Skinny Love

The second of dose of Andrea's lyrical engagement. Again, take a look and have think about the issues raised. Comments welcome.

I’ve always enjoyed listening to Bon Iver’s music since being introduced to it a few years ago. His powerful vocals and simplistic musical beauty are matched lyrically by countless stories that cannot fail to capture the listener’s imagination.

Skinny Love from the album For Emma Forever Ago is a whirlwind of exploding emotions.

Echoes of desperation and longing for a love that seems all but doomed to failure resonate powerfully throughout this song. Its opening cry, ‘come on skinny love just last the year’ sets a significant precedent. The desperation and need for love running on a thread are clear- even though he seems to know the relationship is all but over, there is still something in him that wants to hold onto that person that offers him some sort of love back, however messed up it is.

The crying out for love in the song is right. Sadly, it is painfully misdirected. Love can be found in romantic relationships like the writer is longing for here, or amongst a caring family unit, or good friends. But so often, like the song here describes, that love is found wanting, ‘skinny’, not the entirely satisfying thing we thought it would be. As much as we might try to change it, or make it work, again like Bon Iver describes for us- ‘And I told you to be patient, And I told you to be fine, And I told you to be balanced, And I told you to be kind’ Our culture’s idea of love- romance, being constantly needed and wanted, material gifts, was never meant to completely satisfy us, and is radically different from the Bible’s definition on the subject.

‘This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.’ (1 John 4 v10)

Real love is God Himself, the Father showing his sacrificial, loving heart by giving us Jesus. We were never meant to be completely satisfied by just human relationships. We were meant to desire them, yes, and our human relationships are beautiful gifts of blessing from our loving Heavenly Father. But our ultimate fulfilment, our ultimate relational need can only come in and through Christ.

Bon Iver makes no attempt to hide his brokenness ‘And now all your love is wasted? And then who the hell was I? And now I’m breaking at the britches, And at the end of all your lines.’ So much of his identity has he poured out into this relationship that he is now breaking, questioning who he was, who he is. Again, this points us beautifully to the cross of Christ. This song reflects so much of the world around us- so often our identity is found in who we are going out with, what we do for a living, what we’ve achieved rather than who we actually are.  The Bible has another wonderfully radical viewpoint on this, telling us that our identity is found as children of God, set free by the precious cross of Jesus. It is the only identity which no one can take away from us. Relationships may break, careers may end and circumstances may change, but our adoption into the family of God stands forever.

‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!’ (1 John 3v 1)

The pain and emotion throughout this song are so striking. It is not hard to go away feeling like you have identified with Bon Iver, willing him to break away from a relationship which at once might have caused him happiness, but is now so evidently falling short, breaking him in the process. As a Christian, this song reminds me that so often I look for love and approval away from God, and that whilst that may bring me a temporary state of worth or happiness, ultimately it always falls short. My need for love and acceptance can only be found in Christ, whose love is anything but skinny and lacking, but the greatest love that has ever been shown to man. 

Human

Here is the first of Andrea's posts. Read and enjoy. Feel free to engage in discussion using the comments box.

What does it mean to be a human? Doesn’t seem like the first question you’d ask someone over the dinner table does it? Yet it’s something that surely, we all have an opinion on. What makes us who we are, what are the things that really matter, why do our lives work out the way they do? Do we really have any say in it? And it seems that The Killers are no different. In their single Human, they ask the question time and time again ‘Are we human or are we dancer?’

There seems to be a real search for freedom here from the songwriter. Do we actually have freedom, like humans are supposed to, or are we more like a dancer, being choreographed and having our strings pulled in a pre-decided direction like a puppet. He seems to be asking if it is actually possible to be truly free- ‘Up to the platform of surrender, I was brought but I was kind.’

There is a constant tension between the longing to be free, as though it seems like it’s in touching distance, but somehow still feeling controlled or under command. It’s a struggle that is so real in our world today. The things we think define our freedom- being able to do whatever we want whenever we want- choose our career and not being bound by society’s expectations, choosing our relationships and not being tied down to one person, choosing how to use and abuse our bodies, the people in our lives, everything in our world seems to point to the fact we are free. So why, so often, do people feel trapped? By money, sex, a circle of alcohol and drug abuse? Why is depression such a significant problem? Why, however far we run do we never seem to be free from the problems we are trying to escape from?

The Bible’s view on freedom is controversial.

