The Gospel According to Handel

Or, The Story of Redemption as Compiled by Charles Jennens and Set to Music by George Friedrich Handel

Presented in the English Standard Version

Part 1: The Coming of the Messiah

“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.”

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

For thus says the Lord of hosts: “Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.

But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

There were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, and he shall speak peace to the nations. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Come to him, all who labor and are heavy laden, and he will give you rest. Take his yoke upon you, and learn from him, for he is gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For his yoke is easy, and his burden is light.

Part 2: The Suffering and Triumph of the Messiah

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. He gave his back to those who strike, and his cheeks to those who pull out the beard; he hid not his face from disgrace and spitting.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; but he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

All who see him mock him; they make mouths at him; they wag their heads; saying “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” Reproaches have broken his heart, so that he is in despair. He looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but he found none. Look and see if there is any sorrow like his sorrow. He was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of his people.

But you will not abandon his soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory!

For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Let all God's angels worship him. You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

The Lord gives the word; the women who announce the news are a great host. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. King of kings and Lord of lords. Hallelujah!

Part 3: The Return of the Messiah

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God. For now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

Then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain—by your blood you ransomed people for God—to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! Amen.

Biblical Texts:

Part 1: Isaiah 40:1-5; Haggai 2:6-7a; Malachi 3:1b-3; Isaiah 7:10b; Isaiah 40:9; Isaiah 60:1-3; Isaiah 9:2, 6; Luke 2:8-11,13-14; Zechariah 9:9a,10b; Isaiah 35:5-6; Isaiah 40:11; Matthew 11:28-30

Part 2: John 1:29; Isaiah 53:3; Isaiah 50:6; Isaiah 53:4-6; Psalm 22:7-8; Psalm 69:20; Lamentations 1:12b; Isaiah 53:8b; Psalm 16:10; Psalm 24:7-10; Hebrews 1:5a, 6b; Psalm 68:18, 11; Isaiah 52:7a; Psalm 19:4a; Psalm 2:1-4, 9; Revelation 19:6b; Revelation 11:15b; Revelation 19:16b

Part 3: Job 19:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22, 51-53, 54b-57; Romans 8:31b, 33-34; Revelation 5:12a,9b,12b,13b,14

Helpful Sources:
http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/jeansptx/messiahh.htm
http://opera.stanford.edu/iu/libretti/messiah.htm

Albums of the Year

It seems that the posts around here have been getting more trivial...not to mention spaced very far apart. Believe it or not, I'm halfway through a post about evolution, science, and the Bible, but then, I started it two months ago, so we'll see if it ever gets finished. This post is more on the fun side, though.

I discovered several new bands last year, some new and some old, and some of my old favorite bands released some great new albums. So this is my list of the 15 albums that I enjoyed the most in 2010. There's no particular order, and you'll see that the albums stretch from released last year to released thirty years ago.

1. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

Possibly my favorite album of the year, this Irish band somehow manages to pull off something I can only describe as alternative folk rock...although I can't neglect the bluegrass influences. They have a knack for melody, and the arrangements usually range from stripped back acoustic to symphonic choirs, often in the same song. I'll admit, I haven't been able to get enough of this album, and I'm already eagerly anticipating their follow-up. Stellar tracks include, well, the whole album, but especially "The Cave," "Roll Away Your Stone," and "Little Lion Man."

2. John Mark McMillan - The Medicine

An impulse buy at the beginning of this semester, this indie-feeling rock album quickly earned my respect. The sound is reminiscent of Kings of Leon, but managing to sound a little less like it was recorded in a garage without sounding overly produced. There's a raw energy that comes from McMillan's raspy rock vocals, yet staying much closer to folk rock. Plus, his lyrics entertwines Christian themes with incredibly skillful and sometimes beautiful poetry, approaching old topics in fresh new ways. Highlights include "Carbon Ribs," "Out of the Ground," and the title track.

3. OneRepublic - Waking Up

Something about OneRepublic's blend of incredibly skillful singing, catchy rhythms, and string section allows me to keep returning for more enjoyment. It's fairly light fare, but oh-so-catchy. I think I had "All the Right Moves" stuck in my head for half of the year. Other great tracks include "Secrets," "Fear," and "Marchin' On."

