Wednesday night saw the last of the Listening Parites for this semester. Sad.
BUT, what an amazing semester of music. So many people have been introduced to new music, challenged with new perspectives and ideas, and reminded of some of God’s truths.
To complete the list of albums we accomplished…
Thrice’s Beggars
As Cities Burn’s Come Now Sleep
mewithoutYou’s Catch For Us The Foxes
My Epic’s I Am Undone
Oh Sleeper’s Son of the Morning
Thrice’s Alchemy Index Vol. I & II: Fire and Water
Thrice’s Alchemy Index Vol. III & IV: Air and Earth
Jon Foreman’s Limbs and Branches
U2 (a collection of some of the more “spiritual” themed songs spanning their career)
As Cities Burn’s Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest
…..
It was incredible sharing so much of my favorite music with so many people. Overall, I think people loved it too.
The grand finale (for the semester), Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest was a blast. Honestly, it almost felt like my funeral. Let me explain:
I’ve thought from time to time (maybe this is creepy?), about what I would want my funeral to look like if I died soon. I don’t want a typical funeral. I want it to be more like a musical that says the things I want everyone to know. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love people to tell goofy stories, say nice things about me, laugh, maybe cry, show pictures (even the awkward fat-kid photos of middle school… and well, awkward fat kid photos of today…), and talkabout Jesus… but I also want peolpe to listen to my favorite songs. Listen to the words, be moved. Moved to think about things other than how much money they could be making. Moved to love people better. Moved to love themselves and realize they are loved. Moved to pursue life, which doesn’t (necessarily) look the way America tells us it should look. Moved to tears of self reflection, sadness, and joy.
I realize, this is a huge task. To move people. So I got to thinking… when was I most moved in one CD? Hands down: Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest. Just read the title. Read it with your dirty little sin-hungry heart… you are loved… even at your worst… loved. If nothing else, even if you have no problem believing that when you are told, to be reminded of that is to hear the gospel.
A friend of mine, while discussing how our hearts are “prone to wander” said that his heart had “grown fat on the taste of sin” (i think that is right… i am a chronic mis-quoter). I smiled at the beauty of that dark idea. I feel the very same. I am forgiven and rescued, yet drawn to the pleasures and flith of this world. So terribly frustrating. Yet, better to be frustrated and reminded of my forgiveness than to believe I could ever be anything without a Saviour.
Back to the idea that it felt like a funeral… I invited some of my closest friends that, for one reason or another, had never come to a Listening Party. Most everyone I personally invited showed up. It was an honor. I gave a brief intro to the CD, and as I looked out at everyone (i’m estimating, but i think about 60-ish people were there? about twice what we’ve ever had show before) I saw some faces that are in that small group of people I would die for. None of them had ever sat down with the lyrics of this album that has meant so much to my life. They were all there. Ready to subject themselves to just over a half-hour of hard music and ideas… for me. That meant so much.
I didn’t speak on the CD afterward. I didn’t need a conversation with anyone after my personal listening time with it years ago. The conversation had already taken place between my heart and God. I hope that a similar conversation occured in other hearts that night.
….
We’ll pick up next semester. With what CD? I don’t know… we shall see.
Thanks, God.
