life, to the point where he feels abandoned even by his Father. But at least he survives. It was a tough choice between two different System of a Down songs for Friday. Chop Suey includes some of the last words of Jesus, but ultimately Lonely Day spoke more of the sense of loneliness that I felt Jesus must have experienced.

And then we come finally to the loneliness of Saturday. It was all supposed to turn out differently. Jesus was supposed to be the one to change things, the Messiah, God's chosen one. But today, he is dead, buried, and the Romans are still in charge. As I thought of the sense of emptiness that the disciples must have felt, I thought of My Immortal by Evanescence. There is just something about the haunting voice, the sense of emptiness and loss, that speaks to what the disciples must have been feeling this day. And yet, in the midst of this we have the ability to remember that Christ is still here. The story hasn't ended quite yet.

Palm Sunday ~ Queen - We Are the Champions

Though many churches have begun celebrating the last Sunday of Lent as Palm/Passion Sunday, I decided that for the purposes of this list, I could actually keep the traditional feasts separate. Traditionally, the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was celebrated on the last Sunday before Easter, and the passion was celebrated beginning on Thursday night. Of course, I think that "triumphal entry" is both highly accurate and extremely misleading. Palm Sunday is the day we commemorate the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. After his time of ministry throughout Israel, he enters Jerusalem amidst cheers and calls for God's saving strength. But this is where we come to the misleading part - Jesus did not come to lead a violent uprising. Everyone was expecting him to come in strength and power, and instead, he comes riding a donkey. So I label this song The Disciples' Song, because I feel it better represents their feeling on entering Jerusalem. Jesus enters in his power, but also knowing that the victory to come will not come as others expect. Jesus knows what the coming days will hold. The disciples, Jesus' friends that never seem to catch on, are the ones with the expectations of what this entry means. And so, much as my friends and I after winning an academic team competition, the disciples are entering town with the trophy raised high while Queen blares from the stereo...while Jesus again tries to help them learn what it means to be a servant king.

Fifth Sunday of Lent ~ U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name

One of the themes for the fifth Sunday of Lent is "God does a new thing." In other words, God is making all things new and the old ways of doing things pass away. Our criteria for measuring success are no longer based on earthly models, but on God. As I thought about this theme, I was reminded of a retreat that I participated in once. The theme of the retreat was Spiritual Formation through the Arts. During the primary presentation, our speaker was using themes from music to point to spiritual realities. He talked about the eschatological theme behind this U2 song. In certain areas of Ireland, he said, what street one lived on could say a lot about what camp the person falls into. Protestants live on certain streets and Catholics on others. So a person would be judged based on what street they were from. Bono's wish is for a place where the streets have no names, a place where these petty distinctions will no longer be used as criteria to decide who is in and who is out. This is the promised land that God is ushering in through the Messiah - a place where our differences are included but not used to discriminate. What a wonderful place that will be! So let us work together to "tear down the walls" that we have put up to divide ourselves.

Fourth Sunday of Lent ~ Indigo Girls - You and Me of the 10,000 Wars

The primary themes for the fourth Sunday of Lent are mercy and forgiveness. Of course, in a culture where we are not actually to blame for anything we do, what is the point of forgiveness? When we are not actually the cause of anything we do, where does mercy come in? The truth is that regardless of who is at fault, we are called to live in peace with one another. This requires forgiveness and mercy. When we see the pain in another's life, when we recognize our own participation in the sins around us, when we begin to discover the pain we carry with us from past hurts - this is where we find the need for mercy and forgiveness. It is difficult to start on the road to healing with obstacles in the way; mercy and forgiveness begin the process of clearing the road blocks that get in the way of our relationships with one another. This Indigo Girls song speaks well of both the fine line that we walk in our relationships with one another and the need for forgiveness. This song speaks to the constant flow of hurts - both big and small - that are a part of our relationships with one another - the 10,000 wars. But there in the midst of it all, we find recognition of mercy - the open arms inviting us back, even in the face of the wrongs we have done. So let us "sweep the ashes" away and enjoy the silence that comes when we cease to fight. "A moment of peace is worth every war behind us."

Third Sunday of Lent ~ Pet Shop Boys - It's A Sin

One of the primary themes for the third Sunday of Lent is repentance. Repentance involves a recognition of past wrong and a commitment to turning around and going a new direction. When we repent, we express our sorrow for our past sins and a desire to change for the better in the future. This melds perfectly with the lyrics to It's A Sin. The song recognizes that each of us is to blame for our own faults; if we have done wrong, we are the ones in the need of forgiveness. And through our recognition of our faults, we find the courage to seek that forgiveness from those we have wronged. The great news is that even when we try to do good and fail, God still offers us forgiveness. Even when we fail to learn from our mistakes, God's arms are open to welcome us back.

