The U2 Concert at the Y This Morning

Many of you, I'm sure, are incredulous that it’s been weeks since I’ve blogged on a U2 song. See, I really do have other interests! But working out this morning, to U2 of course, during the shuffle on my iPhone, a song called “Always” came on. I’ve heard it before, of course, lots of times…but it hit me differently this time.

As usual, Bono is not shy about bringing his spirituality (in my opinion, clearly Christian spirituality) and in this song seems to be singing on the brevity of life.

The first stanza is this:

Here today
And gone tomorrow
Crack the bone, get to the marrow
To be the bee
And the flower
Before the sweetness turns to sour

The line clearly points to the book of James 4:14—“you do not know what tomorrow will bring; What isyour life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time then vanishes.” This is a Biblical truth repeated often throughout the Scriptures. In 1 Corinthians 7:29 Paul reminds us that the time is short, so to make the most of the time we have (an idea repeated in Ephesians 5:16, that we should make the best use of the time because the days are evil. See also Isaiah 40:6-8).

Bono is reminding us that our days on the earth are short…so live life to the fullest. Suck the marrow out of life…a common expression written by Henry David Thoreau in Walden meaning to seize the day, get all you can from life. Of ALL people on the planet, Christ-followers like Bono, recognize the call from God to suck the marrow from life; we’re to be like bees flying to the flowers of life so that we might enjoy the nectar…not that we’re to be hedonists…that would be entirely self-centered…but we can honor God by responsibly enjoying to the fullest the creation He has provided for us. And Bono warns us not to allow fear or apathy to tempt us to wait to long or hold back…because sweetness can turn sour.

Another stanza that hit me this morning during leg curls of all things, was this verse:

Get down off your holy cloud... always
God will not deal with the proud... always
Well if you dream then dream out loud... always
Eternally yours... always

Again, in the book of James 4:6, we read that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Interesting, yet another verse that appears repeatedly throughout Scripture (eg, 1 Pet 5:5). Beware of self-righteousness. Beware of spiritual pride getting in the way of your walk with Christ. We can have big dreams for our lives and honoring God, dream big...but recognize your need for God to be in the dreams and His grace to be what brings them to pass...not your gift package...and then remember that the big dreams are not about you or me and our glory...but His glory alone.

Grace—God’s undeserved, unmerited favor, kindness, mercy, love, goodness toward sinners. There is an interesting issue arising from the verse in James, however…grace, it seems, while unmerited and undeserved, is actually NOT unconditional. It seems the condition is that we are not proud, but humble…funny, its actually an anti-condition…a non-condition. It’s not something we need to be good at to received grace…it’s actually realizing that the only thing, ultimately, we have to offer God is our failure and need.

We see Bono crying out in desperate need for his God in the repeated lines:

I want you
I want you
I want you

May that be the cry of our souls continually...Father, I want you; Lord Jesus, I want you. Holy Spirit, I want you. Bono is too good of a poet, and too smart to not be intentional about repeating the cry three times corresponding to the Three Persons of the Trinity!

The last line I’ll comment on is near the end of the song:

Turn each song into a prayer... always

Bono gets it…all of life can be lived out as a prayer to God. All we do can be considered worship as we live for Him. It’s surprising to me how many fanatical U2 followers love their music but miss their passion…Bono and the boys in fact do what they sing in that line…they DO, in fact, “turn each song into a prayer…always.”
Listen to their music…listen with ears in tune with the Spirit…Always!

How Can You Stand Next to the Truth and Not See It?

One of the lines from U2's current hit, "I Know I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" is "How can you stand next to the truth and not see it...change of heart comes slow." As I look back on my Christian life, I can give my "Amen!" to the truth of that verse. It is a sad Amen, however...because much pain results from change coming so slowly.

I began my Christian life shooing out of the gate like a rocket...or so I thought! It was something new that I could pour myself into...as I had done with swimming and basketball and academics throughout my life. It wasn't too long into the Christian-life-thing that I realized it was different. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to maintain a sense of peace before God based on my performance and effort...as a matter of fact, the harder I tried, often the more defeated I felt!!

It was years before I realized that I had never visited the truths of the Gospel that must lay the foundation of Christian living...above all, the truth of justification by grace through faith...the promise of the Gospel of grace that through hope in Christ, God looks at me "just-as-if-I'd" never sinned and "just-as-if-I'd" perfectly obeyed His commands (see the Heidelberg Catechism Question #60!).

When I began to be gripped by such a gospel, my spiritual life changed, and it was as if for the first time, as Francis Schaeffer wrote in True Spirituality, "the sun came out and the song came!"

My first thought was, "If THIS is the Gospel, then how come I haven't heard it before?" I soon learned that lessons of grace had been all around me, I just didn't have the eyes to see or the ears to hear...I stood "next to the truth" and did not see it! Here's one example: as a new believer in Christ I read Oswald Chambers' devotional, "My Utmost for His Highest." Just this morning my sweet bride sent me this morning's devotional from that classic work...read it slowly, especially in light of what I've just written:

"I realize I am saved by believing. It isnot repentance that saves me, repentance is the sign that I realize what God has done in Christ Jesus. The danger is to put the emphasis on the effect instead of on the cause. It is my obedience that puts me right with God, my consecration. Never! I am put right with God because prior to all, Christ died.

When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals I can accept, instantly the stupendous Atonement of Jesus Christ rushes me into a right relationship with God; and by the supernatural miracle of God's grace I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, not because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done. The Spirit of God brings it with a breaking, all-over light, and I know, though I do not know how, that I am saved.

The salvation of God does not stand on human logic, it stands on the sacrificial Death of Jesus. We can be born again because of the Atonement of Our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the marvellous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all experience. The impregnable safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself. We have not to work out these things ourselves; they have been worked out by the Atonement. The supernatural becomes natural by the miracle of God; there is the realization of what Jesus Christ has already done - "It is finished.""

I had read that devotional as a young believer...probably multiple times! It went right over my head...it slipped right off my "teflon" heart!

So, how can you stand next to the truth and not see it...easily...VERY easily....

The Clock is Running

I had the privilege of seeing U2 perform in Dublin at Croke Park on July 24. The local papers summed up my own assessment...perhaps one of the greatest U2 gigs ever! Now I get the chance to see them again in Atlanta tonight...with my youngest son.

One of the things that struck me during the concert in Croke Park was how many times the screens flashed a countdown; a stopwatch-like clock running down. I wondered during the concert what it meant, and I've thought about it several times since. I'm looking forward to seeing it all again tonight!

But what does it mean? Last night, I was reading Psalm 90, A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. In verses 12-13, Moses writes these words:

So teach us to number our days

that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Return, O LORD! How long?

The clock is ticking…so we must number our days…We only have so many days. Do we live in light of that reality?

We are to live in light of the fact that we only have so many hours to make a difference in this life. The more we live in light of our mortality, often the more wisely we live out our days. When we realize the clock is ticking, we more easily focus on what is important.

The clock is ticking.

Notice the line that we see several times in U2 lyrics: “How long?” In Sunday Bloody Sunday, in 40, we sing along with U2, “How long? How long to sing this song?” The clock is ticking...the Return of Christ is nearer today than it was yesterday. Moses prays: Return, O LORD! How long?

Perhaps U2 is calling us all to think about numbering our days. The time is short. Live in such a way to maximize your minutes. Make a difference! Live with purpose! Don't just exist…live!

If you’re going to the concert (or have already been), notice the emphasis on time. Even if you are NOT going to the concert…Time is winding down.

Time is running out…will you number your days?

See 1 Corinthians 7:29-31!

The clock is ticking...

And to Love I Rhapsodize

I have had U2's song, "Window in the Skies" stuck in my head for the past couple weeks. The more I listen, the more I love it all over again! And the more I listen...the more I learn. What a song of Hope, Faith and Love (to borrow a line from U2's song, Stand Up Comedy). What a song of joy...and from that perspective I'm reminded of their song, "Magnificent." Bono has given back his voice to the One who "left a window in the skies," to sing whatever He wants him to; "Love left a window in the skies, and to Love I rhapsodize."

Bono has been struck by a Love that undoes shackles and overcomes "karma" through grace. Bono sings confidently of the Love that left an undeniable witness...a "stone" that has been removed, leaving nothing but an Empty Grave. Bono sings joyfully of the Love that removes all debts, brings hate to its knees and enables him to cry out, "I've got no shame," because the finished work of Christ on the cross has removed shame for the believer.

