21. Rock Goes The Gospel - Pink Floyd "Money"

The Pink Floyd Track "Money" Is on the second half of the album "Dark side of the Moon" When released this album was a formidable concept album. The album is a cautionary tale in two parts. The first half of the album explores the philosophical and physical ideas that can lead to a person's insanity, and describes living a life that goes unfulfilled. The second half of the album is a kind of madness in it's own right, as it explores the root causes to the problem mentioned in the first half of the album.

"Money" begins in an unusual time signature and lots of studio effects. Pink Floyd were using a new 16-track recorder, which allowed them to layer sounds much easier, but complex studio techniques like this still took a long time to do in 1973, as there weren't digital recorders and samplers available like we have today. If you wanted to copy and paste something, you had to do it the hard way - with a razor blade and splicing tape

Pink Floyd takes advantage of the limits of technology during this time period (or the necessary pause in the album) to change how they are going to continue discussing the topic of insanity and living an unfulfilled life. The first half of the album takes a more hands on and personal experience with the subject matter, while the second half of the album explores the subject matter in more philosophical type of setting.

Money is about greed and the illusion of a life well lived that comes with having an excess of wealth. The first verse of the song focuses on the excesses of money, consumerism, and peoples desire to grab and horde as much cash or wealth as possible. The second verse continues with the subject of the desire to grab more money, while also introducing the lengths people will go to in order to protect the money and possessions they have acquired. The third and final verse focuses on the negative philosophical issues that money brings to a society, which include the ideas that ordinary people will never be able to increase their stash of money to match the wealthy, and the idea that money is the root of all evil. The cash registers and money sounds that are used to underscore the whole song sound mechanical and lifeless. The mechanical money sounds are like a metaphor for the way people mechanically work the same job day in and day out for 40 plus years. People of course work harder, motivated by earning more money, but a lot of people ultimately waste their lives with this mentality. So the idea with the song Money is that the concept of wealth is one of the illusions or ideas that can be the cause of a person wasting their life, or it can be used to ruin the lives of others.

As Money fades out a spoken voice dialogue describing a fight begins. This is a segue into Us and Them which deals with conflict and inequality. It's inclusion on Money instead of Us and Them suggests that money is also a cause of conflict.

In the song lyrics for "Money, we find the poignant lyrics "Money so they say, is a root of all evil today" This paraphrase from the New Testament - 1 Timothy 6:10: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."

Money, get away

Get a good job with more pay
And your O. K.

Money, it's a gas
Grab that cash with both hands
And make a stash

New car, caviar, four star daydream
Think I'll buy me a football team

Money get back
I'm all right Jack
Keep your hands off my stack

Money, it's a hit
Don't give me that
Do goody good bullshit

I'm in the hi-fidelity
First class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet

(Sax and guitar solos)

Money, it's a crime
Share it fairly
But don't take a slice of my pie

Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil
Today

But if you ask for a rise
It's no surprise that they're
Giving none away
Away
Away
Away
Away...

"Hu Huh! I was in the right!"
"Yes, absolutely in the right!"
"I certainly was in the right!"
"You was definitely in the right. That geezer was cruising for a bruising!"
"Yeah!"
"Why does anyone do anything?"
"I don't know, I was really drunk at the time!"
"I was just telling him, he couldn't get into number 2. He was asking
Why he wasn't coming up on freely, after I was yelling and
Screaming and telling him why he wasn't coming up on freely.
It came as a heavy blow, but we sorted the matter out"

Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount tackles the same problem as Paul. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). This verse comes at the end of a passage in which Jesus tells us to “lay up treasures in heaven” (v. 19). Here, Jesus likens a “love of money” to idolatry. He refers to money as a “master” we serve at the expense of serving God. We are commanded by God to have “no other gods” before the only true and living God (Exodus 20:3; the first commandment). Anything that takes first place in our lives other than our Creator God is an idol and makes us guilty of breaking the first commandment.

Jesus had much to say about wealth. His most memorable conversation about money is His encounter with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16–30). The young man asks Jesus what he must do to obtain eternal life, and Jesus tells him to follow the commandments. When the man tells Jesus that he has done all that, Jesus tests his ability to obey the first commandment and tells him to sell all his possessions and give it to the poor and to follow Him. The young man couldn’t do this; his wealth had become an idol—it was his master!

After this encounter, Jesus turns to His disciples and says, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:23–24). This is a hard saying, especially for people who live in today's rich society. Jesus is saying that wealth is one of the biggest obstacles to coming to faith in Christ. The reason is obvious: wealth becomes a slave master in our lives and drives us to do all sorts of things that drive us further and further away from God. The good news is that what is impossible for man, entering into the Kingdom of God, is possible with God (Matthew 19:26). Even if you leave faith out of this Jesus gives good advice. "Don't let money rule you life as it will drive you away from all that is good and wholesome, for the love of money may be a burden that you cannot bear" 

Jesus might agree with Pink Floyd's expose on "Money" as wealth is one of the illusions or ideas that can be the cause of a person wasting their life, or it can be used to ruin the lives of others.

What do you think about Money? 

