Instead of a Show

Last weekend I downloaded Jon Foreman's delightful album entitled Summer. (Jon Foreman is the lead singer of Switchfoot.) This completes four six-track EPs named after the four seasons, and I highly recommend all four. His songs from Scripture are amazing.

On Fall he has a song entitled "Equally Skilled" from Micah 7. Winter contains the song "White as Show" based on Psalm 51. In Spring he sings the Lord's Prayer in a song called "Your Love is String"--this is probably my favorite of the whole set. And Summer contains just about the most beautiful acoustic melody on one of the most beautiful Psalms, Psalm 23. The song's called "The House of God, Forever." Maybe I'll write a post on each one with the passage from the Bible they're so great.

Summer has another intriguing song based on Isaiah 1 called "Instead of a Show," targeted at us Christians who are prone to go throughout he motions of religion and miss the whole point: "you sing right along with the band / you shine up your shoes for services / but there's blood on your hands / you turned your back on the homeless / and the ones that don't fit in your plan / quit playing religion games / there's blood on your hands. Instead let there be a flood of justice, an endless precession of righteous living, living... "

The passage in Isaiah shows God's heart in this matter. He's not impressed by empty ceremony; he hates it. He wants me and you to live in the glorious light of goodness and righteousness that He gives:

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From Isaiah 1:13-18 (NIV), the Lord speaking to his people in ancient Israel.

"Stop brining me meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations--
I cannot bear your evil assemblies.
Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts
my soul hates.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
Your hands are full of blood: wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong, learn to do right!
Seek justice, encourage the oppressed,
Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord.
"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow;
Though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

Mark Driscoll on Preaching Scripture

"I believe preaching through books of the Bible is beneficial for a number of reasons. First, it is important for Christians to learn all of Scripture and not just topics. Second, its is important for Christians to learn how to study a book of the Bible and how God inspired it to be organized and interconnected. Third, with so many new believers and non-Christians visiting Mars Hill, it is important that we teach in a way that allows them to follow along without getting lost as they try to jump around in the Bibles. Foruth, because all Scripture is God-breathed and for our benefit, there is not a page of Scripture that is not helpful to our faith, so we should examine it all. Fifth, going through books of the Bible forces us to examine a tough and controversial issues that we may otherwise ignore. Sixth, because our people easily connect with narrative teaching styles, a biblical and narrative teaching of the Bible most easily connects with their learning style as long as the Bible is presented as one universal story with Jesus as the hero."

Confessinos of a Reformission Rev., p 95.

Blogging

Do you know when you discover something cool, or interesting, or profound, or funny - and you think it's worth sharing with other people? But you're afraid that you might forget it before it gets anywhere?

That's why I started this little site in a stroke of inspiriation (ha). To put share-worthy thoughts out there before I forget, and if no one reads them, that's okay, because at least by writing them I won't forget. Then I can share these interesting tidbits with people in person when they can't escape by pressing the little "x" button in their browser.

What kind of tidbits? Probably things to do with God, theology, Church, programming, Spanish, music, running...