In response to such love, in giving back his voice to the One Who loves, Who made a window in the skies, Bono tells everyone who will listen: "to Love I rhapsodize." Bono's response to the Love that gave His Only Son, is that he will sing, rhapsodize." "Justified, til we die, you and I will magnify, The Magnificent."

I see a double meaning in the line: first, to show love in response to being loved, Bono sings/rhapsodizes. Again, from Breathe, finding the courage to love, to walk out, into the streets, arms out, with a love you can't defeat." Second, it is TO Love, To the God and Father of Jesus of Nazareth, Bono rhapsodizes.

Bono is unashamed to sing out the Gospel, singing out the truth that "to every broken heart, for every heart that cries, Love left a window in the skies." From "I'll Go Crazy:" "How can you stand next to the truth and not see it?"

Bono is struck by what Love is doing in his own life...again I'm reminded of songs from NLOTH--"every day he dies again and again he's reborn" from Breathe...this is what Love is doing in his life, and in every life willing to bend the knee and bow the heart to the Savior.

"Love makes love where love may please, the soul and its striptease..." again we are reminded of a line from Breathe where the band in his head is playing a striptease. Bono loves to poetically reveal the Gospel as that which brings us our highest delight and greatest pleasure...so much pleasure in the Gospel that it can almost be put in terms of sensuality. At God's right hand are pleasures evermore...true pleasure of soul.

"Please don't ever let me out of here." Bono is singing that he is "in the sound," the sound of amazing grace. Again, from Breathe, "I found grace inside a sound, I found grace, it's all that I found...and I can breathe; Breathe now." It's the sound he's crying for in Get On Your Boots..."Let me in the sound." Its the sound that we hear in Fez-Being Born..."let me in the sound." It's the sound of the Lamb who makes a heart as "White as Snow." "Please don't ever let me out of You." Never fear, Bono, those whom Christ justifies He also glorifies...we are secure.

We do everything to forfeit the love of God...we "hurt each other," we do "everything but murder you and I...but love left a Window in the Skies..." Nothing shall be able to separate us from the Love of God in Christ.

"Oh can't you see what love has done? Oh can't you see what love has done? Oh can't you see what love has done...and what it's doing to me?"

No wonder Bono walks out on stage during the 360 tour and says each night..."I surrender." We all have that Moment of Surrender point in time...every day.

Love Left a Window in the Skies

So far the encores for U2's 360Tour have been the same: Ultra Violet, With or Without You and Moment of Surrender. That was the encore when I saw U2 in Croke Park on July 24 and I’d like to hear those three songs again in Atlanta on October 6…plus one…Window in the Skies.

You can listen to U2 songs over and over, and often, a song you’ve heard a hundred times “speaks to you.” That happened to me this week as my iPhone, on shuffle, played “Window in the Skies” from U218 Singles. What a great song…and what a great song to play as an encore, which at U2 concerts are always meant to send us away with a message ringing in our ears...and hearts.

Bono begins by singing, “The shackles are undone, the bullet’s quit the gun.” He is singing of the amazing truth that through grace the shackles of slavery to sin and death have been removed. So have the shackles of self-condemnation and self-absorption! The punishment at the Hand of a Just Judge has been taken away by a Substitute…thus, the bullets are taken away…for those in Christ, wrath is shooting blanks!

Then, “the heat that’s in the sun (hear “Son”) will keep us when there’s none…when the coldness of the world and the freeze of a broken planet come upon us, there’s the Son filled with the warmth of His love!

“The Rule has been disproved.” The rule of law that says unless you are perfect, you will die, both physically and spiritually. The rule of law is more like the rule of karma—you get what you deserve. Grace disproves the rule of The Law which condemns us to judgment. Grace in Christ grants us what we don’t deserve...favor where we deserve rejection.

I’m fairly confident I’m interpreting the lyrics properly, because the next line is too obvious to miss (how can you stand next to the truth and not see it?!)…

“The Stone, it has been removed.” On the first Easter, the Stone was rolled away, revealing that the Crucified Lord had been raised from the dead! So, as a result of the hope of the resurrection…

“The grave is now a groove.” The grave, for the believer, is simply a seemless groove into a God-filled eternity…no more crying, no more pain, no more sorrow, now more sin. Death has been defeated!

“All debts are removed.” The debt we owe an infinitely holy and just God because of our failure has been paid in full by the One who came to live the life we couldn’t live and die the death we couldn’t die…

“Oh can’t you see what LOVE has done?...Love left a window in the skies.” There is NOW a way we can look into the heavens and SEE our Creator! We can look in upon God and He looks down upon us in Christ with favor, delight and care!

More tomorrow on this great song…would love to hear it in Atlanta!!So far the encores for the 360Tour have been the same: Ultra Violet, With or Without You and Moment of Surrender. That was the encore when I saw U2 in Croke Park on July 24 and I’d like to hear those three songs again in Atlanta on October 6…plus one…Window in the Skies.

I’m sure you’ve listened to U2 songs over and over, as I have, but sometimes a song you’ve heard a hundred times “speaks to you.” That happened to me this week as my iPhone, on shuffle, played “Window in the Skies” from U218 Singles. What a great song…and what a great song to play as an encore, which at U2 concerts are always meant to send us away with a message ringing in our ears...and hearts.

Bono begins by singing, “The shackles are undone, the bullet’s quit the gun.” He is singing of the amazing truth that through grace the shackles of slavery to sin and death have been removed. So have the shackles of self-condemnation and self-absorption! The punishment at the Hand of a Just Judge has been taken away by a Substitute…thus, the bullets are taken away…for those in Christ, wrath is shooting blanks!

Then, “the heat that’s in the sun (hear “Son”) will keep us when there’s none…when the coldness of the world and the freeze of a broken planet come upon us, there’s the Son filled with the warmth of His love!

“The Rule has been disproved.” The rule of law that says unless you are perfect, you will die, both physically and spiritually. The rule of law is more like the rule of karma—you get what you deserve. Grace disproves the rule of The Law which condemns us to judgment. Grace in Christ grants us what we don’t deserve...favor where we deserve rejection.

I’m fairly confident I’m interpreting the lyrics properly, because the next line is too obvious to miss (how can you stand next to the truth and not see it?!)…

“The Stone, it has been removed.” On the first Easter, the Stone was rolled away, revealing that the Crucified Lord had been raised from the dead! So, as a result of the hope of the resurrection…

“The grave is now a groove.” The grave, for the believer, is simply a seemless groove into a God-filled eternity…no more crying, no more pain, no more sorrow, now more sin. Death has been defeated!

“All debts are removed.” The debt we owe an infinitely holy and just God because of our failure has been paid in full by the One who came to live the life we couldn’t live and die the death we couldn’t die…

“Oh can’t you see what LOVE has done?...Love left a window in the skies.” There is NOW a way we can look into the heavens and SEE our Creator! We can look in upon God and He looks down upon us in Christ with favor, delight and care!

More tomorrow on this great song…would love to hear it in Atlanta!!

U2 Croke Park, Steve Stockman Review

My friend, Steve Stockman, who has written a book on the spirituality of U2's music, Walk On, has a blog called Soul Surmise. He was at the same concert myself and a few other OMPC folk were at in Dublin on July 24. It was amazing. Here are Steve's thoughts from his blog and his review:

"Perhaps my most quoted quote to my students is Frederick Buechner’s definition of vocation; “The place where your deepest gladness and the world’s greatest hunger meet.” I spend a lot of time pastoring students to that point where they find out what they were created to be and how that can penetrate the needs of the social order. Four songs into U2’s first of three homecoming Croke Park gigs Bono is singing about how he was born to sing and was given songs to sing. Nearing the end of Magnificent the fourth song in a row from the new album No Line On The Horizon, Bono stand arms open and declares “I surrender.” It is a surrendering to his God; it is a surrendering to the people (the fans) whose hard earned money put him on this stage, in one of the biggest stadiums in Europe, literally one or two miles from where he grew up; it is a surrendering to his place in the world, where with three chords and the truth, as he once said, he could meet some of the world’s deepest hunger. And as I watch I am thinking that this is where I hope all of my students get to, because that man and his three mates are without doubt right on the vortex of their place in the cosmos.