‘If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’ (John 8 v 36)

Jesus seems to be suggesting we need him to be truly free.  A few verses earlier he says it is ‘the truth which will set you free’ (v32). The truth that we were all made to be in relationship with God, which becomes possible by Jesus bridging the gap between our fallen-ness and God’s perfection. We are messed up, God is perfect, yet because of Jesus he chooses to welcome us home into his Heavenly arms.

Instead of feeling controlled like a puppet by the things around us, like the song-writer is alluding to here, we are instead restored to the only relationship which can ever give us full freedom, loved by a Father who always has our best interests at heart, and set free to just be as we are- unembarrassed by the fact we don’t have it all together, not plagued by guilt of things we’ve said or done, knowing that our status will never change and we are completely restored by Jesus.

The lyrics make the songwriter sound beaten in many ways ‘pay my respects to grace and virtue, send my condolences to good, give my regards to soul and romance they always did the best they could’-virtue, good, soul, romance-what might seem like the big, important, good things in life have done the best they could, but have still missed the mark. He seems resigned to the fact that there is no way of quite ‘getting there’, wherever there is. Whatever virtue, soul or romance promised, it didn’t quite deliver.

This song points wonderfully to a deeper longing, searching, almost desperation within all of us – ‘And I’m on my knees looking for the answer.’ One of his final cries ‘Will you dream of home tonight?’ points significantly to where his questions find their answer. Whatever home he is dreaming of in the song, all of his questions about freedom, and his longing for fulfilment that couldn’t be found in even the best things that life seemingly has to offer will only find rest in the home we all, whether we are aware of it or not, long for- heaven.

‘But our citizenship (home) is in heaven.’ (Philippians 3 v20)

Not a fluffy cloud in the sky, or an eternal church service filled with old people, but a restored relationship with a perfect Father, a closeness of relationship that we were always designed for, so we always long for, but so often don’t realise, or try and satisfy someplace else.

One of the most interesting things about this song is the feeling that at the end, the writer is no real closer to answering his questions on freedom and what it means to be a human than when he started. His thoughts seem to just lead him in one big circle back to the same problem- can I really know freedom?

It’s interesting how so often death is needed to bring freedom- World Wars, the right for everyone to vote, Apartheid. Great sacrifice is often required to bring freedom that we all long for. And the greatest freedom we could ever long for was no different. Death was needed. To win a war even greater than the World Wars, and for a law change even greater than racial discrimination. The death of Jesus, as a broken, wounded criminal, on a hill outside Jerusalem 2000 years ago, bought us ultimate freedom.

‘Therefore, my brothers and sisters, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin…’ (Acts 13 v26/7)

Real freedom is being released from the sin that so often controls our lives. It’s looking to Jesus’ death, recognising the battle it won, and the law it fulfilled. As long as the writer of the song is controlled by sin, he may have moments he feels free, but my guess is for the most part, he will feel like a dancer, controlled by something he can never fully explain or get away from. His real search for freedom, and ours, will only come when we look to the greatest story, the greatest battle, and the greatest life-changer: Jesus.  

Back Soon

It's been a longer break in posting than I anticipated, but, Theolyrical will be back this month with two great guest posts from Andrea Bathgate.

Here's what Andrea has to say about herself:

Hi, I'm Andrea, a music graduate from the University of Huddersfield. I play the flute, the piano and sing and love listening to and making all sorts of music. I spent my last year as a Relay worker working with UCCF in Huddersfield where I had the joy and privilege of working with students, as well as spending time being trained and studying. As part of this I loved looking at what the Bible had to say about music and creativity, and thinking how music and lyrics so often point to a bigger picture of the world we are part of and I believe Jesus is Lord of. These are just some of my thoughts from the start of that journey. Hope you enjoy-feel free to comment and discuss! 

Andrea's posts will appear here on the 8th and 15th August.

Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame. Baseball players aim to get inducted into it. In music it's often called the lifetime achievement award. If you're a great research academic you probably want the Nobel prize. All of these mean you're at the top of your field.

This song by the Script featuring Will.i.am is about believing in yourself, reaching for the stars, aiming high, being famous, and doing it in whatever job you do or career you aspire to. 

The first verse rings with inspirational soundbites:

"You could be the greatest, you could be the best"

And later on:

"You could beat the world, you could beat the war.........you could move mountains"

It's a self-belief builder. The song challenges the listener to chase their dreams and go for it because you are:

"Never gonna know if you never even try"

It's not surprising this song was a hit. It was released in the year in which the people of this country felt most proud to be British, what with the Queen's Jubilee, Andy Murray reaching the Wimbledon final and the show-stoppingly spectacular Olympic games. It was a summer in which the doom and gloom of the recession faded away into the background as we basked in the sunshine of being a country with things to celebrate.