4. The Gabe Dixon Band - The Gabe Dixon Band

Someone gave me the live version of their track "All Will Be Well" a few years ago, and it quickly became one of my favorite songs. This year I finally decided to buy their whole album, and I can't say enough good things about it. It's a trio of a pianist, a drummer, and a bassist, and the lack of a guitarist leads them to create some sweet piano-driven tracks, carried by Dixon's beautiful tenor voice and skillful lyrics. Every track on this album is a winner, but especially "Disappear," "Find My Way," "And the World Turned," and the incredible forementioned "All Will Be Well" (which is still in my top five list of songs all-time).

5. Kings of Leon - Only By the Night

When my iPod got wiped in Turkey, this was one of the only albums I managed to salvage from other people's iPods. Thank goodness. The rough, raw vocals and guitars of this alternative rock band go way beyond the song everyone knows, "Use Somebody." There's a raw energy here that is infectious, and Anthony Followill's almost soulful voice soars over the somewhat grungy guitars. Listening to this album in many ways is its own experience. Highlights include the forementioned "Use Somebody," "Closer," "Crawl, and "Sex on Fire."

6. Switchfoot - Hello Hurricane

I've been a Switchfoot fan since the wonder that was The Beautiful Letdown, but with this album they've almost outdone themselves. It feels like they've returned more to their roots and given some straight-up alternative rock that flows with energy. Although it feels a little more produced than some of their previous efforts, that doesn't hurt it at all, and Jon Foreman has never sounded better. Hightlights include "Needle and Haystack Life," "Free," "Enough to Let Me Go," and the title track.

7. House of Heroes - Suburba

I was a huge fan of House of Heroes last album The End Is Not the End, and so I was really excited for this release this year. A concept album about living in suburban white middle-class America, the band has a flair for witty lyrics and catchy melodies, but what really gets me is the musicianship of the band: all their vocals, including background vocals, are sung around one old-fashioned group mic, producing some absolutely incredible sounds. This is just a straight-up rock album, and they reflect that by being willing to take legit guitar solos that are reminiscent of classic rock days, but with a very modern flair. Highlights include "Love Is For the Middle Class," "Salt in the Sea," and "Disappear."

8. Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey and the Groo-Grux King

I only really discovered DMB this past year, but I sure am glad that I did. Since I've been listening to all their albums, it was hard to pick one, but I'd say this is the one I've listened to the most. I don't feel like I need to say much about it--I love sax in a rock band, I love his voice, and I love the fact that everything they do sounds like the best kind of jam session. I hope I can see them in concert some day. Highlights include "Shake Me Like a Monkey," "Funny the Way It Is," and "Dive In."

9. Florence + the Machine - Lungs

My friend gave me F+tM's track "Heavy In Your Arms" for my birthday, and I was an instant convert. It's hard to describe their style...percussion-heavy, fairly symphonic rock with a Regina Spektor-like vocalist. It's just a vocal pleasure that sweeps you up in the sound. Hightlights include "Dog Days Are Over," "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)," and "Howl."

10. Fleetwood Mac - The Dance

I've always loved Fleetwood Mac, who I discovered in the middle of high school, but I've found myself going back to this album over and over again. It's a live recording of their 1994 reunion tour, and features reinterpretations of many of their classic hits. I love the originals, but I love the redone versions of "Rihannon" and "Big Love," and "Landslide" is one of my all-time favorite songs. I'm not usually a fan of live albums, but this is one of the best.

11. David Crowder*Band - Illuminate

I know, Church Music is the one that just came out, and it's a good album, but having rediscovered this, their second album, it just can't compare. Something about the laid-back experimental style and the simple yet profound lyrics gets me every time, and I could just put this one on repeat for hours. David Crowder shows that you can be an explicitly Christian band and still make great, not just good, music. Highlights include "Open Skies," "How Great," and "Heaven Came Down."