There is a deepest gladness about this particular gig. Is there some relief that the first of three 82,000 capacity gigs is jammered? Is there relief that after the criticisms about their music and even tax decisions they are back in the arms of their own; their families and fans and familiar streets of home? Is it that they are just happy in their own skin, doing what they do best? Whatever there is a looseness, even in the tightest of sounds, that makes the gig seem all the more uplifting; yes, a trademark but sharper than ever. The first half hour is just full on rock n roll of a stadium shrinking kind that perhaps only Springsteen could hope to emulate. As I said the splendid Breathe kicks off into four more from the new record. No Line On The Horizon is rockier than on the album and Get On Your Boots finally proves itself as a U2 banker, all hard core Edge riff and communal chant. After Magnificent it is Beautiful Day and Elevation and you wonder how these almost fifty year olds can keep it up.

The first breather gives the band a chance to shake it up. On acoustic guitar Desire seems more alive than in years and then the reinvigorated Stuck in A Moment gets served up with American grit. A wee shout out to a gloomy recession hit Ireland was full of pride and inspiration as well as a welcome to the hordes of visitors who had come to see U2 where U2 need to be experienced. An impromptu stab at Brendan Behan’s classic Irish folk song The Auld Triangle was stumbled over with some fun and laughter and a band in their very deepest gladness enjoying the night as much as the crowd.

They weren’t finished with the new arrangements. One got an Adam Clayton bass groove that prevented any danger of diminishing returns but most surprising of all was the complete reinvention of I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight with Larry out front with a drum round his neck and Bono interweaving the party and spiritual side of the song to maximum effect. Unforgettable Fire sounded refreshingly familiar and its inclusion along with MLK and a set ending Bad, as well as of course the mainstay Pride, might suggest a commercial eye on the Remaster Edition due for release in October but whatever the reason the effect was brilliant. Likewise Ultraviolet as the first encore was another reminder of the goodness of songs not tried for years.

All of it was a rat-a-tat-tat of great tunes from band holding the crowd in the palm of their hand for two hours and twenty four songs. The sense of celebration and Beuchner’s gladness was palpable. Opening act Damien Dempsey had said how great it was to be alive and I thought about his words as I simply revelled in the spiritual celebration that this band was giving out. If you want a great rock n roll show no one gets close but if you are looking for another dimension the theology is deep and poetic.

Of course as well as deep gladness these guys also meet the world’s deep hunger and tonight the build up from Bloody Sunday to Pride brought us to a Martin Luther King for 2009 and Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi in house arrest for almost twenty years. MLK was a prayer sent up for her and of course Walk On was originally about her anyway so at the crescendo of that there was a parade of people on stage wearing Suu Kyi masks in solidarity, to keep her face in the conscience of the world. Later Bono handed over to the Archbishop of the U2360 Tour and a film preach by Desmond Tutu encouraged us to keep children suffering from AIDS and Malaria alive so that they would become doctors, teachers and scientists. This is not just good music but music that is trying to be good for something.

You can’t help but wonder if that person in U2’s Christian fellowship way back in 1981 who told them that God had said they should give the music up because it was not spiritually useful was in Croke Park? If so, what would they have thought? Had U2 believed them and become teachers and whatever they might have become would these four men have affected the world in anywhere near the way that they have? And what about within themselves? Would they be doing whatever with the same deep gladness and celebration that you could see tonight? Thank God they ignored it and found their vocation.

To the end and a stroke of typical confidence and courage had U2 close the night with Moment of Surrender, a seven minute slow burner from the new, critically and commercially questioned, record. U2 have never said goodnight with a throwaway hit. From 40 to Yahweh there has been a spiritual blessing before the journey home and this is their theological masterpiece. Of course we are back to that endless theme in their catalogue and that moment at the outset of this show – surrender. As we watch on those big screens these four men, just four ordinary looking men, leave the stage you become aware how incredible it is that they can achieve the astounding impact that they have just made. And we are back to finding that place where deep gladness and world hunger meet. These men are perfectly in their reason for existence. They say they have found grace inside a sound and you simply want them to let you into that sound. They are a force of nature !"

Why Were You Born?

In the song Magnificent on U2's new album (No Line on the Horizon), Bono cries out that he was born to sing for Someone. Many might think this is a song to all U2 fans...and I guess at one level you can take it that way....but what the song is really about is Bono's acknowledgement that he was born to sing for the Magnificent...for Christ. What I want us to consider today is the fact that the song's lyrics are really true for ALL of us. Every human being was created to Sing for God. We may not have Bono's voice, but we are made to sing!

In Numbers 21:17 we meet up with the Israelites singing a song of praise to God because He had graciously promised to give them water for their journey in the wilderness.

One interesting side note is that this passage follows closely on the heels of one of my favorite gospel passage in Scripture. In Numbers 21:4-9 God had sent fiery serpents to bite the people because they were grumbling and complaining in the desert. They were helpless to save themselves from the fatal venom...all they could do is cry out to God and look in faith to the bronze serpent that God had commanded Moses to lift up on a pole. In John 3 we learn that this incident was a prefiguring of Christ: as the serpent was lifted up, so Christ was lifted up, that whoever looks to Him in faith will be saved from sin. However, we must be reminded that it is also the picture of sanctification and life change...whenever we recognize and acknowledge the venom of sin coursing through the "veins of our souls" afresh, we have no other recourse but to look to Christ again in fresh faith that the transforming power of the blood might "neutralize" the venom of sin and we may be changed.

It is AFTER this rebellion of grumbling and complaining and whining that God then shows great grace by providing undeserved water to quench the thirst of His people. How amazing that even after our rebellion, God still graciously provides what is more than sufficient for our needs!

As God's people hear that He is going to provide water, they break out in praise to God for the well. Each Sunday, Each Lord's Day, we are given the privilege to praise God for the past week's provision of grace and praise in anticipation of future grace in the coming days. I'm reminded of how often in the Psalms that we as God's people are COMMANDED to "Sing!" We were born to Sing for Him!

The fact of the matter is that our hearts ought to be so full of wonder at God's grace, there would be no need to be commanded to praise...it would be the supernatural, spontaneous overflow of our hearts. However, because of our sin and cold-heartedness, because of our distraction and our pride, we still must hear the COMMAND to sing praises to God. In the Psalms alone we hear the command or the determination to sing in at lest 61 verses!! Singing praise to God is not a matter of temperament or giftedness; it is a matter of the heart!

When I was converted as a sophomore at Penn State over 29 years ago, there were three changes God brought about in my life over which I exercised no will, exertion or effort. First, whereas I had never owned nor opened a Bible, within days of my conversion I had an insatiable hunger for God's Word...I literally could not put it down. Second, my language had been "colorful" as a "gym rat," cursing whenever I missed a shot on the basketball court. Within days of my conversion, my language had cleaned up without me even focusing on it! Third, I began to sing! I can still remember singing Christmas carols my first Christmas as a true believer. I had been in churches where carols were sung when I was a non-Christian over the years, but I had never sung...I mouthed the words without singing. When I was converted, I began to sing.

I know that personality does have SOME bearing on singing...but if you read the Psalms, God doesn't deal with temperaments....we are COMMANDED to sing!! But again, the real issue is not that we are commanded to sing; the real issue is this: what is going on in our hearts that we would refrain from singing? Even if we feel we have a terrible voice, that is a heart issue of pride and self-absorption. Even if we feel shy and self-conscious, that too is a matter of pride in the heart. If we just don't feel like singing, that is giving into emotions, or a lack thereof and allowing our emotions to rule our lives rather than using our renewed wills to whip our emotions into shape.

The question this morning is this: are you singing God's praises on Sunday mornings? If not, why not? I know we all sing alone with U2 blaring on our stereos...singing is a matter of delight, not temperament! We are ALL born to sing for Him!

Light My Way

Signs are pointing to a set list for U2 360 involving some old classics or even some "B" sides. In listening to everything from Boy to No Line on the Horizon, some of my own old favorites are sounding new all over again. One of the songs I can't stop listening to right now is Ultraviolet (Light My Way) from Achtung Baby.