The song even continues with Olympic themes:

"You could go the distance, you could run the mile.......you could win the gold......you could be a champion"

Not only that but the bridge of the song makes this all inclusive. Pursue your goal in whatever field you want to:

"Be students, be teachers, be politicians, be preachers, be believers, be leaders, be astronauts, be champions, be truth-seekers" 

There is much to affirm. Being the best you can be is good thing. Using your talents and abilities to their maximum potential is to be commended and promoted.

But, the key thing is the heart attitude behind the ambition. The song suggests a few motives for chasing your dreams and reaching your goals:

"Do it for your people..........your pride........your country.........your name"

Although the refrain of the chorus rings most clearly, do this so that you will be;

"Standing in the hall of fame

And the world's gonna know your name

Cause you burn with the brightest flame

And the world's gonna know your name

And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame"

In our world we idolize the rich and the famous, the outrageous and the intellectual. The popularity of reality TV shows in the last decade or so has only served to fuel the desire to have our 15 minutes of fame. You only have to watch the Apprentice to see that people will stop at nothing to get what they want, even if it means being underhanded, trampling over other people, or just simply being manipulative.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that this song is promoting that kind of ambition or attitude. As I said there is much to affirm in the area of aiming as high as you can, using the gifts and abilities that you have and working hard. After all, the Bible quite clearly tells us that we should not just work hard when someone is watching us or to get our pay, Christians are called, in Colossians 3, to "work as unto the Lord" in everything.

But, this idea that if you:

"Dedicate yourself and you will find yourself"

And that this will lead you to status, reputation and a place in the hall of fame, is a dangerous one. It can quite easily lead, if this is the number one priority in your life, to you becoming self-centred, egotistical and driven to the exclusion of caring for others and having real relationships.

Interestingly enough the Bible also has a lot to say about what we live for. The writer of the book Ecclesiates concludes that money, pleasure, work etc are all meaningless as ends in themselves. They all look good, but ultimately when they are the thing we live for, they will let us down. His conclusion to the purpose of life is to "fear God and keep His commandments" (Ecc 12:13).

In the Bible's so-called "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11, those listed are not there for being brilliant in and of themselves. They include a drunk (Noah), a couple of murderers (Moses and David), a few liars (Abraham, David) and a prostitute (Rahab) and we read that the world did not esteem them. Don't get me wrong, many of them did good things and had respect of people, but most of them also lost everything and faced serious hardship for choosing to trust God.

They are there in the list, and will be remembered and honoured, because they looked outward to Another, Jesus Christ. They trusted in Him and shunned the riches of this world, the pleasures they could have had, the comfort they enjoyed, and many of them were killed, all because they were sure of what they hoped for and certain of what they could not see (Heb 11:1-2), a life beyond this world enjoying God forever.

This the "Hall" that I want to be in.

As always comments & discussion welcome. I know there were plenty of other themes I could have picked up, but there wasn't the time - or the space!

Born This Way (A Lady Gaga Overview)

This is more of an overview post (and quite long), launching out of some ideas in "Born This Way" but more generally engaging with Lady Gaga (For a more in-depth look at Gaga and some specific songs, my friend Gareth Leaney has written some excellent posts here).

First of all I have to confess, Lady Gaga is not my kind of music at all. But, I can see exactly why she is so appealing to people, both in terms of music and what she stands for, the message she propagates. Love her or hate her she has had an unbelievable impact in a relatively short space of time.

TIME magazine have included her in their top 100 most influential people. She is in the Guinness Book of World records 2012 for most twitter followers, millions more 'like' her on Facebook and she was the first person to get over 1 Billion viral video views on YouTube.

Be yourself, love yourself, be different, embrace your inner freak, don’t let the world bring you down.

In her songs she deals with massive issues of identity, value, purpose, meaning, forgiveness, acceptance and satisfaction. I want to think about the bigger picture of what Lady Gaga speaks about and stands for, the message that she wants people to embrace.

Wherever you stand on Gaga, I want us to think about whether Jesus has anything to say to the issues she sings about. Can a man who lived 2000 years ago really have anything to say to the 21^st century world, and especially to Lady Gaga?