20. Rock Goes The Gospel - Genesis "Follow You, Follow Me"

"Follow You Follow Me" is a 1978 single by Genesis. The music was written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins, and Mike Rutherford, with lyrics by Rutherford. Originally released as the last track from their 1978 album …And Then There Were Three…, the single was Genesis's first to reach the American Top 40 (peaking at number 23) and UK Top 10 (number 7). It paved the way for the more radio-friendly direction Genesis would take over the next decade. The slower, sentimental "Follow You Follow Me" was not intended to be a hit single and was a departure from most of their previous work as a progressive rockband, as well as much of the rest of the album, featuring a simple melody, romantic lyrics and a verse-chorus structure. Although previous albums contained love ballads, such as Selling England by the Pound's "More Fool Me" and "Your Own Special Way" from Wind & Wuthering, "Follow You Follow Me" was the first worldwide pop success by the group and gained the band play on adult contemporary and pop music stations. The band all agreed that their music was attracting mainly male audiences. This song was written specifically to redress the balance.

Stay with me,
My love I hope you'll always be
Right here by my side if ever I need you
Oh my love

In your arms,
I feel so safe and so secure
Everyday is such a perfect day to spend
Alone with you

I will follow you will you follow me
All the days and nights that we know will be
I will stay with you will you stay with me
Just one single tear in each passing year

With the dark,
Oh I see so very clearly now
All my fears are drifting by me so slowly now
Fading away

I can say
The night is long but you are here
Close at hand, oh I'm better for the smile you give
And while I live

I will follow you will you follow me
All the days and nights that we know will be
I will stay with you will you stay with me
Just one single tear in each passing year there will be

I will follow you will you follow me
All the days and nights that we know will be
I will stay with you will you stay with me
Just one single tear in each passing year...

"Follow you, Follow me" is all about the undying love between two people. With sentiments of "I will stay with you" "I feel so safe and secure" etc...It's a departure in the Genesis way. Normally up to this point they were more into singing about giant mice, or spaceships, or other weird things. But in this album Genesis front man Gabriel had gone. They went through 400 casting for a new front man only to come up with their drummer Collins. Gabriel was a baritone. Collins a tenor. Because it was going to be difficult for Collins to play the drums and be the front man. They went back to casting again for a new drummer. The song was produced to make them appealing to a more female audience.

The first time I heard this song I was hooked. It was a time in my own adolescence that I too was looked for girls and wanting that kind of love that was spoken of in this song "Follow You, Follow Me. This was the first Genesis song that I heard and was also hooked on the band after that. I bought an army jacket off of the back of this song and sewed rock patches all over it, started growing my hair long and went off looking for love. Did I find it........That's another story!

You could say that the over riding theme in the song is that of love, undying love, love that will always be there. That will never fade away or run dry, go stale or be robbed from you. I guess this is the kind of love that we all wish for at some time in our lives. This is essentially a love song and for my money a good one at that. I grant you it's not a guitar rifting anthem but in 1978 for me it was a winning combination then and still is now.

Paul the great apostle writes to a church in Corinth about many things but in the 13th Chapter of his letter to the church in Corinth he delivers these words about undying love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

"1If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

This is a passage I often use at weddings as an example of what love looks like. The kind of love that is PATIENT, KIND, NOT ENVIOUS, NOT BOASTFUL, NOT PROUD, NOT DISHONOURABLE, NOT SELF-SEEKING, NOT EASILY ANGERED, KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS, PROTECTS, TRUSTS, PERSEVERES. NEVER FAILING. This is the kind of love that is worth following after. this is the kind of love that stands the test of time. Sadly some have not found this kind of love and have become damaged in the looking. For others that have followed and found this kind of love. 

The Apostle John speaking about love says these awesome words "God is Love" 1 John 4:7-9. One way of understanding this is that the Love we seek is so awesome, so wonderful, so true that to have it and apprehend it is like capturing God and pursuing God should evoke the same passion as pursuing love. There are of course more ways to understand this passage than just this way.  

In the song "Follow you Follow" me we have these words"Right here by my side if ever I need you" These are words that speak of the companionship of love. To have that is treasure indeed. To know love is what we were all made for.

19. Rock Goes The Gospel - Neil Young "Heart of Gold"

Any Neil Young fans out there know that "Heart of Gold" is also a song title. But it's much more than a song. It's become such a popular phrase that you'd be hard-pressed not to hear it around now and again. People with hearts of gold might be rare, but this phrase sure isn't. We hear it all the time when someone is talking about how totally generous and earnest someone is. Simply put saying that appears in the song lyrics are a combination of two things that are precious. The "Heart" and "Gold" Two things that many think are worth searching for. If found people with the "Hearts of Gold" are worth hanging onto.

"I wanna live, I wanna give
I've been a miner for a heart of gold
It's these expressions I never give
Keeps me searching for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old
They keep me searching for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old

I've been to Hollywood, I've been to redwood
I've crossed the ocean for a heart of gold
I've been in my mind, its such a fine line,
That keeps me searching for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old
It keeps me searching for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old

Keeps me searching for a heart of gold,
Keeps me searching and I'm growing old
Keeps me searching for a heart of gold
I've been a miner for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old."