The song, like most U2 creations, can be taken in different ways. On one level it is a love song, perhaps of Bono's love for Ali and his need for her help, even rescue. It could also be about a child's gratitude and need for a parent's love (the "opera" line perhaps referring to Bono's father, as it does in Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own). And like many U2 songs, it could also have a spiritual meaning as it relates to knowing the love and grace of God. Even in Scripture the love between a man and a woman is an illustration of the love Christ has for His Church and the need the Church has for Christ to light its Way (Ephesians 5:21-31 and also the Old Testament Book of the Song of Solomon). I'll let others discuss the first two layers...it's been my practice in these blogs to mine the spiritual vein.

The song begins with honesty, transparency and reality...a truly spiritual Christian understands the reality of this fallen world and the temptations of the flesh that pull us toward "getting it wrong." Sometimes we are so tired of fighting against evil that we get tired...we just feel like "checkin' out" and we realize that we "can't always be strong." God delights in such honesty. Our heavenly Father doesn't expect us to have it all together...what He deeply desires is our honesty and vulnerability. In Isaiah 57:15 we learn that God can not resist the one who is contrite, humble, broken-hearted. In James 4:6 we read that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

There is the realization in the song that "the day is as dark as the night is long." There are times when we walk in darkness even as we walk with God. In Isaiah 50:10 we learn that when we walk in darkness and have no light, we are to trust in the Name of the LORD and rely upon our God. When we feel like we are "in the black, can't see or be seen" that is the time for faith in the Light of the World (John 8:12). The Son of God is the Light of the World, the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2: But for you who fear My Name, the Sun of Righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings)...Baby, Baby, Baby, Light my way! Ultraviolet.

Sometimes it is our own sin that puts us in a place of darkness...and we can "feel like trash." But Christ can wash us "White as Snow" and "You can make me feel clean."

"You bury Your treasure where it can't be found." In the Gospels, the Good News of the love of God in Christ is illustrated as a treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13:44). Also, all during the mission of Christ, He told people to keep His True Identity a secret, commanding those He healed not to talk about it (Mark 7:36; Luke 5:14; Luke 8:56). He even told the disciples not to tell others when they figured out He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:20). In many ways, Bono and U2 hide the treasure of the Gospel in many of their songs. It's buried treasure where only those who really want to find it, will. As Bono says elsewhere, they are being very smart and just sort of drawing their fish in the sand, as the early Christians did with Ixthus.

Bono sings of the "price of love, I know it's not cheap." The price of God's love was the infinite price of the cost of the Blood of the Lamb...precious blood. There is no such thing as "cheap grace;" there are only people who treat the grace of God cheaply. But if we hope in the Love of God brought to us through Christ, there will be Light and Peace. There really is a "silence that comes to a house where no one can sleep" if that house puts it's hope in Christ. Life can be filled with difficulty, but if we fix our eyes on Christ, there will be a peace that surpasses all understanding. The silence and stillness of peace and comfort from the Light of the World can come even in the midst of troubles that steal sleep from our eyes. "Baby, baby, baby, Light my way...Oh Ultraviolet."

There is an ebb and flow to faith...and doubt. There are times when we can "sleep on stones (Genesis 28:18)." There are times even when life is hard and rough, that our hope in God's love is secure...and we can sleep in peace. There are times when we feel and sense God's love so thoroughly that our faith seems indestructible. There are other times, however, when all we can manage to do is "lie together in whispers and moans." Prayer barely audible, faith barely existing...as we moan through pain, suffering and disappointment (Romans 8:22-26). Times when we are "all messed up and I had an opera in my head." Life can feel like an opera at times...like a tragic story when all the songs are in minor keys...when it seems like the song will end, not in life but with death. Yet at those times, "Your love was a Lightbulb, hanging over my bed...Baby, baby, baby, Light my way...Ultraviolet."

Using his poetic license as a song writer, Bono could be treating the Spirit, as he often says, "as a feminine sort of thing." So, to cry out to God's Spirit with the prayer, "Baby, baby, baby, Light my way" is in no way irreverent, but Bono's normal poetic means of referring to the Spirit.

We all face times/seasons of darkness...and in those times, Who lights your way? Ultraviolet? The Sun of Righteousness?

"Oh sugar, don't you cry; Oh child, wipe the tears from your eyes."

Rock and Roll Reads Ecclesiastes

I came across this video of U2 performing The Wanderer on YouTube. I would love to hear this on the set list for the upcoming tour!

The song reminds me of the Book of Ecclesiastes. The Teacher wants to go everywhere, try everything in a search for meaning...he tries seeking wisdom, engaging in pleasure, riches, sex, being a work-a-holic, marriage, poverty, foolishness, gluttony, drunkenness...he tries everything "before he repents." But where he ends up is to fear God and keep His commandments.

All is vanity...meaninglessness apart from a personal relationship with God. We were created for purpose...for significance...as Pascal said, "Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You." And as Pascal said on another occasion: Each of us is filled with a cross-shaped hole in our hearts; yet we try to fill that hole with anything other than Christ...but hopefully, by grace, we are brought to repentance.

When Will the Pain Stop?

Moment of Surrender, on U2's new album, No Line on the Horizon, is one of my favorite U2 songs of all time. What’s it about? It could be about a drug addict finally coming to the place of surrender as described in the Twelve Step program. It might also be about surrendering to God…as Bono sings about “falling to my knees.”

In many U2 songs, prayer is referred to as kneeling (She Moves in Mysterious Ways—“on your knees, boy;” Vertigo—“You’re love is teaching me how to kneel;” City of Blinding Lights—“Blessings are not just for the ones who kneel...luckily;” and many others!).

There are other Christian symbols in Moment of Surrender that lead me to believe Bono is singing about surrender to Christ…the Lamb as White as Snow. The last verse appears on U2.com/discography as follows:

I was speeding on the subway
Through the stations of the cross
Every eye looking every other way
Counting down 'til the Pentecost

The last line is significant. On the released version of the song, Bono seems to clearly sing: “counting down ‘til the pain would stop.” What is interesting is that on my iTunes download of the album which is accompanied by a Digital Booklet, the lyric appears as in U2.com's Discography section…“Counting down ‘til the Pentecost.”

This coming Sunday, May 31, 2009 is Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost is the Day the Church celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the early believers, 10 days after the ascension of Christ…and 50 days after Easter (thus the name, Pentecost).

Pentecost was also an Old Testament Feast Day—called the Feast of Weeks. It is also called the Feast of the Harvest or the Feast of Firstfruits. This Jewish feast celebrated the LORD as the Provider of all crops, all fruitfulness. The symbol in the Old Testament is the LORD as the Provider of material fruitfulness and Pentecost continues the theme of Provision as the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the Church as the Provider of all spiritual fruitfulness...Levitate!!! (One of the songs on U2's "B-side" releases called "Medium, Rare and Remastered," clearly a song about crying out for the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is presented in John 14-16 as the Helper, the Comforter...thus, the One who helps our pain to stop.

In Moment of Surrender, Bono sings of going through the “Stations of the Cross” which is what the church meditates upon during Holy Week and Good Friday. But after the crucifixion and resurrection, there is Pentecost! It is one thing to be forgiven, to have a heart made White as Snow…it is another thing to be given the Power and Provision of the Holy Spirit...Levitate!!!

A drug addict or any other kind of addict (we’re ALL addicts of some kind!) can be forgiven and be released from shame and guilt through the Lamb as White as Snow. But we need more than forgiveness…we need power to live different lives! We need the ability to say no to the addictions of this world that can kill us and harm all our relationships. We need the Spirit Who Alone can empower us to go out into the world with our arms outstretched to serve and love and bring peace and kindness. We need the Spirit to fill us with compassion for the suffering. We need the Spirit to fill us with love for our enemies...Levitate!!!

We need the Spirit to fill our lives in this in-between time, this in-between life in this broken world, as we pack our suitcases for a place none of us have ever been…a place that has to be believed to be seen. We need the Spirit to fill us with courage and hope as we count down ‘til the pain will stop…we need the Spirit to fill us with faith as we continually cry out, “How Long?...to sing this song!!

This week, I’m joining Bono…and I’m counting down ‘til the Pentecost. Care to join me? Levitate!!!

Levitate...Lift me Up!