You could argue that all of the extreme behavior, all of the controversial videos and the candid interviews are just part of a wonderfully well crafted marketing ploy. The whole thing is about selling records and making money and it has worked hook, line and sinker.

But, I think, although those things could be true, there is a lot more to it. If you probe a little deeper you find that Lady Gaga is all about identity. Have you ever seen an interview with Stephanie Germanotta? 

There is a whole alter-ego, not merely a stage name. Lady Gaga admits this herself:

“When I wake up in the morning, I feel just like any other insecure 24-year old girl. Then I say, ‘Bitch, you’re Lady Gaga, you get up and walk the walk today.’”

She has created an entire image from scratch. She seems to be living as Lady Gaga because she needs the security of the identity it gives her. Listen what she says about growing up:

“I felt like a freak.  Everyone was blonde. I was dark and theatre obsessed.  I remember seeing a picture of Boy George and thinking: ‘I feel like that’.”

Not only that, but I’m sure most of you heard about the now infamous “meat dress” she wore for the MTV Video Music Awards a while back. A huge stunt you might say, totally bizarre. But here’s what the lady herself said about it.

“The idea is, you are your image, you are who you see yourself to be.”

All of what we have thought about so far backs this up. Create an image for yourself and then be it. She does exactly that.

Lady Gaga has her acceptance bound up in her fans. She says she only feels truly alive when she is onstage performing for her audience. Without them she feels dead.

She even speaks of taking on this persona so that her fans, who may feel like freaks themselves, can have a freak to hang out with when they come to her show. She says that she wants them to feel like they are not alone, she wants them to be comfortable with themselves.

She has an image that her fans will love and in return they provide the significance and acceptance she craves.

“Who can blame her?” You might say!

We all want to feel accepted right? We all want to be somebody, to be significant. We’re born this way.

Whether we seek for that by being the life and soul of the party so that loads of people know who we are or by performing well academically to please our parents or by succeeding in the sports arena, winning trophies and being part of a great team, or whether its simply by blending in with the in-crowd. We all do it. We all want it.

Where are looking for your identity, your significance, you acceptance?

Maybe ask yourself, why is it that you are looking for it? Deep down what does this need show?

Lady Gaga is known as Mother Monster to her fan club and they in turn are the Little Monsters. It’s an exclusive club that is open to anyone to join.

She taps right into what we want.

Think about it. Have you ever changed the way you speak, dress or behave to impress a group of people? Or have you pretended to be interested in something or kept your opinion on a hot topic to yourself so as not to stand out?

Lady Gaga says it doesn’t matter, come to my concert we can be freaks together, forget what the world thinks.

But, what happens when the concert is over and people go back home, back to work, back to school, back to uni? Everything hasn’t just changed has it?

What about for Lady Gaga herself? When the fan numbers dwindle, when people no longer buy the records, or when the crazy videos, extreme antics and outrageous stunts are no longer crazy, extreme or outrageous, what will she do? Where will her significance, identity and confidence lie?

Our search, as human beings, for acceptance and identity is very real, none of us can deny that. We look for satisfaction, the problem is, we look for it in the wrong places and although in the short run we may well feel accepted, full of worth and fulfilled it doesn’t last forever.

We need something more than adoring fans, music sales, other “freaks” to hang out with.

Am I just trying to ruin your life, have a dig at Lady Gaga, or is there something I think really does solve our problem and satisfy our desire?

In Luke’s gospel, chapter 7, you will find the story of Jesus reclining for a meal at the house of Simon the Pharisee.

In those days, inviting someone for a meal was very significant. Jesus is Simon’s special guest, yet Simon fails to do for Him what he would normal do for such a guest. Normally the guest would be anointed with oil, greeted with a kiss and showed great respect. Simon does none of this for Jesus and he is one of the religious leaders, one of those people who had tried to make themselves acceptable before God because of their moral law keeping, exactly the kind of person you would expect Jesus to hang out with, exactly the kind of person you would expect Jesus to accept and be part of His crew.

What happens during dinner is quite astonishing and utterly unacceptable behaviour in their culture.

A sinful woman, whose reputation seems to go before her, most likely a prostitute, enters the house and begins to wash Jesus feet with her tears and anoint Him with very expensive perfume.

A few quick things:

Men and women would not interact like this in public.

Simon is a Pharisee, a well respected man, and this woman is a total outcast.

The perfume is of huge value, the act is very extravagant.

