No empty words...

I have a confession.  I have no musical talent whatsoever.  This is not news for those of you who have had the unfortunate fate of sitting in a pew beside me or joining in our family “singing” prayer at dinnertime.  I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.  The only thing I play well is the radio.  Oh, I wish I could sing, and on the rare occasion when I hit the right note I can assure you it is purely accidental.  I envy those who can sing and play more instruments than I can name.  How I would love to be able to sing like James Taylor or Jack Johnson.  I’ve long said that it’s probably best that I can’t, because if I could I would just sit at home singing to myself all day.  

I’ve also long believed that we don’t know the power songs hold over us. When I was a youth pastor I often had to call my youth on the songs they posted to their Myspace page.  There was one song in particular I had to tell a young lady that I couldn’t even talk to her about the meaning, but would be willing to print out the words and give them to her father so he could discuss the songs meaning with her.  It was pure audio pornography.  She wrote back to me that she had no idea what the words were until she googled the lyrics to the song.  She was sufficiently embarrassed and immediately took the song off of her account.  Music, it’s more than instruments and a beat.  There is a message.  

As I read in my devotion this morning, Moses was given a song in Deuteronomy 32.  In Deut. 31:19 Moses was commanded to “write this song and teach it to the people of Israel.  Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel.”  Verse 22 tells us that Moses wrote the “song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel.”  If you are interested, you can read the song in Deut. 32:1-43. It is a sharp warning of turning from the one true God to false gods.  This was no “feel good” song that you would walk down the street humming as you walked in the sunshine of His love.  This song was ripe with meaning and promise.  And when Moses taught it to the people of Israel it was more than the latest fad to get them in the spirit of worship.  

Moses continued in verses 46-47 saying “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children that they may be careful to do all the words of this law.  For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”  This song was not only for them, but for them to command their children so they might obey God.  There were no empty words in this song! It was not just for their enjoyment, “but your very life”.  

At one point I took my youth to a “Christian concert” that was broadly promoted to churches within our city.  I had heard a couple of their songs previously and had thought it would be a good outing for the youth.  Positively, I will say that the group gave it their all.  By the end of the concert every member of the band was drenched in the sweat of their efforts to play and (my assumption) entertain.  You can imagine my dismay when midway through the concert one of the singers proclaimed that what they do is “party for Jesus.”  Somehow I think our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ in various parts of the world might take offense to that.  I hung my head in shame that I took youth to see a band that proudly proclaimed that partying for Jesus was kind of “their deal.”  

In stark contrast to that band, I’ve got a friend here in South Africa who is here on a 2 year assignment working with the churches here in regards to their music.   One thing is for sure, Jeremy has a passion for music and glorifying God through music!  I think of my music minister in the states, Will and how intently he prepares both music and his musicians to be leaders in worship weekly.  I think of artists like Shane and Shane whose music is filled with Scripture.  Music is more than instruments and a beat.  There is a message.  

While we certainly can’t claim ignorance as to the words we sing in Church (either by hymnal or by screen), we might be guilty of not meaning what we are singing.  I know the heart of the girl who had an inappropriate song on her Myspace page and know she truly didn’t mean to communicate that message.  Everything in her life before and after that incident indicates a growing relationship with Christ.  I wonder if we are guilty of singing songs in church that we really don’t mean as evidenced by our life before and after Sunday.  I wonder if even those who truly are trying to live daily for Christ really give the appropriate weight and attention to the music we sing in Church or hum along with on the radio on our way to work.  The song that God gave to Moses to teach the Isrealites was a warning... what are our songs teaching us?  Think about the last music you listened to.  What was it?  What did it teach?  

Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t believe that the only music you can listen to is Christian music.  Maybe I should only listen to Christian music.   Maybe those who are a little further along in their spiritual journey do. But some of my favorite artists are not Christian.  As I listen to various artists like James Taylor, Jack Johnson and Coldplay (none of which do I know their spiritual persuasion) I have to actively listen to the words that are being sung.  I have three young children who are complete sponges when it comes to music and I want to make sure that the messages they hear are not ones that would draw them away from God.  I need to make sure the messages I hear do not draw me away from God.  Music, its more than instruments and a beat.  There is a message.