There are some REALLY GREAT SONGS on U2's special release, Medium, Rare & Remastered. U2's aim to intelligently and subtlely weave their Christian faith into lyrics actually loses some of the subtlety on several songs. Levitate is one of those songs.

"It's in your voice, I can feel it, I can tell. It's in your voice, Has me ringing me like a bell"--it seems quite likely that Bono is singing about the Holy Spirit...and getting in tune with the Spirit so that we hear His voice. the voice of the Lord is a common theme in Scripture.

In Genesis 22 Abraham is told that he will be blessed because he listened to the voice of the Lord. In Exodus 15 God calls His people to listen to His voice. In 1 Samuel 15:22 we learn that the Lord takes great delight in those who obey His voice. All through the Psalms we sing of the voice o the LORD--Ps 29:4--The voice of the LORD is poweful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty; and in the next verse, in a tie-in with the new album, No Line on the Horizon, the Voice of the LORD breaks the Cedars of Lebanon! In the Song of Solomon, the great LOVE SONG of Scripture, the one loved hears the voice of the Beloved...and the poetic language there somewhat parallels Bono's lyrics that the voice has him ringing like a bell.

The same theme continues in the New Testament: In John chapter 10 Christ talks about being the Good Shepherd and the sheep hear His voice and follow Him.

As we listen to the voice of the LORD, there will be peace: Bono continues: "Peace of mind; Peace comes dropping slow; I'm in the mind to let go of control." Romans 8:6--The mind set on the Spirit is life and peace! In Galatians 5:22 we learn that one element of the fruit of the Spirit is peace...peace dropping upon us because the Spirit is from above. We receive that peace as we yield ourselves up to God (Romans 6:13ff); as we let go of control and allow the Spirit to fill us (Ephesians 5:18).

Spirit come on down, No I'm not coming down--This could be taken two ways: 1) As Bono prays for the Spirit to fall upon him, he has the Spirit saying "No, I'm not coming down..." meaning, the Spirit is wanting Bono and us to know that the Spirit's intention is to lift us up with Him, not for Him to come down to us...thus, LEVITATE!

But a second option is that Bono is believing so firmly that the Spirit WILL come on down that the subject of the second line is Bono (and every believer) and there is confidence that since the Spirit is coming down as promised, we can say to our enemies, no matter what you do or what I face, "No, I'm not coming down." An interesting side note here is that on NLOTH, on the song Moment of Surrender, during the verse involving riding on the subway "through the stations of the cross" the official lyrics say the next line is "counting down to the Pentecost." Pentecost, of course, being the time when the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples as they waiting in Jerusalem for the Gift Jesus said He would send...and the church became filled with a love that was unstoppable...and it turned the Roman Empire right-side-up!

In the chorus: Who can stop us now, It's much too late; Can't slow us down, We can't hesitate. I want a love that's hard, As hard as hate...Levitate. Once Christ-followers are filled with the Spirit, they can not be stopped. As Jesus taught, "the gates of hell will not prevail against the church" (Matthew 16:18). Also in Romans 8, a chapter filled with thoughts about walking in the Spirit, the chapter is filled with thoughts of victory! No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Then the line--"I want a love that's hard, As hard as hate. Levitate!" When people hate, that hate is so deep, so passionate, so uncompromising...it's all-pervasive. Bono says he wants a love that has those same qualities. Only the Spirit of God can grant such a love...so Levitate! Bring us into the love of the Trinity...the love shared between Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Jesus said that the world would know we are Christians by our love for one another. As we hear the Voice of the Spirit and our hearts resonate with His voice, we will be filled with a love that can change the world and NOTHING AND NO ONE can stop us!

In the last verse we see a line that Bono has used on How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb, in Miracle Drug:"Freedom has a scent/Like the top of a newborn baby's head." Here in Levitate, Bono sings: When freedom comes, Freedom has a scent; It's like the top of a new born baby's head. On NLOTH there is the theme of being born and reborn...Bono knows that the work of the Spirit is to renew us after the character of Christ on a daily basis...Christ being the new born Baby that brings freedom; but also, the Spirit is the Spirit of freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) and makes us reborn daily by His grace and power.

Who can stop us now, Who could make us wait; Who could slow us down, Make us hesitate. I want a love that's hard, As hard as hate. Levitate! Lift me up!

So, we are to sing out in prayer to be filled with the Spirit, the Spirit of love and peace. We are to yield ourselves and our lives over to the Lord so that He lifts us up out of our brokenness and self-absorption and we will be released to go into the world, "arms stretched out" to serve and love the world in which we live! Who can stop us now!

The Right to Appear Ridiculous

On U2's new album, No Line on the Horizon, in the song "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" we hear Bono sing the lyric: "The right to appear ridiculous is something I hold dear."

I find it farily significant that the line follows the lyric: "Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear," a line that is pulled from the New Testament Scriptures, where the Apostle John, in his First Letter to the Church, writes: "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" (1 John 4:18).

John is writing to weak-kneed believers who need to, as Bono sings in Stand Up Comedy, "get out from under their beds." Bono, like John, is saying, "Come on, ye people, stand up for your Love." Stop being afraid of what others think, stop being enslaved to the approval of others, and be willing to appear ridiculous.

The fact is, Christ-followers will always appear ridiculous to those who exercise their freedom to not believe. It's ALWAYS been this way. I'm reminded of a story of King David when the Ark of the Covenant was being brought to Jerusalem. We read in 2 Samuel 6 that as the Ark came into the city, King David was leaping and dancing before the LORD. We also read that his wife, Michal, saw David doing this and she despised him for it. When David returned home, Michal disgustingly told David that he made a fool of himself...he appeared ridiculous!

Christ-followers will always appear ridiculous in the eyes of those who exercise their freedom to not believe. It is foolish in their eyes to put our hope in the words and promises of a book that is thousands of years old...it is foolish in their eyes to believe that One Man born supposedly 2000 years ago was the Very Creator of the Universe come to live in the flesh as a human being...it is foolish in their eyes to believe that all humanity will one day give an account to the One True God based solely on what they did with the claims of Christ...and on and on.

As a fellow Christ-follower, I think I know what Bono means when he sings, "Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear? The right to appear ridiculous is something I hold dear."

Of course, the right to appear ridiculous applies, at times, equally before the Church as well as before the unbelieving world...for many in the Church have created their own particular brand of following Christ, which, if one ignores, one is considered ridiculous by them as well. So...what to do?

Allow perfect love, God's perfect, never-ending, never diminishing, never-changing unconditional love to you in Christ to drive out all fear...and be willing to be considered ridiculous...as a matter of fact, hold that right dearly! It was a right that the Apostle Paul held dearly...In 1 Corinthias 4:10, Paul writes to people who thought him to be ridiculous, "We are fools for Christ's sake."

Some years ago I was on the staff of a well-known campus ministry. The leader of the organization was though to be foolish by many people for his commitment and vision. One day he was even told by another: "You are a fool!" Without missing a beat this Christian leader said, "Ok, I'm a fool...but if I'm going to be a fool, I'd rather be Christ's fool...who's fool are you?"

"...it's not a hill, it's a mountain as you start out the climb...but listen for me, I'll be shouting...we're GONNA make it all the way to the Light."

Oh, but a change of heart comes slow.

3:33 When the Numbers Fell Off the Clockface

On U2's new album, in the song Unknown Caller, Bono says it's 3:33 when the numbers fell off the clock-face. I just had a pretty interesting experience...and it happened at 3:33 the morning of April 28. It was pre-dawn, the day of my Silver Anniversary...25 years of marriage to my sweetheart.

Let me preface my comments today by saying these thoughts struck me in light of some interaction on the U2.com message board related to the topic of truth. I've found that as long as things can remain in the theoretical realm, people can hold to all kinds of beliefs. But what I've discovered in life is that when people face trial, trouble or tragedy, there are few atheists "in a foxhole." When the chips are down, there just aren't many people that don't turn to "God" in a crisis.

My wife and I are trying to sustain a dog-breeding business...beautiful dogs...English Goldens. We've had our share of struggles with it. You'd think breeding would be like falling off a log, but more can go wrong than you might think. The other night, one of our dogs went into labor...and there were complications...the first two pups, wonderfully developed and gorgeous, were, sadly, stillborn. My wife decided to take our dog to an emergency vet clinic. I got my wife and the dog all loaded up and I stayed home with the children. When I went back to my bedroom...you guessed it...3:33 on the clock face! No joke...I wouldn't lie about this.