12. Sara Bareilles - Little Voice

I was one of the people who originally downloaded "Love Song" as a free iTunes download and propelled it to a mega radio hit, but I didn't get the full album until this summer. I can't believe I waited so long. She has one of the most amazing voices in popular music, and every one of her songs is a beautiful, soul-stirring arrangement. Most albums peter off at the end, but the closing track "Gravity" is one of the most heart-stoppingly beautiful songs I've ever heard. Highlights include "Love Song," "One Sweet Love," "Between the Lines," and the forementioned "Gravity."

13. Relient K - Forget and Not Slow Down

I've been a Relient K fan since the goofiness of The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek, but unlike many of those high school fans I've stuck with the band as they've matured into a legit rock band, leaving their goofiness behind and demonstrating their gifted songwriting and a willingness to try something different. This album I actually was not a huge fan of the first few times because it's so different, but repeated listens propelled it to a status as one of my favorites of theirs. They have definitely completely left punk behind, and actually poppified a little bit in a good way. In contrast to their other albums, this is a fairly happy album, and displays their matured musical sensibilities well. Highlights include "I Don't Need a Soul," "Savannah," and the two-track closer "This Is the End (If You Want It)."

14. U2 - October

This has also been the year that I discovered the U2 beyond The Joshua Tree. Surprisingly, my favorite album of theirs so far is their second album, which produced no lasting singles and which most people don't care about. Yet something about the raw energy of this album, the first following Bono's conversion, just appeals to me, and his soaring vocals on tracks like "Gloria" and "Rejoice" stirs my soul. Highlights include the forementioned "Gloria," "Rejoice," "Fall Down," and the haunting title track.

15. 30 Seconds to Mars - This Is War

I've never been much for modern rock, so 30 Seconds to Mars' earlier albums never held much appeal for me besides as an adrenaline boost. In this album, though, they really vary things up, experimenting with atmospheric sounds, full choirs, and even a more electronic overall feel. The result is an album that is a pleasure to listen to and which has been my default rock album for the last year. Highlights include "Night of the Hunter," "Kings and Queens," "Closer to the Edge," and the title track.

Playlist fun

Since I obviously have nothing better to do with my time, I have decided to post twice this weekend on my blog. This post is really totally self-indulgent, though...it's completely preoccupied with my obsession with organizing iTunes.

As many of you know, constructing a good playlist is an artform. You need to know what mood you're looking for and then, among all the songs in your library (in my case, that's a lot of songs) pick just the right ones to foster that mood. You need a focal point which all the songs rotate around, adding variety but not moving too far from that center.

I had a barbeque at my house last weekend, and I decided to construct a new playlist for it. The original version was about 7 hours long, but after listening through it once I shortened it to about 5 hours...just the right length for a good party. I wanted something with an alternative rock flavor, leaning towards classic rock, especially focused on a certain style of guitars and a certain flavor of beat. There ended up being a ton of U2 with a lot of The Clash and Switchfoot, to give you an idea of what the sound was. I'm very pleased with the result, so I thought I'd share it here. Enjoy!