The song "Heart of Gold" features backup vocals of James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, and is one of a series of soft acoustic pieces which were written partly as a result of a back injury. Young was unable to stand for long periods of time and simply could not play his electric guitar. Because of the back injury he returned to his acoustic guitar, which he could only play sitting down. He also played his harmonica during the three instrumental portions, including the introduction to the song.

The general theme of the song is about "Searching"  and it sees the person in the song visiting different places to try and find what he is looking for. In the song the thing that is being searched for is "A Heart of Gold" By this it is a assumed that the narrator in the song is looking for something outside of himself - The "Heart of Gold" or it also could mean that the narrator is hoping that he will find in himself a "Heart of Gold" No matter the theme is self evident.. that of "Quest" or "Searching".

Searching also is a grand theological theme that we find through the bible. These are just a few references to that theme.

Abraham left his home in search of a land God promised him. Moses and the children of Israel left Egypt in search of the promised land. 

In Deuteronomy 4:29-31 we find the grand scale theme of searching for God. 

"But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. "When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. "For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them"

In the Psalms we find the search for God 

1. Psalm 14:2  "The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God" 

2. Psalms 27:8 "When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, O LORD, I shall seek."

The Prophets speak of the search for God

1. Isaiah 55:6  "Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near"

2. Jeremiah 29:13 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart"

The New Testament Gospels also contains the grand theme of "Searching" We find People who are searching for wholeness, like the blind, the lame and the lepers.  We find Jesus using stories about searching In Luke 15 Jesus tells stories of Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son and the searching for them. In the Acts of the Apostles as well as in the epistles we can find the early church and the apostles "Searching". We also find references to the people these early pioneers spoke to. "Searching is a fundamental" Theological theme in the bible. 

Here are a few more "Searching" passages from the New Testament.

1. Matthew 13:44-46 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

2. Luke 11:9-10 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened"

3. Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him"

Perhaps the greatest "Searching" passage of the gospels is found in Matthew's gospel chapter 6.

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you"

What is it that is worth searching for in the first place. Riches, Power, Position, Pleasure. These are fleeting things. These are finite things, things that in themselves won't last. Surely that which should be given time to seek and search for is eternal and will never fade out. A life with Jesus, Love, Joy, Peace. God himself.

What's worth the "Searching"  for Neil Young it's a "Heart of Gold" What is it for you?

18. Rock Goes The Gospel - Lynyrd Skynyrd "Simple Man"

Frontman Johnny Van Zant discussed this song in a track-by-track commentary to promote the band's 2010 CD/DVD Live From Freedom Hall. He said: "Well that's a great song and 

"Simple Man" is a heartfelt song about the mother-son relationship. This song proves that the Southern boys of Lynyrd Skynyrd were capable of stepping outside of their redneck-zone, and write meaningful lyrics.  Song has a nice acoustic rhythm section along with a usual electric-guitar solo.  Though the song was never released as a single, it still remains very popular and accordingly, has become a fixture on their live setlist. Current frontman of the band, Johnny Van Zant, has said that Simple Man "is just a great song and one that stays in the set and the crowd always goes crazy on that one. Simple man is something that I think we all live by. I think anybody out there needs to respect their mother, and the words of their mother. It's mama talking to you in that song and I think it's probably one of my favourite's if not my favourite to do live."

The theme in this son is a mother speaking to her son about the future and growing up. It's a heartfelt song on parenting and the future.

Mama told me when I was young
Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say.
And if you do this
It will help you some sunny day.
Take your time... Don't live too fast,
Troubles will come and they will pass.
Go find a woman and you'll find love,
And don't forget son,
There is someone up above.

[Chorus:]
And be a simple kind of man.
Be something you love and understand.
Baby, be a simple kind of man.
Oh won't you do this for me son,
If you can?

Forget your lust for the rich man's gold
All that you need is in your soul,
And you can do this if you try.
All that I want for you my son,
Is to be satisfied.

[Chorus]

Boy, don't you worry.
You'll find yourself.
Follow your heart,
And nothing else.
You can do this,
If you try.
All that I want for you my son,
Is to be satisfied.

[Chorus]

Baby, be a simple, be a simple man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby, be a simple kind of man

A simple theme for a simple song - "Life in the future" The mother in the song is giving advice to her son about how he must live his life in the days ahead. We find other thoughts of satisfaction, happiness, love, achievement that is measured not in money but in contentment.

Paul the great apostle writes about the simple life. He says it in this way "ASPIRE TO LIVE QUIETLY" and "MIND YOUR OWN AFFAIRS" 

1 Thessalonians 4:10-12

"But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one"

In the book of proverbs in the Message bible we find these words.

Proverbs 15:16

"A simple life in the Fear-of-God is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches"

Proverbs 10:29

"The strength of a simple man is the way of the Lord..........The way of the Lord giveth strength to an honest person"

Lets face it most of us are caught up in the "rat race" of life. We run from one thing to the next. Work, Family, Home and back to work again. Our time is consumed by business. (Busy - ness) From time to time we feel the stress that this places on our lives and the lives of our families. If we are honest some of us who are caught up in this endless cycle do yearn for a simpler way of being. I remember talking to a person who had simplified his life and he was commenting "I got off the merry-go-round and it is great" To really live the "Simple Life" or to really become a "Simple man" or "Simple Woman" with simple desires we will have to begin to see things differently and change a few things as well. There may be things we will have to give up, there may be other things we will have to start. the "Simple Life" will effect out work, our travel. our food, our money, our community, our home. We cannot hope to live a "Simple Life" unless we are willing to change our lives to be simple. what would that look like.