I spent the next hour in prayer, thinking about our circumstances, but also thinking about Unknown Caller. I was reminded that we can talk belief systems all we want, but in times of crisis, prayer is an almost universal response. Where does such a response originate? It is the common response in crisis in every culture under the sun...and for one simple reason...the God of the Universe created us for relationship with Him.

The night didn't turn out too well...5 of the 7 pups were born dead...and we have no idea why. Some would say, "See, your prayers did no good at all." I would beg to differ. The purpose of prayer to God is not that I would twist His arm to do as I please...He is no Cosmic Genie. The REAL purpose of prayer is to allow me to "shush" in the Presence of the Almighty. The real purpose of prayer, as Bono sings, is to hear God; part of the wonder and beauty of prayer is the opportunity for me to cease to speak that God might speak.

Prayer gives me the opportunity to "force quit" my anxious thoughts, my racing brain, my worry, take it all, and "move to trash." My prayers that had begun at "3:33" had brought me to a place where, regardless of the life or death of pups, I was "free to go" and to "shout for joy."

Jeremiah 33:3--Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.

One of the great joys of being a Christ-follower is that I can KNOW that I have confidence before the Creator when I pray...and it's not because I've been especially good or holy. Rather, it's because Jesus, my Redeemer, was good and holy and righteous on my behalf and shares with me His Right Standing with the Father. I can come in the Name of Jesus, in the very place of Jesus Himself, before the Father. I can know that as the Father is favorably disposed toward Jesus, He will be similarly favorable toward me because of my relationship to Christ.

So, you can debate the historicity of Christ, the accuracy of the Bible (and I'll debate with you all day long!). But in the final analysis, at 3:33, at the scene of the accident...you're going to cry out...and you're going to hope there is Someone listening...Christians know...and rest secure, leaning on the Everlasting Arms.

Getting Over Certainty

This particular blog post is the result of some discussions that have taken place in the message board forums on U2.com. From what I'm reading there, I think there is a lot of confusion as to what "faith" is and its relationship to reason, logic and certainty.

There are at least 2 places on NLOTH where Bono sings about certainty. In Stand Up Comedy--I can stand up for hope, faith, love; But while I'm getting over certainty, Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady. And in Moment of Surrender--Two souls too cool to be In the realm of certainty, Even on our wedding day.

It seems to me that these lyrics are a blast from the past, as if revisiting the pain and longing of "I still haven't found what I'm looking for." We don't know why God moves in such mysterious ways. We don't know why Peace on Earth doesn't seem to rhyme with hope and history. We don't know why orphans and other oppressed people are just waiting for some Crumbs from our table. We don't know why the Gospel promises so much and yet at times seems to deliver so little. There is so much about the life of a Christ-follower that is filled with mystery. There is so much about daily life and our future that lies outside of the realm of certainty. There are many questions that we just can't be certain we have the answer to...and I think Bono is singing, that as he has matured, he's ok with not having all the answers, he's ok with uncertainty in some areas.

Having said all that, we must make sure we don't go too far with the lyrics. Only Bono knows for sure what he means, but I can tell you from a Biblical perspective what it would mean if Bono is singing within the bounds of the historic Christian faith. It may be easier to explain what historic Christianity would NOT say from lyrics such as are found in Stand Up Comedy and Moment of Surrender.

Historic Christianity would NOT say that "getting over certainty" means that faith is divorced from fact or history or reason. Many in the world today think faith and reason live in separate universes. Biblical, historic Christianity would say faith utilitizes reason, it doesn't operate outside of it.

I'm not sure where the idea arose that faith and logic, or faith and facts, don't mix, but it didn't originate with the Bible (Actually I DO know where the idea arose, but that would take too much time to explain...if you're interested pick up a book by Francis Schaeffer called "The God Who is There"). So many people think science uses facts and religion uses faith and the two are completely different. I completely disagree. Science uses as much faith as religion and religion better use as many facts as science!

Some might want Christians to prove with 100% certainty that Jesus lived, died and rose again. Well, that can't be done...but, neither can we prove with 100% certainty that Luther did something significant in 1517. What we CAN do is compile research so that we can say with GREAT confidence that it is highly likely that in fact, Luther did nail the 95 theses to the door in Wittenberg at the end of October in 1517, and using similar research theories we are also able to say with GREAT confidence that Jesus lived, died, rose again in the first century.

Faith is not believing in something in spite of the facts...faith is trusting in something that is backed up by facts and reason. Biblical faith is not believing in spite of the lack of evidence that Jesus lived, died and rose to forgive peoples' sins. Biblical faith is putting our hope in the work of Christ for forgiveness and eternal life.

Or maybe this will help: Let's say we can use reason, logic, personal experience, history, etc to build a case for Christ, and we are able to arrive at a 95% probability that Christianity is true...some would say faith is bridging the 5% of the uncertain (though many moderns might think that evidence points to 1% certainty based on facts, so faith is a 99% blind leap in the dark of complete uncertainty). I don't believe that is what Bono is singing about in these lines.

It would be more accurate to say that evidence enables us to say with a high degree of confidence that we are certain Jesus existed and the evidence also points to His resurrection and that faith has to do with resting on His finished work for forgiveness and eternal life and has nothing at all to do with bridging a gap in the facts.

I highly doubt that Bono is singing that he is forgetting all about any evidential or reasonable foundation for faith. Just a few years ago in the book "Bono: In Conversation", Bono quotes a lot of evidence often used by CS Lewis which builds the case for Jesus as Messiah.

So, in these "getting over certainty" lines, I think Bono's still singing what he's been singing for almost 30 years...as we look around the world, even though we know we believe You broke the bonds, And You loosed the chains, Carried the cross of my shame, Oh my shame, you know I believe it. But I still haven't found What I'm looking for. But I still haven't found What I'm looking for.

Getting over certainty means Christians allowing for mystery and holding answers to the problems of the world humbly...it means not being so self-righteous that we've got it all figured out on how every single element of life works and thinking that every problem has an easy answer. Getting over certainty means that even Christ followers don't always clearly perceive the will of God or understand all He wants us to do.

But getting over certainty does NOT mean that all world-views are equally valid or that faith has no relationship to facts. One thing's for sure...we're ALL One Step Closer to Knowing.

The First Time...All Over Again

What most of you do not know, is that I am trying to multiply my time on this Blog. The reason you all see so many posts related to U2 is because I'm simply copying and pasting Blogs I am posting on U2.com. My main aim in these blogs is to reach out to the many young people, many who are unbelievers, on U2's web site. It's not that I don't care about you believers out there...but I need some form of consistent outreach in my life...and this gives me the opportunity. Hopefully, however, these blogs for unbelievers and U2 fans are able to speak to your believing soul as well. So, here's another of my U2.com posts:

When NLOTH was released, I starting drinking in the lyrics, trying to wring out every drop of meaning and spirituality I could find. Now I feel like an addict...but I've gone through all the songs on the new album. Then with Easter, I thought about Wake Up Dead Man and Until the End of the World...but I still need my fix, so it's time to go back into the past.

The First Time, off Zooropa, is clearly a Trinitarian song. Bono begins singing of the Holy Spirit, which, for some reason, he fairly consistently puts in terms of the female gender. I guess he does that because the Spirit is the "soul" partner and it is poetic for Bono to see his soul mate, the lover of his soul, in terms of a woman. "I have a lover, a lover like no other; She got soul, soul, soul, sweet soul; And she teach me how to sing." The Spirit IS, indeed, "soul, soul, soul, sweet soul." It is the role of the Spirit to teach us as our Helper (John 14:26). The Spirit also helps believers in their walk with God. The Spirit helps us in our weaknesses and even prays through us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26).

"Shows me colours when there's none to see; Gives me hope when I can't believe, That for the first time I feel love." It is actually the Spirit's help inside the believer that enables us to feel love. In Romans 5:5, Paul writes that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us!" And in Romans 8:15, Paul writes that "you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons (and daughters), by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

The next verse, it seems to me, is clearly about the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. "I have a brother, when I'm a brother in need; I spend my whole time running; He spends his running after me." He "RAN from heaven to earth to find me! Christ is the Eternal Son and through faith in Him, those who believe are made adopted son and daughters of God, making Christ our Brother. One of the most encouraging verses in all of Scripture is in Hebrews 2:11--Jesus, God become Man, came to earth to redeem His own, to deliver us from sin, satan and death, to set us apart and change us, and we read, "He is not ashamed to call them (us) brothers (and sisters)!"