Here’s the clash of ideas. The religious types present at the table begin to grumble. You can imagine the scene. One nudges the other and mutters: “Have you seen that, does he not realize who she is?”

They call her a sinner and question Jesus’ status. They think that if Jesus is a prophet, He’d know exactly who she is and put a stop to this outrageous situation at once.

What Jesus does is wonderful.

He tells a story and puts Simon, as well as his guests right on the spot.

He exposes Simon’s lack of love and reveals her great love in response to what Jesus has done.

Jesus accepts this woman, He has forgiven this woman, He has saved this woman.

He doesn’t shun her, send her away. He is not at all embarrassed by her actions. He doesn’t listen to calls from those around to reject her. He knows exactly who she is and what she has done, yet He welcomes her. She knows her need and comes to Jesus. Simon thinks he is “good” and has no need for Jesus. Jesus’ presence at his house is not because Simon thinks he needs Jesus, but because he wants to look good and maybe glean something from His teaching or see what the hype is all about.

Jesus also doesn’t tell her to stick her fingers up at the religious leaders in an act of rebellion and defiance.

He doesn’t condone her lifestyle, He tells her that her sins are forgiven. Her act of extravagant love towards Him shows that her heart has been changed. She has found her satisfaction in Jesus.

She loves much because she has been forgiven much.

In being forgiven her greatest need is met. Not acceptance in the eyes of the world, but a new relationship with God.

The religious leaders would have thought this woman was the kind of person who was as far away from God as anyone could be.

Her sin totally separated her from God. Sin is basically rejection of God and so only God can sort it out.

Which is exactly what happens here. Jesus, the God-man, forgives this woman and brings her into the relationship with God that she was made for. We are all, like this woman, born for a relationship with God. We need it.

In a way Lady Gaga is trying to be the saviour of her fans. She seeks to give them meaning and acceptance and identity and save them from the big, bad, judgmental world around them. But she does it because there is something in it for her too.

Jesus on the other hand, comes to be our Saviour not because He needs us, He is perfectly secure in His identity as the eternal Son of God. He comes to save purely because He loves us completely self-sacrificially. He comes for the outcasts and sinners, those who are lost, and all the way through the gospel of Luke you can see this played out.

He invites you and I to be truly human, to be really accepted and satisfied in a relationship with the loving God of the universe.

It is a totally free, Jesus expects nothing from you. He is calling you to repent, come to Him, be forgiven, and live in relationship with Him.

Wake Up

Have you noticed that what you were taught in science at school changes as the years go by? Not just in terms of scientific advances, but just in terms of the content taught on specific topics meaning that if you do biology A-level they tell you that you might as well scrap what you learnt at GCSE and start again because it’s all so much more complicated.

Or for those who don't really like science, how about this: Remember the tooth fairy? You know when one of your baby teeth came out, you’d hide it under your pillow at night, which is pretty gross really, and you’d get up in the morning and the tooth would have magically been replaced by some money. In my day 50p was a good return for a tooth, nowadays I know kids who get £2 per tooth!!! Madness!

My parents one year even went to extreme lengths, not in the amount of money they gave me, but in the effort they went to to match what they gave me to what had happened. I had a tooth which cracked in half, so half was out and half still in my mouth.

So, my dad, trying to be funny I guess, sawed a 2p piece in half, and out it under my pillow in place of the half tooth!

Anyway, my point being from this that when you’re little you believe in the Tooth Fairy and you believe in Santa Claus. But, when you get older, you figure out, hopefully on your own, and not by a friend at school who’s clocked it first, that neither are real.

You grow out of believing in the stories, realize they are not true, and get on with your life.

There is a real sense of this in some of Arcade Fire’s lyrics, especially in the epic song “Wake Up”.

Although I am sure that the lead singer Will, in particular, is searching and investigating Christianity in some way, there is sense in this song that he almost brackets Christianity and Bible stories in the fairytale category.

“Children, wake up!” is the refrain.

You may have believed it and it may have been fun and brought some comfort when you are little, but when you grow up, you need to wake up and move on.

So the first question I want us to think about in relation to the Bible and Jesus is:

Is it all a load of rubbish, or is what you read in it historical fact?

Can what you read about Jesus be trusted?

Well, the interesting thing is that from a purely historical view, no serious historian would deny the existence of the person of Jesus of Nazareth. There is a lot of evidence for His life even outside of the Bible.

Then, if you compare the number of copies of NT documents and the date of them compared to the events they record you find that the weight of evidence is overwhelming.