Jesus in the gospels lived a simple kind of existence. "That was then" I hear you cry. Maybe so, but there are principles that we can learn from Jesus to apply to our "Simple Life"  He had time for people. (He had "time") Time is commodity that we will need to safeguard if we want to live in a simple way. He spent moments with people and with out people. Attachment and Detachment. Both incredibly important. He ate in community. To often we eat alone, or the company we have is the TV. Jesus travelled and met new people. This too is a great thing for simplicity. Jesus received and gave hospitality. We need to learn this if the simple life is what we are after. 

"Be a simple kind of Man" or woman. 

Lets be intentional about what things can go and what we need to hang on to. Here is a suggestion for you to get you on the journey. A few years ago a was so busy that I was nearing "Burnout" so the Leadership team of the church I'm pastor at suggested that I take the summer of to simplify things. I found a little Grove Booklet entitled "De-Cluttering" Click HERE to purchase it.

It was the beginning for me on this journey.

17. Rock Goes The Gospel - Bruce Springsteen "Hungry Heart"

The begins starts with a brief drum fill then moves straight into the main melody, played by the piano. The saxophone then honks away, and the song has a 50's-60's feel to it. Bruce shouts "Yeah!" and then starts singing. But the relentlessly upbeat music is fitted to uneasy and uncomfortable lyrics.

 "Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, jack/I went out for a ride and I never went back." 

So here we are in the first two lines of the song and already we find out that the person in the song has a wife and kids, and one day he simply up and leaves them. The song does not get into what reason does the person in the song give for his actions? 

"Like a river that don't know where it's flowin'/ I took a wrong turn and I just kept goin'." 

There are no excuses in the song, no regrets. Just matter of fact statements. On of the Themes that comes though is that of a river, which is also the central image in the song "The River." By comparing his actions to those of a river, the narrator is essentially saying that he has no control over his actions, that nature is shaping his actions, the same way that nature shapes the river. 

This all leads us nicely into the chorus, "Everybody's got a hungry heart/everybody's got a hungry heart/lay down your money and you play your part/everybody's got a hungry heart." The person in the song is saying, obviously, that everyone has a "hungry heart," meaning that everyone needs affection and attention, no matter where it comes from. And that everyone is hungry, or greedy, for love and affection. Everybody always wants more than what they currently have. It doesn't matter that the narrator is married and has children, he is still susceptible to the charms of the opposite sex. He still wants something more. 

The first verse also references Springsteen's recurring picture of travel, of escaping, of getting away from things, usually by car. The person in the song simply drives away from his wife and kids. He is, running away from responsibility. In the second verse, we discover what he finds once he stops running. 

"I met her in a Kingstown bar/We fell in love I knew it had to end." 

Okay, so he meets a woman in a bar, but what does he know "had to end"? His marriage, or this illicit relationship?or his running away from responsibility. I think it is the marriage that is ripped apart, based on the next two lines. 

"We took what we had and we ripped it apart/Now here I am down in Kingstown again." 

So the person in the song and his mistress ripped apart their current relationships to be together. (Is she married too?) And now the narrator is back in Kingstown again, to see his mistress. Because, well, both the person in the story and his mistress have hungry hearts. 

At the very end of the second chorus, Bruce lifts his voice up on the last syllables of "hungry" and the song changes key upwards. There is a tasty little organ solo that leads us into the final verse. 

"Everybody needs a place to rest/Everybody wants to have a home." 

Which is true, but the narrator had a home and a place to rest, and he threw it all away. This sounds like more self-justification to me. 

"Don't make no difference what nobody says/Ain't nobody like to be alone." 

The person in the song is justifying his actions by saying that people naturally seek companionship. But again, the had companionship in his marriage, and left it. Perhaps the pesron in the song would say that even though he was married, he was still really alone, because it was an unfulfilling relationship. The song then closes with another repetition of the chorus, and Bruce gets in some scatting on the fade out. 

"Hungry Heart" asks some tough questions about love and relationships: when are we happy, when are we satisfied, and what happens when we should be satisfied, by society's standards of relationships, but really aren't satisfied. What happens when someone tries to break out of those relationships? What's the emotional fall out from the decision to "just keep goin'"? Do we always want what we can't have? Does everyone really have a "Hungry Heart" that is always searching for something "better," something new and fresh, no matter what the cost is to others? 

That's kind of a depressing way to look at relationships. But these questions are all worth pondering.

"Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack

I went out for a ride and I never went back
Like a river that don't know where it's flowing
I took a wrong turn and I just kept going

Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Lay down your money and you play your part
Everybody's got a hungry heart

I met her in a Kingstown bar
We fell in love I knew it had to end
We took what we had and we ripped it apart
Now here I am down in Kingstone again

Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Lay down your money and you play your part
Everybody's got a hungry heart

Everybody needs a place to rest
Everybody wants to have a home
Don't make no difference what nobody says
Ain't nobody like to be alone

Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Lay down your money and you play your part
Everybody's got a hungry heart"

There are stories all of the Bible of people who go in search of fulfilment. There are also stories of people that run from responsibilities. The story of the Prodigal son is one such story. 

We find it here in Luke 15:11-32

11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. 25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ 31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Everybody's got a hungry heart. The younger son had a "Hungry Heart" He wanted what was his, He wanted to go an see the sights and sound of the world. He was prepared to turn his back on his own family to do so. I was not till he had "Spent everything" that he came to his senses. This story ends differently from Springsteen's lyrics. But the emotions are still the same. The hunger for the greener grass on the other side propelled this young man into a risky life. To which he may not have returned or recovered from. From the story we can see the essentially this story of Jesus is a story of reconciliation. Both the gospel story and the lyrics and story of the song that Springsteen wrote and sung are about the heart. 1. The desire of the heart. 2. The responsibilities of the heart. 3. Serving pleasures rather than providing for those who depend on us. There are other themes that are true to the song and the gospel story - Loneliness, Greed, Love of Money, Running Away.

It's good to be hungry for the right things in life. It's okay to have a hungry heart. It's when that hunger is for things that damage others or that hunger is about us running from our responsibilities. What is true from the song is that the person Springsteen is singing about has no remorse about his actions. The younger son in the gospel story does.

In your life this week take time to thank Jesus for God given hunger and avoid the appetite and the diet that takes us off track and causes us to act irresponsible. 

Sunday Sermon - "Gold For Others"

Illustration:
 “Gold for Others”. Everywhere you look these days there are adverts in Newspapers, on the TV that say: “We Buy Gold,” and you wonder, do these people who are buying everyone’s gold know something that I don’t know?  What are they going to do with all this gold? For centuries, the church of Jesus Christ has been the receiver dispenser of untold amounts of gold, and while not all of it has been dealt with in ways that would honor Jesus Christ, some of it has.

Reflection on Matthew 2:1-12: “Others”


1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi  from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Think of the missions that have been launched with the “Gold for Others”, the poor who’ve been fed with the “Gold for Others”, the medicine that’s been dispensed with the “Gold for Others”, the hospitals and orphanages that have been established, schools that have been founded, with the “Gold for Others” and churches that have been built in almost every corner of the world because people brought their gold to the feet of Jesus Christ for the benefit of “Others”

Right in the middle of what has been so far a narrative written by a Jew (Matthew), about a saviour (Jesus) who was of Jewish birth, a story of particular interest to Jews, “wise men from the East” enter the picture as an clear indication that this saviour (The Real Gold) is not just for “us,” but also, for others. 

1. They are led miraculously by a star in the heavens, 

2. They find the Christ child

3. They worship him

4. They offer him gifts, which actually are used to provide for the saviour and his family, and beyond. Bringing transformation, to the Holy Family and their community and the world beyond.

This is a reminder that God may be leading people “Others” to our churches and communities who are not from among us, and whom we must help in their search for God. 

1. What are the “stars” that may be leading “other” people into life and ministry? 

2. How do you think can we join God in His efforts to reach out and bring others near to Christ.

Conclusion: May we too, have hearts of worship towards Christ in the remainder of this year and may our offering also be of benefit to the “Others” 

16. Rock Goes The Gospel - Eagles "Life In The Fast Lane"

"Life In the Fast Lane" is a description of a man and woman that had everything but lost it because of their lifestyle. It tells the story of a couple that takes their excessive lifestyle to the edge. On "In the Studio with Redbeard" in 1981 Frey explained that the title came to him one day when he was riding on the freeway with a drug dealer known as "The Count". Frey asked the dealer to slow down and the response was, "What do you mean? It's life in the fast lane!" In that same interview, Frey indicated that the song's central riff was played by Walsh while the band was warming up in rehearsals and Walsh was told to "keep that, it's a song".

Life In The Fast Lane' kind of expressed the stereotyped LA 'run around in your Porsche' 24 hour boogie mode that unfortunately is too true for a lot of people.  Frey says that the song was not really a statement about the guys in the band, or about anybody in particular. But it's just it's kind of disturbing to see the extremes that the bourgeois jet set will involve themselves in. When reminded that his Eagles bandmates may have exhibited some symptoms described in this song, Walsh replied: "Yeah, that's probably true, and I think it was healthy, though, that we realised that running around and parties and fast cars are really not the answer – it's kind of a shallow way to approach why we're on this planet, and it probably came as a band consciousness." After this song came out, the phrase "Life in the fast lane" became commonly used to describe a jet-set lifestyle. It remains a fairly misinterpreted track, as it's not supposed to glamorise the lifestyle, but to be a warning about the dangers of drugs ("Lines on the mirror, lines on her face" describe cocaine on a mirror about to be ingested), alcohol and bad decisions.

"Life in the fast lane" is a song about the futility of a life full of success, money and lifestyle. That in the end you can lose it in a moment.