We may be black sheep in the family at times, but Jesus is not ashamed to call us kin. We may run away, but He always runs after us. This is where the song enters into some of the parables, particularly in Luke 15 where we read about the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Sons. In Luke 15 the Man, Jesus, who loses one sheep, leaves the 99 to go after the ONE that is lost UNTIL He finds it!

"I feel myself goin' down; I just call and he comes around. But for the first time I feel love." Jesus tell us clearly in John 14:13-14, and other places as well, "Ask Me for anything in My Name, and I will do it." Here is also where we can see the precursors to ATYCLB's cover art and the gate changed to J-333. This is also were we hear on NLOTH, 333 on the clock face in Unknown Caller...Jeremiah 33:3, God's license plate: "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known."

Then, finally, we come to the Father..."My father is a rich man, he wears a rich man's cloak." In Luke 15 and the Parable of the Lost Sons, the father welcomes back the prodigal, he has the best cloak brought and put upon his son that was lost and is now found...Amazing Grace...Let me in the Sound, the sweet sound!!

He gave me the keys to his kingdom (coming), Gave me a cup of gold. Jesus said that He gives the Church the keys to the Kingdom in Matthew 16:19. Jesus also tells parables where He gives talents to His servants and asks them to be good stewards of His riches...this relates to living out a life of love and kindness in the world.

Then we come to the disturbing lines in the song...He said "I have many mansions, And there are many rooms to see." Clearly a reference to John 14:2 where Jesus says His Father has a House with many rooms. Bono then sings as the prodigal son (whether the younger rebel or the dutiful self-righteous one, we don't know) and sings "But I left by the back door, And I threw away the key...And I threw away the key."

Bono has said that this isn't true of his own faith (though in small ways it IS true of every follower of Christ from time to time). But it does present the listener with a choice: we may have walked away; or we may never have entered...but is it possible that this Triune God of Love would let me in...or let me back in? The answer is obvious...as well as Biblical...Jesus says "whoever comes to Me I will never cast out." Come on home! And for the first time...you'll feel love...or maybe you feel love for the first time...all over again!

Good Friday and GRACE

U2 has a song on its album "All That You Can't Leave Behind. It has ALWAYS been one of my lyrical favorites...but I especially like to listen to it and think about the words on a day like today. It's Good Friday...the Day Christ Died...so why would we call it GOOD?! Because on this day GRACE is truly revealed as GRACE.

"Grace, she takes the blame." That is what Jesus did today...He took the blame for all our wrongs. Any time there is true forgiveness, there must be an absorption of wrong. When I wrong my wife and she forgives me, she absorbs my wrongdoing against her. Whenever we forgive another, we absorb some of the wrong against us. Christ took the blame, He absorbed our wrong...on Good Friday.

"She covers the shame, removes the stain." People who say they don't believe in God need to be able to explain where shame comes from. Not sociological shame, but real, personal shame. At some point, completely apart from societal norms, we feel truly guilty and real shame at the deepest part of our being. We feel guilt and shame because we truly are guilty...real moral guilt before a Personal God who is there...and Christ, on Good Friday, by taking the blame, covers the shame and removes the stain!

Like a murderer who has the blood of his victim all over his hands, we have the stains of sin on our hands as we try to approach God...and it is a stain we KNOW in our innermost being. Christ removes the stain... ironically the stain remover is His own blood...His own blood shed on Good Friday.

"Grace, she travels outside of karma." Karma is the religious idea that we get what we deserve in life. If we do good, we receive blessing; if we do evil, bad things happen. I love what Bono says in the book "In Conversation." He says he's holding out for grace; if the principle of the universe actually were karma, he'd be in real trouble because he admits he done some really stupid things...as have we all!

There is a deeply religious element inside every life...an element that pulls us toward the idea of karma...this is why grace is so hard to grasp. Everything in life seems to be based on personal performance, deservedness and merit. If you want anything out of life, we're told, you need to EARN it...but Christ turned the universe "right-side-up" when He absorbed our wrongs when we had done everything in our power to forfeit any expectation of such mercy...and this happened on Good Friday.

"Grace finds beauty in everything." When we comprehend grace, we must do something with it...grace demands a response...we can simply say, "Oh, isn't that nice" and just move on. We can say, "Aw, come on, you don't really believe that stuff, do you?" (which Assayas basically says to Bono in the interview recorded in "In Conversation). Or, we can embrace it...accept it...receive it. It is there for the taking, but we need to receive it.

If we DO receive the promise of grace, Good Friday means everything! Good Friday becomes the means of the GREAT EXCHANGE...all of our sin is transferred to the Person of Christ on the cross, and all the shame, all the guilt, all the condemnation is absorbed by Him. All of the Father's anger, wrath, justice is poured out upon Him instead of us! There is no more anger of God against the person who hopes in grace! For the person who looks to the cross of Good Friday, all sins, past, present and even future, are already forgiven!

But there's more...."Grace finds beauty in everything." Christ did not merely absorb our wrong, He lived a perfectly obedient life on our behalf...that is GRACE too! He obeyed every command of God FOR us...and He then transfers His perfect standing with God TO us...as we hope in GRACE, God sees us AS IF we had obeyed God as fully as Jesus did! This is the GIFT of righteousness that Scripture talks about. So, for the one who hopes in grace, God finds beauty in us...the beauty of Christ Himself...how would that change your prayer life if you believed that? How would that change your approach toward God in worship if you REALLY believed that? That is why Good Friday is GOOD! But there's still more...

"Grace MAKES beauty out of ugly things." Two ugly things come to mind...the ugly things that still lurk deep within our lives...ugly thoughts toward ourselves and others; ugly thoughts about doing bad things; and even ugly things we still do...or we can be ugly by NOT doing beautiful things we could and should do. Secondly, there are also ugly things that HAPPEN to us in this broken world.

Grace makes us more and more beautiful on a daily basis as we look to Christ in faith. Grace CHANGES us...grace isn't merely the message of God's unconditional love...its also the message of God's transforming power! As CS Lewis said, through Christ and the Work of Good Friday, death itself is working backwards for those who hope in grace...death is being conquered by grace deep within us. We have hope of being different tomorrow than we are today because grace makes beauty out of ugly things.

But grace also makes beauty out of the ugly things that happe in our lives as well. Grace, she's always at work. "When she walks on the street, you can hear the strings." Because of the work of Christ on Good Friday, all our hurts, pains, suffering, injustices are being worked to bring about something beautiful...I write that not tritely, as some religious platitude, but as something profoundly true! Grace is at work all around us all the time...Think about it...can you imagine anything more ugly than the most beautiful Human in history tortured, mocked and crucified? Yet look what grace was doing in that ugly thing...making the most beautiful thing in the universe...grace, undeserved favor for needy, broken people filled with shame and covered with stains...THAT is why it is called GOOD FRIDAY!! Listen for the strings today!!

That was Jesus, This is Judas

Yeah, I know you're tired of hearing it...but I'm gonna see U2 in Dublin in July. In preparation, I've been enjoying past concert DVD's. On the Elevation 2001: Live from Boston DVD, after U2 sings "Beautiful Day," Bono says, "Thank you, Jesus!" Then walks around near Larry and says, "This is Judas." Then they sing, "Until the End of the World." Since it is Holy Week, the song is very relevant.

The song is a one-way conversation between Judas and Jesus, Judas being the speaker. Judas talks about being down in the hold...the place reserved for him until the Judgment. He is talking about the last time he and Jesus were together...the Last Supper...the low-lit room. They were eating the Passover Feast, drinking the various cups of wine that told the story of the Passover and the Exodus.

Jesus was about to be the ultimate fulfillment of the Exodus story...He was about the shed the Red Sea of His own blood so that those who would place their trust in Him would be delivered forever out of the bondage of Egypt (sin and death). He was the Passover Lamb, slain so that the angel of eternal death would not come near those who believe.

Judas didn't believe it. Do we?