"Oh! Darling" --The Beatles
"Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" --The Beatles
"You May Be Right" --Billy Joel
"Livin' On a Prayer" --Bon Jovi
"Keep the Faith" --Bon Jovi
"More Than a Feeling" --Boston
"Peace of Mind" --Boston
"You Got Your Man" --Brother Henry
"Beautiful" --Audio Adrenaline
"Born in the USA" --Bruce Springsteen
"California Bound" --Carolina Liar
"Magic" --The Cars
"Hateful" --The Clash
"Rudie Can't Fail" --The Clash
"Up Around the Bend" --Creedance Clearwater Revival
"Foreign Language" --Anberlin
"A Day Late" --Anberlin
"Shake Me Like a Monkey" --Dave Matthews Band
"The Nearness" --David Crowder*Band
"We Win!" --David Crowder*Band
"Open Skies" --David Crowder*Band
"Heartache Tonight" --The Eagles
"Go Your Own Way" --Fleetwood Mac
"Some Kind of Wonderful" --Grand Funk Railroad
"Sweet Child o' Mine" --Guns N' Roses
"I'm Confused" --Handsome Furs
"Disappear" --Jars of Clay
"Work" --Jars of Clay
"Collide" --Jars of Clay
"I'm Alright" --Jars of Clay
"Closer" --Jars of Clay
"Sweetness" --Jimmy Eat World
"Any Way You Want It" --Journey
"What's on My Mind" --Kansas
"Silhouettes in Disguise" --Kansas
"Power" --Kansas
"The Imposter" --Kevin Max
"Return of the Singer" --Kevin Max
"Angel With No Wings" --Kevin Max
"When You Were Young" --The Killers
"Use Somebody" --Kings of Leon
"Suddenly I See" --KT Tunstall
"Rock and Roll" --Led Zeppelin
"Sweet Home Alabama" --Lynyrd Skynyrd
"Gimme Three Steps" --Lynyrd Skynyrd
"Real World" --Matchbox Twenty
"Spotlight" --MuteMath
"Electrify" --MuteMath
"Typical" --MuteMath
"Cornelius" --Newsboys
"Beyond Belief" --Petra
"Message In a Bottle" --The Police
"Sunsets" --Powderfinger
"Dani California" --Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Come Right Out and Say It" --Relient K
"I Don't Need a Soul" --Relient K
"Roll With It" --Steve Winwood
"You Need Love" --Styx
"Redemption" --Switchfoot
"You Already Take Me There" --Switchfoot
"Stars" --Switchfoot
"American Dream" --Switchfoot
"Refugee" --Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"She's On Fire" --Train
"Even Better Than the Real Thing" --U2
"Mysterious Ways" --U2
"Beautiful Day" --U2
"Elevation" --U2
"Vertigo" --U2
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" --U2
"In God's Country" --U2
"Desire" --U2
"Hawkmoon 269" --U2
"Pride (In the Name of Love)" --U2
"Seven Nation Army" --The White Stripes
"I Can See for Miles" --The Who
"Darling, You Were Beautiful Once" --William F. Gibbs
"Go Go Go" --The 88

Is Jesus My Boyfriend?

I read two blog posts today that I don't think are directly related to each other, but which couldn't correspond any better if they were.

The first is a post on one of my favorite blogs, Abraham Piper's 22 Words, which had the title "The problem with disliking Jesus-is-your-boyfriend music is that Jesus is (y)our boyfriend":

I’m uncomfortable as anyone with Christians being Jesus’ lover.

But that’s my fault. I shouldn’t blame those who thrill to this metaphor.

The purpose of this particular blog is to have the entire post be under 22 words, so obviously there's no room for exposition of his view (this also explains the rather long titles).

The second is a post from Professor John Stackhouse (Regent College) entitled "Jesus, I'm NOT in Love with You," in which he argues against "Jesus-is-my-boyfriend" music by saying that loving Christ and being in love with Christ are two completely different things, and that being in love with someone is something reserved only for your spouse. He goes into much more detail than Piper does, and I think his most compelling argument is the following:

But the New Testament never calls Christians Jesus’ fiancées or his brides. Instead, it is the Church collectively, and only the Church as a whole, that relates to Jesus this way–just as individual Israelites did not relate to Yhwh as so many spouses, but only the nation of Israel as nation was his beloved bride.

So who is right? Is Jesus my boyfriend or not? Are those songs helpful or not? I think the question comes down to the nature of an individual's relationship to the community.

My initial thought is that although Stackhouse is basically right, I don't know if the community can be separated from the individual that dramatically. I think there's overlap where it's not necessarily a problem to sing those songs, although I think there are maybe better things you could be singing about.

But those are just my preliminary thoughts. What are your thoughts?

Influential Books and Music

I know I haven't posted in forever, and it would be amazing if anyone checked back here for some real material, but I really am working on not one but two posts right now. One of them might as well be an essay that I'm posting, since it will be that long, but hopefully someone will still read it, and the other one is my argument against the existence of natural rights. So check back if you're interested. But if you're not...read ahead.

I got tagged on Facebook by the one and only Christy Somerville to list fifteen books that have stuck with me after I've read them. I don't feel like tagging folks, so I thought I'd do it here. These are in the order they occurred to me.