He was a hard-headed man
He was brutally handsome, and she was terminally pretty
She held him up, and he held her for ransom in the heart
of the cold, cold city
He had a nasty reputation as a cruel dude
They said he was ruthless, they said he was crude
They had one thing in common, they were
good in bed
She'd say, 'Faster, faster. The lights are turnin' red."
Life in the fast lane
Surely make you lose your mind, mm
Are you with me so far?

Eager for action and hot for the game
The coming attraction, the drop of a name
They knew all the right people, they took
all the right pills
They threw outrageous parties, they paid heavenly bills
There were lines on the mirror, lines on her face
She pretended not to notice, she was caught up
in the race

Out every evening, until it was light
He was too tired to make it, she was too tired
to fight about it

Life in the fast lane
Surely make you lose your mind
Life in the fast lane, everything all the time
Life in the fast lane, uh huh
Blowin' and burnin', blinded by thirst
They didn't see the stop sign,
took a turn for the worse

She said, "Listen, baby. You can hear the engine
ring. We've been up and down this highway;
haven't seen a goddam thing."
He said, "Call the doctor. I think I'm gonna crash."
"The doctor say he's comin', but you gotta pay him cash."
They went rushin' down that freeway,
messed around and got lost
They didn't care they were just dyin' to get off
And it was life in the fast lane
Life in the fast lane

The big theme of the song is that you can gain everything and lose your own life and soul. The lyrics are about shallowness. The theme of the passage we are looking at today is also about riches.

Mark 10:17-27

7 "As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

The man who came to Jesus was a wealthy man, and a young man. His eyes were set on religious matters - on teachers, eternal life, good deeds. He had the look of a seeker: he seemed willing to listen and eager to learn. He seemed a disciple-in-the-making. But his story has a dark end. It was he that inspired Jesus famous words "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. The rich young ruler made some mistakes.

The 1st mistake: He did not recognise Jesus as Lord

The young ruler came rushing to Jesus, and falling to his knees, he asked "Good teacher, what good thing need I to do, so that I may have real and un-ending life?" Jesus, perceiving the youth’s mistakeness, answered with a question, a question that would prove the depths of the young ruler’s knowledge of God. "Why do you call me good?" Jesus was in the habit of asking such disarming questions. The young man did not recognize with whom he was talking - a teacher, and more than a teacher. He was kneeling before the one called "greater than Solomon." The young ruler saw Jesus as a moral man, a man of insight and depth, but he did not recognize His divine authority. And to make such a mistake is fatal. As C.S. Lewis made clear, Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. He cannot be only another teacher.

The 2nd Mistake: He was unaware of his own faults

Suppose for a moment that the wealthy youth had never violated the commandments Jesus presented to him. Suppose that he had never murdered - even with his tongue. Suppose that he had not committed adultery - even in his heart. Suppose that he had not stolen - or even envied. Suppose that he had never spoken less than the whole truth. Even still he was unaware of his own faultiness. Did you notice that Jesus only presented him with the parts of the Decalogue that deal with man-to-man relationships. The other commandments have to do with God-to-man relationships,and this young man had obviously not fulfilled those commands. If he had fulfilled them, he would have immediately recognised Jesus as the Son of God. But he did not recognise Jesus, and he did not tell the truth to Him about his behaviour. He was wildly naive and tragically blind.

The 3rd Mistake: He misunderstood the plan of grace

"What good thing must I do to have eternal life?" There is no good thing. Only to believe on Jesus Christ as Saviour. As wealthy as he must have been, he was spiritually bankrupt, and terribly poor of faith.

The 4th Mistake: He went away

In a way, this is his only mistake. A man can misunderstand the divinity of Christ, be blind to himself, and misunderstand God’s grace and still be saved if he will committ to staying with God. Peter, Andrew, John, Matthew, and the others did not fully understand the Lordship of Jesus, and they certainly did not fully understand the plan of grace, but they stayed with Jesus. They were willing to commit to a lifestyle of learning Him. They apprenticed themselves to Him, for the long haul. That is the way to be saved. If you are willing to launch out with Christ on the long journey from brokenness to wholeness, if you are willing to walk all the way, every hard step, then you are a wise men, even if you are not young or wealthy.

Wealth and possessions can capture and wreck your soul. The passage and the song "Life in the fast lane" are looking at the same issue that of what riches and fame will do to your soul. Riches have the possibility to bankrupt the soul. In another passage in the new testament we find these haunting words

Matthew 16:26 "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?"

There are many trapped in this endless cycle of shallowness. Just like the people in the lyrics of the song and the young man in the bible passage. Shallowness because life somehow is not real. Shallowness because somehow people have lost the love of life and in it's place has become monotony and futility.

It is my prayer today that life is full of it's own riches. So much so that you do not have to go and hunt for wealth.

15. Rock Goes the Gospel - U2 "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"

"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is the second track from U2's 1987 album The Joshua Tree and was released as the album's second single in May 1987. The song was a hit, becoming the band's second consecutive number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 while peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart.

The song originated from a demo the band recorded on which drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. played a unique rhythm pattern. Like much of The Joshua Tree, the song was inspired by the group's interest in American music. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" exhibits influences from gospel music and its lyrics describe spiritual yearning. 

