143. Rock Goes The Gospel - Queen "The Show Must Go On"

The Queen song "The Show must go on" featured as the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album Innuendo. It is credited to Queen, but written mainly by Brian May. The song chronicles the effort of Freddie Mercury continuing to perform despite approaching the end of his life; he was dying from complications due to AIDS, although his illness had not yet been made public in spite of ongoing media speculation claiming that he was seriously ill. Mercury was so ill, and could barely walk, when the band recorded the song in 1990, that May had concerns as to whether he was physically capable of singing it. Recalling Mercury's performance, May states; "he went in and killed it, completely lacerated that vocal". The song is about the commitment and determination to pursue something worth pursuing. The song was released as a single in the United Kingdom on 14 October 1991 in promotion for the Greatest Hits II album, just six weeks before Mercury died. Following Mercury's death on 24 November 1991, the song re-entered the British charts and spent as many weeks in the top 75 (five) as it did upon its original release, initially reaching a peak of 16.

Empty spaces - what are we living for
Abandoned places - I guess we know the score
On and on, does anybody know what we are looking for...
Another hero, another mindless crime
Behind the curtain, in the pantomime
Hold the line, does anybody want to take it anymore

The show must go on,
The show must go on
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile still stays on.

Whatever happens, I'll leave it all to chance
Another heartache, another failed romance
On and on, does anybody know what we are living for?
I guess I'm learning, I must be warmer now
I'll soon be turning, round the corner now
Outside the dawn is breaking
But inside in the dark I'm aching to be free

The show must go on
The show must go on
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile still stays on

My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies
Fairytales of yesterday will grow but never die
I can fly - my friends

The show must go on
The show must go on
I'll face it with a grin
I'm never giving in

On - with the show -
I'll top the bill, I'll overkill
I have to find the will to carry on
On with the -
On with the show -
The show must go on...

The Queen song "The Show must go on" is about advancing. Going forward in despite the hurdles in live. Mercury cries out in this song On and on, does anybody know what we are living for? For the follwer of Jesus we live as citizens of the kingdom of God. It's to this theme that we turn in this devotion this morning.

The kingdom of God is marching forward in a world that is and will always be opposed to the plans and purposes of God. This not a new thing or a unique situation. We have been here before in other generations and in other time spans. Jesus knew this in his own era. "The violent take it by force" This verse refers to the exact time period when John the baptist was announcing that the messiah was coming and when Jesus was upon the earth.

We know from bible reading in the gospels that the religious institution were dedicated to resisting the message and gospel of Jesus. Not only that but they were violently opposed to this new teaching that they called blasphemy So opposed were they to anything that would come against the the "Status Quo" in the institution they would not hesitate to imprison or execute.

Despite this the kingdom of God grew and speed far and wide. Despite the violent opposition and the war that was raging in the heavens the kingdom of God advanced because in a very subversive way the kingdom of cannot be taken away, it cannot be out or up rooted, cannot be destroyed even by violence.

We can say of our own generation that "the kingdom suffers violence, the violent take it by force" But that the power of the cross is effective in any generation and the kingdom of God will not halt but will always advance. It's His kingdom not ours, even though other ideologies may try to stop the gospel and the kingdom they will have no success for the kingdom is the realm of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and he stops for nothing.