1. Christ Our Mediator--C.J. Mahaney
2. God is the Gospel--John Piper
3. Orthodoxy--G.K. Chesterton
4. Peace Like a River--Leif Enger
5. The Count of Monte Cristo--Alexandre Dumas
6. The Chronicles of Narnia--C.S. Lewis
7. The Scarlet Letter--Nathanial Hawthorne
8. The Iliad--Homer
9. Macbeth--William Shakespeare
10. Gilead--Marilynne Robinson
11. Speaker for the Dead--Orson Scott Card
12. Holes--Louis Sachar
13. The Hound of the Baskervilles--Arthur Conan Doyle
14. A Tale of Two Cities--Charles Dickens
15. Paradise Lost--John Milton

And since I'm doing this, I might as well throw up a post I started forever ago and never finished. I wanted to compile my fifteen favorite albums of all time, but hit a roadblock when I had a bunch of albums I wanted to include because I was nostalgic about them from my childhood, not because I thought they were particularly great in reality. So I cheated, and I made two lists: my nostalgia list and my real list. The first list is in order of when they influenced me, starting from early childhood and ending in high school. The second list is in alphabetical order by artist.

Nostalgia:

1. The Man from Snowy River
2. The Parent Trap
3. The Prince of Egypt
4. Rich Mullins - Songs
5. Steven Curtis Chapman - Speechless
6. Chris Rice - Past the Edges
7. Michael W. Smith - Live the Life
8. Avalon - Oxygen
9. Steven Curtis Chapman - Declaration
10. FFH - Have I Ever Told You
11. Mark Schultz - Song Cinema
12. Big Daddy Weave - One and Only
13. Relient K - The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek
14. Casting Crowns - Casting Crowns
15. Godspell

Favorite Albums:
1. Anberlin - Cities
2. Caedmon's Call - 40 Acres
3. Chris Rice - Amusing
4. David Crowder*Band - A Collision (or 3+4=7)
5. House of Heroes - The End is Not the End
6. Jars of Clay - Good Monsters
7. Les Miserables
8. Mae - The Everglow
9. The Ragamuffins and Friends - The Jesus Record
10. Relient K - mmHmm
11. Rich Mullins - A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band
12. Simon and Garfunkel - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme
13. Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown
14. Third Day - Wire
15. U2 - Joshua Tree

Imagine

I just was listening to the classic song "Imagine" by John Lennon, and I was struck by the lyrics. Here's what he says:

Imagine there's no Heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world

Now, obviously there are some pretty stark statements in that song. No heaven, no hell, no wars, no possessions, no religion, and everybody living for today. Sounds nice, doesn't it?

Honestly, no. That world, that "utopia according to John Lennon," strikes me as a terrible place. And really, it's not completely because I'm a Christian and know the value of religion (although that's part of my reason). No, the primary reason why this utopia sounds miserable is because it's a world with no purpose, no direction, nothing to live for, nothing to die for. I mean, what does "living for today" really mean? Not much besides instant gratification, which can turn into something terrible. If we're truly just focused on getting what we want when we want it, it's a very short step to widespread theft, rape, and murder.

"Imagine...nothing to live and die for"...who wants that? If you don't have anything worth living or dying for, what's the point? Existence becomes useless. We might as well be dead, because we have nothing that makes our lives important while we're alive. People can't function that way. We're hard-wired to find something that we care about. And that's not on accident; we were created that way. God created us to be passionate about things. Sin comes when we misdirect our passion to the wrong things, but that doesn't mean that we need to abolish passion. We just need to redirect it back to the only being worthy of all our passion: Jesus Christ.

So what am I imagining? I'm imagining a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. What a day that will be. That's when the world will be as one. And I'll die for that.

One of those days

So today was just one of those days. I'm still recovering from a nasty cold, I saw firsthand the effects of a close friend's rebellion, I was distracted during church by a bunch of rebellious kids, the senior meeting didn't go nearly as well as we'd hoped, I got in a fight with my mom, and life just seemed like it couldn't get much worse. After reconciling with my mom, she made the comment, "You know, it's days like this that make me long for heaven." After we had finished talking, I came down to my room but couldn't think of anything to do, so I started thinking about heaven. Then I decided to turn on some music, and it dawned on me to make myself a mix of songs about heaven. After sorting through many good songs in my collection, here's the final mix I came up with.