"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" was critically acclaimed and received two nominations at the 30th Grammy Awards in 1988, for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It has subsequently become one of the group's most well-known songs and has been performed on many of their concert tours. The track has appeared on several of their compilations and concert films. Many critics and publications have ranked "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" among the greatest tracks in music history.

There are a number of ways to interpret this song. On the one hand it seems that this song is about having questions regarding faith. On the other hand it's could be seen as an attack on organised religion. That's how the Catholic church in Ireland saw it when it was produced. When it first came out the song was very controversial, because U2 are Irish the Catholic church in Ireland demanded an apology from U2 when the song was released. The Catholic Church saw the song as a direct attack on the church. They also hit hard at the rock band for writing this song and as we have already said demanded an apology, but the band declined any further comment. Another way to understand this song is to say the person in the song has some kind of faith, but has some unanswered questions or doubts.

I have climbed highest mountains
I have run through fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you

I have run, I have crawled
I have scaled the city walls
Said it was
Only to be with you

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

I have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing in her fingertips
It burned like fire
This burning desire

I have spoken with the tongue of angels
I have held end of the velvet
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a star

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

I believe in kingdom come
When all the colors were bleeding as one
Bleeding the one
Yes, I’m still running

He broke the bounds, he loose the chains
Carried the cross of my shame
Broke my shame
You know I believed it

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

You could not be blamed if you have second thoughts about organised religion or that you have doubts about faith. It is not wrong to question, It's not wrong to doubt. On the contrary it would be very suspicious to many if they met someone who seemed to have it all sewn up. You know the kind, that perfect person that does not have any problems, no issues, no worries, no questions, no brokenness and answers to the name of perfect Peter. I'm not sure that they person really exists. I have encountered many people who have said they have no issues, but scratch the surface and there they are.

In the gospels there is a character that we often use in general conversation. Often when someone is unsure about something we will call him a "doubting Thomas" I think a better way of referring to him would be to rename him as "honest Thomas"

John 20:19-29

"19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

In terms of Faith an "Honest Thomas" says "I still haven't found what I'm looking for" It's a good place to be. It means you will not settle for imitations or second best. It's a humble place. And in that humble place arrogance and pride cannot take root. All of us have questions from time to time and need the security of being convinced. Thomas simply wanted to see, he did not want to take it on hearsay. Thomas wants what we all want a "Real Experience" and who are people to say he is right or wrong on that. But that is not the end of the story as Jesus himself in the passage talks about a whole group of people who will not see what Thomas has seen but yet still believe.

When confronted with religion an "Honest Thomas" says "I still haven't found what I'm looking for" The institution of organised religion however good cannot take the place of a real life relationship with Jesus. From time to time most people will find that life in the church is not all that it is cracked up to be. at the end of the day, it's a bunch of broken people trying their best to navigate the the world of faith. It can never be as good as a relationship with Jesus. Is it any wonder that the church cannot satisfy the needs we have. 'We still haven't found what we are looking for"

But when confronted with the real Jesus an "Honest Thomas" must concede and admit that a relationship with Jesus is of more worth than anything else.  "My Lord and my God" is what Thomas in John 20:28. Thomas saw and believed. He found in reality what others had told him about. 

There is nothing wrong with the desire that you will not take second best. There is nothing wrong with questions. there is nothing wrong with seeking the truth and not giving up. there is nothing wrong with have issues with organised religion. Nothing wrong with not giving up seeking for answers regarding faith. It's a quest that we are all on. It's just sometimes we admit that fact.

14. Rock Goes The Gospel - R.E.M. "Everybody Hurts"

"Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M., originally released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993. It peaked at number twenty nine on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and France.

In the 1980s, R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe preferred to sing his cryptic lyrics in mumbled, mysterious tones. But for this openhearted 1992 ballad, Stipe made his intentions plain, delivering one of his most plaintive performances. Over comforting, churchly keyboards and strings, Stipe consoles the listener, urging him or her not to give up. "Everybody hurts sometimes," he says, "so hold on."

When your day is long

And the night, the night is yours alone

When you're sure you've had enough

Of this life, well hang on

Don't let yourself go

'Cause everybody cries

And everybody hurts sometimes

Sometimes everything is wrong

Now it's time to sing along

When your day is night alone (Hold on, hold on)

If you feel like letting go (Hold on)

If you think you've had too much

Of this life, well hang on

Everybody hurts

Take comfort in your friends

Everybody hurts

Don't throw your hand, oh no

Don't throw your hand

If you feel like you're alone

No, no, no, you are not alone

If you're on your own in this life

The days and nights are long

When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on

Well, everybody hurts sometimes

Everybody cries

Everybody hurts sometimes

And everybody hurts sometimes

So hold on, hold on

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on

Everybody hurts

Everybody Hurts is not a typical REM song. For one thing, you can make out all of singer-songwriter Michael Stipe's words. More importantly, it's immediately obvious what they mean: don't give up. It was, for example, the first song played by Radio 1 after the two minutes' silence to mark 1996's Dunblane shootings. A version edited to include the sounds of the attacks on the Twin Towers was widely circulated online in late 2001. And the track rubbed shoulders with Candle In The Wind and I'll Be Missing You on the official Diana Memorial album. In 2010 the DAILY MAIL reported "REM's Everybody Hurts to be Simon Cowell's charity Haiti single... as stars line up to take part"The song also has been attributed with a more person connection. In the 1993 video, Stipe is portrayed among drivers stuck in an almighty Texas traffic jam, each with troubles on his or her mind, all of these conveyed in subtitles. Among them is a teenager staring out of a window, thinking: "They're going to miss me." The lyrics and the official video have led some to conclude that suicide - especially among the young - is the personal problem with which Everybody Hurts is most often associated with. In a wider sense "Everybody Hurts" is song that is applicable for any who are going through situations and problems that have taken over their lives.