Second Sunday of Lent ~ The Pretenders - I'll Stand by You

The primary theme for the second Sunday of Lent is God's faithfulness. No matter how much we screw up, God keeps welcoming us back. God does not give up on us. While thinking of a song to represent this, I heard this Pretenders song on another CD I had put together years ago. If we put the words of this song into God's mouth, we can begin to get some idea of what Gods' faithfulness really means. It the midst of our pain and doubt, we can remember that God knows exactly what we are going through. In Jesus Christ, God became human and lived a life here on earth. He was born, he grew up, learned a trade, made friends, and dealt with love and loss. I am sure that along the way, Jesus also experienced guilt and shame and sadness. God walks with us, even when we don't know which way to go, and God will walk with us through the darkness (Psalm 23). So remember, when you are feeling overwhelmed, insignificant, and unworthy, God's arms are opened in welcome, and you hear God say, "nothin' you confess, could make me love you less."

First Sunday of Lent ~ Carl Thomas Gladstone - Just a Tempter

One of the themes for the first Sunday of Lent is the temptation of Jesus. The gospel lesson looks at the end of Jesus' forty day fast in the wilderness following his baptism. This was a time of preparation for Jesus to begin the ministry that God had called him to. It is also one of the primary stories that the Church has used to create the forty days of Lent. As his forty day fast comes to an end, Jesus finds himself in the presence of the tempter. The tempter tempts him to feed himself, to test God, and to take power for himself. Jesus is able to resist these temptations. We enter the forty days of Lent seeking to resist our own temptations. As I was thinking of a song to use for this day, I picked Carl Gladstone's "Just a Tempter" because he does such a good job of helping us to see the temptation of Christ in a contemporary setting. What are the temptations we have to deal with everday? I can't fully comprehend what it means to fast for forty days; I don't know what it would mean to be that hungry. But I have been tempted in other ways. By retelling the story in the way he does, Carl helps to make the story of Jesus' temptation real for me.

Ash Wednesday ~ Hoobastank - The Reason

Sometimes, trying to put Jesus in as the subject of a song is more than just a little bit cheesy (or maybe it always is). But in this case, I couldn't think of a better song for Ash Wednesday. The whole point of this song is recognizing our imperfection and the pain we have caused another. For those of us who are Christians, we recognize our imperfection in the face of Jesus and we know the pain that we cause others everyday, whether intentional or not. These others see our imperfections on a daily basis. But it is also through Jesus that we find the strength to change our lives. In Jesus, we are made new. Jesus is "The Reason" that we are able to become better people, for I think that those of us who have tried have recognized our own inability to create lasting change for ourselves. We need a reason, a model, a source of strength. Fortunately, Jesus is there for us. So, as we enter this season of penitence and renewal, I hope that you can hear this song and feel yourself thinking that you, too, have a reason for changing "who [you] used to be, a reason to start over new, ..a reason for all that [you] do."

Songs for the Journey: Lent

A couple of years ago, while getting some music together for a road trip, I noticed a mix CD of April's called Happy Advent! It was a CD that her roommate Courtney had given her. I think we were nearing Lent at the time, and I said, "I wonder what a mix CD for Lent would sound like?" It kind of stuck in my head. Then last year, as I was preparing a sermon for Lent, I was looking for a theme, and came across a list of themes on the General Board of Discipleship worship website for each Sunday of Lent. So starting there, I put together a playlist for each of the major days/events of Lent.

Ash Wednesday ~ Piety & Reconciliation

Hoobastank - The Reason

Lent Week 1 ~ Temptation of Jesus

Carl Thomas Gladstone - Just a Tempter

Lent Week 2 ~ God's Faithfulness & Our Resistance

The Pretenders - I'll Stand By You

Lent Week 3 ~ Repentance & Trust

Pet Shop Boys - It's a Sin

Lent Week 4 ~ Prodigal Mercy/Forgiveness

Indigo Girls - You and Me of the 10,000 Wars

Lent Week 5 ~ God Does a New Thing

U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name

Palm Sunday ~ Triumphant Entry (The Disciples' Song)

Queen - We Are the Champions

Maundy Thursday ~ Call to Servanthood

My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade

Judas' Song ~ Disillunsionment & Betrayal

Ani diFranco - Dilate

Peter's Song ~ Denial & Shame

Pet Shop Boys w/ Kylie Minogue - In Denial

Good Friday ~ Jesus' Song

System of a Down - Lonely Day

Holy Saturday ~ Loss & Emptiness

Evanescence - My Immortal

Easter Vigil

K-OS - Sunday Morning

Easter

Ben Harper w/ Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Picture of Jesus

I'll talk about why I chose these songs in upcoming posts. I am also planning to create playlists for the other seasons of the church year, but that may take me as long as this one did. :)