Judas agreed to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver...a detail prophesied hundreds of years before the event, recorded in Scripture. The lyrics remind us of how dangerous it is to just float through life..."you miss too much if you stop to think." Many people are so afraid of missing out on what life has to offer, they look at deep thinking concerning the claims of Christ or the spiritual life as a waste of time...or unfulfilling...just like Judas. The world says you miss too much if you stop to think; the Gospel says you miss everything if you fail to stop to think.

Judas loved the element of surprise and he led the priests and leaders to the Garden where Jesus was praying...and Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. It broke the heart of Jesus...It broke His heart because Jesus, who practiced what He preached, loved His enemies. The lyrics have Judas saying Jesus acted like the betrayal was the End of the World... Jesus knew that for Himself it was not...but for Judas, sadly, it was.

The lyrics, in agreement with Scripture, tell us Judas was filled with remorse, with regret...he was overcome with sorrow...yet Judas made a huge mistake...bigger than the betrayal...he didn't put his hope in the mercy of Christ. In his remorse, absent of faith, he gave in to hopelessness and took his own life, hanging himself.

Here we see a huge lesson in Grace: God can handle our betrayals...if we let Him...Judas didn't let Him. There is a huge difference between remorse and repentance. Repentance is sorrow for betrayal, but leads to fresh hope in mercy and grace. Remorse is simply regret, sorrow, and only leads to hopelessness and despair...and death.

Peter denied the Lord; he, like Judas, was filled with sorrow...but Peter didn't allow his sorrow to lead him to despair...he hoped in the Lord's mercy and went on to live a joyful, hopeful, fruitful life. For Judas, it was too late. Even the end of the world holds no hope for Judas...not because he was the betrayer, but because he failed to hope in the Red Sea of the Blood of Christ to deliver him from his bondage.

I am more like Judas than I care to admit, even as a pastor--we are ALL betrayers of Jesus through how we live each day--what we do or fail to do; what we say or fail to say; I am also more like Peter than I care to admit--We are ALL like Peter--deniers of Jesus throughout the hours of the day. I don't want to wait until the End of the World...I want to experience forgiveness of guilt, removal of shame, disappearance of self-condemnation here and now...and THAT is what Good Friday and Easter are all about...

no matter what we've done or where we've been, mercy and grace are free for the taking...as long as we don't wait until the end of the world.

Songs of Ascent

Rolling Stone has written that U2's follow up album to No Line on the Horizon will be called Songs of Ascent. Songs of Ascent are a group of Psalms in the Bible, Psalms 120-134 to be exact. They are Psalms that focus on going to Jerusalem to worship God. Jerusalem has often been called "The City on a Hill" because it is about 2500 feet above sea level (around 750 meters). So, to go to the Temple to worship the God of Heaven would involve people going up, or ascending steps, thus the title of these worship Psalms...Psalms of Ascent...Songs of Ascent. The Christian interpretation of these Psalms sees Israel, Zion, Mount Zion and Jerusalem as applying to Christ-followers.

Even though the Songs of Ascent are all worship Psalms, the types of Psalms are very diverse. Some are cries and songs from an individual, others are the corporate cries of the Church. Some are shouts of confidence, others are cries of sadness and repentance. Some are songs of celebration, others songs of thanksgiving and still others songs of cries for wisdom in confusing and frustrating situations.

Here are some of the classic verses from this section of Scripture: These are from the English Standard Version...Bono tends to like Eugene Petersen's "The Message" translation.

Ps 120:1--In my distress I called to the LORD and He answered me.

Ps 121:1-8--I will lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore!

Ps 122:1--I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the House of the LORD!"

Ps 124:8--Our help is in the Name of the LORD who made heaven and earth.

Ps 127--Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep.

Ps 128--Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways!

Ps 130--Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If You, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared...O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love and with Him is plentiful redemption.

Ps 131--O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high. I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.

Ps 132:8--Arise, O LORD, and go to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might. Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Your saints shout for joy!

Ps 133--Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

Ps 134--Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the House of the LORD! Lift up your hands to the Holy Place and bless the LORD! May the LORD bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth.

Wonder what will be on the new album???

What is TRUTH?

I've been posting on U2's website...U2.com. It has given me an opportunity to interact with folk from all over the world on spiritual things. Who knew? Some recent interactions have opened the door to post thoughts about the truth claims of Christianity. Here's a recent post that I thought would encourage believers as well...especially with Easter around the corner...

One of the most powerful lines on NLOTH (the new cd, No Line On the Horizon) is found in "I'll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight" Bono sings, "How can you stand next to the TRUTH and not see it?" This is one of the most important lines that could ever be sung...and one of the most important questions that could ever be asked! It flows out of THE MOST important discussion...actually, ultimately, the ONLY discussion worth having...What is TRUTH?

Truth has fallen on hard times lately in our world. Many people actually believe there is no such thing as absolute truth…which is a ridiculous statement because it, in itself, is a statement put in terms of absolute truth! "There is no such thing as absolute truth!" is, itself, an absolute statement. "All truth is relative!" denies the very statement just made!!

Truth is not what each one of us thinks it is subjectively, personally, existentially. True Truth must have an existence in and of itself, whether or not anyone believed in it. The atheist can choose to say God doesn't exist...but one thing is for sure: God does not either exist or not exist based on what the atheist believes. If the atheist is wrong, God's existence is not affected by the atheist's unbelief. And if the believer is wrong, God wouldn’t exist simply because people thought He did.

True Truth must involve the discussion of non-truth if we are to make any progress. Otherwise, we live a nonsensical existence. If cold can be hot and hot can be cold; if light can be dark, and dark can be light; if right can be left and left can be right...life is absurd. Deep within we don't want life to be absurd...we long for meaning and purpose...and for life to make sense.

There are two options...we may be forced to admit that we long for that which is ultimately only an illusion; or, we eventually conclude that humanity longs for that which has actually been built into the universe...our longings either fit with reality or we conclude that evolution has brought us to the place where our innermost longings no longer fit the reality of the universe in which we find ourselves.

If truth is whatever any person thinks it is, we are left with mutually contradictory conclusions...and that is non-sensical...it would be like saying 2=3 or that 2+2=78. So, the ultimate question revolves around how we might be able to arrive at true truth. Christianity is not just an option among various philosophies of life concerning HOW to live out our days. Christianity revolves around the concept of True Truth that flows from the Actual Living, Personal God Who is there.

The beauty is this, however: no one is excluded in Christianity...ALL are welcome, no matter what your background, no matter what your past. All may come, and whoever comes will not be cast away. And True Christianity doesn't EVER seek to harm or kill those who reject Christ. Christ calls Christians to love even our enemies, and to live lives of kindness and to treat every creature under heaven with dignity and respect...

Every one of us must deal with epistemology...that is, the philosophical foundation of “how we know that we know.” How do you know Barak Obama is president of the US? It is verifiable. You can go to Washington, DC and see him at the White House. How do you know 2+2=4? It is verifiable. How do you know that there is such a thing as electricity? It is verifiable. Things may be a little different in the realm of history and philosophy, but there are still elements of verifiability: There are historical documents (some very critical ones that can be seen in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin!); and when it comes to philosophy, there are issues of logic and inconsistency and the question of whether human beings are able to truly live out the logical conclusions of their belief system.

How do we know Jesus lived? Well, to any truly open-minded individual, it is able to be verified from sources other than the Bible. Both Roman and Jewish historians write about Jesus of Nazareth. So, the only real discussion is not did Jesus really live...the only REAL discussion is WHO was Jesus? If HE was a fraud, a fake...then let's forget about Him and move on. BUT, if He was God in the flesh, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, then we are faced with whether or not we will put our hope in Him and submit our lives to Him. One question: where's His body?

We're about to celebrate Easter...the resurrection. All the Romans would have needed to do in order to shut down the early church was produce the body...they never did...no one ever did. And the idea that the disciples were just lying is beyond credibility: the world has never seen any group of people who were all able to die for something they knew was a lie without anyone "cracking" under the pressure. The suffering of early Christians was immense. Yet they all died in hope of the conviction of the resurrection and the life everlasting.

By the way, Bono himself addresses this issue of TRUTH in the book by Assayas, In Conversation...See the chapter on Eternity. You'll be blown away. I don't mind people disagreeing with the Christian world-view...what troubles me is people who are unwilling to think.