Something like Caesar’s Gaelic Wars which would be taken as factual by historians across the board has 10 copies in existence and they date from around 800 years after the event too place.

There are over 24000 copies of the NT or parts of it and they date from as close 30 year and at most 300 years after the event.

So if you want to write off the Bible then you have to write of a whole load of ancient history at the same time.

Ultimately what the Christian faith hinges on is, who Jesus is? And did He rise again from the dead? The resurrection makes Christianity rise or fall

One things we can be certain of is that the tomb was empty. Jesus body was no longer there when the women returned to the tomb to go and anoint and embalm His body.

So, did someone steal it?

The disciples could have stolen the body, but two things make this effectively impossible.

One is that they all fled and did not see where He was buried and they were in hiding for fear the same thing might happen to them. There was no way they’d have had the guts to do it, never mind the fact there was a Roman guard placed on duty at the tomb precisely so no one could remove the body.

Two is that all but one of the 11 remaining faithful disciples died horrific deaths for what they believed and the other spent the later years of his life in exile. They would not have died for an obvious fabrication.

The religious authorities could have stolen the body. But, this makes no sense because they wanted rid of Jesus. When the disciples and others started claiming He had risen and causing trouble, as the religious leaders saw it, they could have just produced the body and all would’ve been over and done with.

The Roman guard could’ve move it. Again for them to do that, they would have been stoned for neglecting their duty.

Another option: Jesus didn’t really die.

If Jesus didn’t really die, then 2 very strange things happened at the cross.

When Jesus’ body was requested for burial his legs were not broken.

In order to make someone being crucified die quicker, the Roman soldiers used to break their legs so that they couldn’t hold themselves up to breathe.

Jesus’ legs were not broken because He was already dead, there was no need. This also fulfilled a prophecy made about Him hundreds of years before He was even born.

On top of that when the soldier at the cross pierced Jesus’ side, there was water and blood flowing out. Apparently this is medical proof of death too. But I’m no doctor.

The other reason people go for Jesus not dying is they say that it want really Him on the cross, but someone made to look like Him. Often Judas.

The question is, at what time could Jesus have escaped?

From the last supper with the disciples, where Judas was present, to the crucifixion itself, Jesus is under close scrutiny. He could not have slipped away.

The tomb was empty and there is not other logical explanation for it that holds up to scrutiny.

Jesus appeared to many people after He died.

He appears to Mary in the garden near the tomb. He appears to the disciples in the upper room.

He appears again when Thomas is with them and invites Thomas to put his hands into the nail marks and spear hole. Thomas wonderfully responds by worshipping Jesus as Lord and God, something Jesus does not rebuke Him for because it is true.

The idea of giddy hallucination can be dispelled too because Jesus appears to 500 at one time, 500 people even if they are on the same drug do not hallucinate the same thing. Many of those who were part of that 500 were living when that was written and could have denied it if it was indeed false.

So, my question to you is, if Jesus rose from the dead, what are you going to do about it?

Here are the second section of lyrics I want us to consider:

“We’re just a million little god’s causin rain storms turnin’ every good thing to rust.”

I believe this touches on a very interesting truth. I think what is being said here is evident in the world around us. We all want to be in control, we want to be masters of our own destiny, we want what we want and when we want it.

But in our wanting to be god of our own lives we mess up the good things around us.

If you think about it, this is pretty logical, not just a thing that a Christian might say.

If every human being lives for their own best interests that is going to cause chaos because we don’t each live in a vacuum detached from anyone, or anything, else.

The solution that Jesus brings is unique and radical.

In Luke’s gospel He tells us that He has come to "seek and save the lost" and he has come not to call those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners, to repentance.

Jesus calls people to come and accept the free offer of forgiveness He brings.

The amazing thing about Jesus is that He doesn’t just say these things but actually does something about them, hence my reason for defending Jesus’ resurrection earlier.

Jesus comes, shows His love by dying to save people, and then rises again and proves He is exactly who He says He is, and, has done exactly what He said He came to do.

If you are willing to give Jesus a chance by reading about Him, I think you will see a wonderful man. Not just a bunch of fairy stories, but a real life hero. Jesus has compassion on the weak, the needy, the poor the outcast. He has harsh words to say to those who abuse others and put themselves first.

He comes to offer mercy, grace, kindness, forgiveness and love, if only people will come to him, relinquish their desire to be the god of their universe and let Him be that.