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 21st 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.
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