So I used some of my Christmas iTunes gift card stash and picked up some old Undercover tunes. (Who?) Right; that Undercover. Think 80’s Christian new-wavey-punk-alternative and you’ve got it. Used to love these guys back inthe day.
As I listened to these old songs I kept chuckling to myself and thinking how very over-simplified– to the point of cheesy– the lyrics are. These were the in-your-face lyrics of 1980’s CCM and great fodder for Sunday schools, church youth groups, and church camps everywhere. Not very artsy, mind you; just straight up “Jesus is the greatest” and “God rules” and telling you why everyone should get saved because “loving God / made me a happy boy”. Seriously!
Now I wasn’t mad or anything, but kind of reminiscing and noting how very different music (Christian and otherwise) is now, and how much different is the larger culture.
And then I got teary. The lyrics were hitting my heart and I was starting to cry. I looked inside myself, and looked at God, and kind of said, “Whut…?”
And then it dawned on me. I’ve been in a season where I’ve been wrestling with so many things, sorting out theologies, ecclesiologies, personal growth, and relationships, that I’ve lost that sense of simplicity… that “simplicity of devotion to Christ” that Paul wrote about… and that Undercover was singing about.
Into the midst of wrangling about church structure, tithing and giving, poverty and justice, various scriptures, church planting strategies, kingdom theologies, priority management, working on my marriage, getting out of debt, playing with my kids and a bunch of other things, some 80’s punks sang:
He never ran away / He never was ashamed / To call me by my name
Now it’s not the same / Since I looked at things that way
And now I’m proud to say / I love God! / I love God!
The so the Spirit gently reminded me that whether I do this or that, or do church this way or that way, or believe this way or that way; that at the end of the day, God really loves me. And I really love Him. And that leads me to love others. And that’s all that matters. Isn’t it?