"Everybody Hurts" is a comfort song to help when times are bad and life seems unbearable. "Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on Everybody Hurts"

There are thoughts of strength, courage and endurance here. Strength to pick life up from the raw edge and press on, courage to face the problem head on and endurance not to give up even when you fail.

In the New Testament there are many Jesus encounters. Hurting broken people who encounter Jesus and his compassion for them in their life situation. In John 4 Jesus encounters a woman at a well. Nothing strange in that you might add. Except that everything within the passage shouts out that he should not be there. She is a Samaritan woman, (Samaritan's were hated by Jews. They were viewed as being a race of people to avoid) She was also a woman. Someone who who was a non person. She was also a "known" woman 5 husbands and the one she was now with was not her husband.  Life had delt her lots of blows. Jesus come along side - listens, comforts, and challenges. She has hidden her life, her hurts. She has dodged the taunts. The reason she turns up when the sun was at it's highest was that no one else would be there. No other women who would lash out with their tongue would be there when the sun was at it's highest. Read the text and see.......

John 4:1-18

1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of waterwelling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.

The story ends with the woman going into the village with good news "Come and see a man" He hurts have been heard and healing has begun. "Everybody Hurts" but there is someone who will listen.  Jesus is only a prayer away.

Paul in one of his letters encourages us not to give up on life but to press on for the prize.

Philippians 3:13-15

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

In the words of the old hymn  WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS "Jesus knows our every weakness, take it to the Lord in prayer" Just like the woman in the story Jesus is waiting for hurting people to confide in him. One prayer away.

13. Rock Goes The Gospel - The Who - "Behind Blue Eyes"

The song "Behind Blue Eyes" was originally part of Pete Townshend's "lifehouse project", which was shelved. Of course, a great deal of that aborted project would end up on the album "Who's Next", including this song. It is written from the point of view of the "villain" character (from the story that compromises the "lifehouse project"), showing even bad people have emotions like the rest of us. The "behind blue eyes" refers to the thoughts and feelings of the villain, in his head, behind his eyes.

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies

But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

No one knows what it's like
To feel these feelings
Like I do
And I blame you

No one bites back as hard
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through

But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool

If I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
If I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

In Mark's gospel chapter five Jesus sets out with his disciples for the Roman occupied Gerasenes. Within the vicinity of a Roman garrison and close to the village. A man lived among the tombs, down by the pigs,  A social outcast, a villain, a dangerous man, some said a mad man. Who in his madness was uncontrollable in his rage and venom. Someone who could no longer live in the sanctity of the village. A prisoner, chained hand and foot, but with the strength to break out of the irons he was placed in. In the words of the song "A bad man, a sad man, hated, full of vengeance, possessed by an army from the pits of hell. Nothing about this land is kosher; everything was unclean; spirits, tombs, swine and the territory, everything within this story cries "get out of there Jesus". But he keeps on coming! What for - for the "Bad man, the sad man behind blue eyes" 

Mark 5:1-20 

1They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” 9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. 14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. 18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

The great message of this story: The people in the village that Legion came from would have considered that this man was a waste of space or an idiot or worse a villain, they would have viewed Legion as less than human and mocked and laughed at him while their children probably teased him or made fun of him, added to this because they believed people in this tragic condition had evil gods called demons possessing them and because of this they would have had him cast out of the city. At worse they would have feared him and his evil cohorts. This all would have compounded to the mans feeling of depression, condemnation and rejection. Just like in the song"No one knows what it's like" Jesus does Legion. (To all the Legions that are in society today) Jesus knows what it's like to be condemned and rejected. In the midst of Legion's chaos Jesus does something that no-one else will do. He comes to the "Man behind blue eyes". He comes to this suffering, lonely, man society considers a reject, He comes to this man who has been rejected and scorned. He comes to a man who has been branded an outsider. Sentenced to live a life outside the community. A life sentence, with no hope, no love, no care. Jesus comes to this man on the margins of life and society. He come to a person who too often has been branded a villain and shows him God’s great mercy and compassion.

Here is the great lesson - That everyone on the face of the planet has worth, that each person no matter how damaged is of great value. That even those who are so far removed from what some would call normal living, are worth pursuing, helping and giving mercy and grace to. Even villains weep. We too as the church need to learn this lesson. Jesus set out on this excursion across the lake in a boat with his twelve disciples, where did they get to? It was only Jesus that came ashore. The Disciples were like the church is at times more concerned with their own wellbeing.........but I guess that's another story.