"Foreverandever, Etc." by David Crowder*Band
"Perfect Day" by Josh Bates
"I'll Fly Away" by Jars of Clay
"When I Get Where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley
"Smile" by Chris Rice
"Elijah" by Rich Mullins
"Homesick" by MercyMe
"Great Expectations" by Steven Curtis Chapman
"On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand" by Jars of Clay
"Up Where We Belong" by BeBe and CeCe
"Before the Throne" by Sovereign Grace
"Our Happy Home" by David Crowder*Band
"Breakfast Table" by Chris Rice
"Ready for a World" by FFH
"Take Me Away" by Sarah Kelley
"One of These Days" by FFH
"I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe

I can wholeheartedly suggest that you track down all of these songs and buy them and listen to them when you're feeling down. I know that nothing ecourages me more than the thought of heaven, where conflict will be gone and we'll rest forever in the light of his glorious face. So like my mom said, I can seize on days like these to meditate on the glories of the future. There's a reason Hope is one of the three things that remain in 1 Corinthians 13, it's what keeps us going when nothing else will.

!Hero

A Jesus with dreadlocks? A triumphal entry into Yankee Stadium? A crucifixion on a street sign? What’s up with this? Don’t be afraid, it’s just !Hero: The Rock Opera, a modern day retelling of the story of Jesus as envisioned by Eddie Degarmo, CCM industry veteran, told in the vein of Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell. The first reaction of many will probably be, “Isn’t this blasphemous or something?” Well, no, I don’t think so. Merely bringing the story into the present and adding some wailing guitars and driving rap beats is not in and of itself wrong. The real question is how they do that. This article is not intended to be an exhaustive review of the show (which I watched in Live on Stage), but merely an evaluation of what it actually is: a presentation of the gospel.

First, though, I need to touch on the music. I love music with a passion, and I will admit that this music got me excited. From the rapcore of “Raised in Harlem” to the dark pop of “Shadowman” and the Brit rock of “Secrets of the Heart”, most of the songs here are top quality, keeping my head bobbing and my earworm singing long afterward. Visually, it was full of amazing modern dance, lots of wild lights, and two huge screens constantly showing applicable images. As a show, it’s top quality. You can tell that many of the singers were chosen for their names and not for their acting ability (Michael Tait of dcTalk does an adequate job as Jesus/Hero and Mark Stuart of Audio Adrenaline is so-so as Peter/Petrov, but they definitely were not chosen primarily as actors). However, it’s quite a show to watch and hear.

But how’s the theology? Does the show actually get things right where it really matters: the gospel? I’m sorry to say that I don’t believe it really did. And that’s too bad, because these are some of the biggest names in Christian music we’re talking about here. What seemed to be the biggest statement of Jesus’ mission came in “I Am”, a dcTalk-type ballad that had Tait singing “I am, I am/the one to make a change/who's gonna do it if I don't step to it/I am." Hero himself never says that he’s come to save the lost, but merely that we all need to love each other. Rebecca St. James, who plays Mary Magdalene/Maggie says more about the actual gospel than Hero does. In place of the real gospel—Jesus came to die on the cross and save us from our sins, since we can’t save ourselves—we get the social gospel—Jesus came to spread love and teach us to love our neighbors. And that’s just too bad.

I actually borrowed the DVD of the show from Mrs. Mays, the director of our youth musicals. She told me that they had actually considered doing this show last year, but eventually decided not too. After watching, I think I know the two reasons why. First, logistically, we don’t have anyone who can come even remotely close to rapping like T-Bone. And second, when you have a show like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with just about no religious convictions anywhere, it’s relatively easy to put in a biblical worldview and preach the gospel through it. But when you have a show like !Hero that tries to be theological and ends up preaching the wrong gospel, it’s very hard to redeem it. And that’s the main problem with the show. It has great music, but the theology is what kills it. What a pity.