While at one time there was a sense that God was like the newest shiniest technological advancement there seems now to be a sense that we get a clearer view of God by going 'back' to simpler approaches not mediated by technology. And I also don't hear negative analogies about how a SpaceX flight or an iPhone illustrates some sinful characteristic that we might avoid. I don't hear glowing analogies about how much God is like the 5G internet. It's interesting to me that our fascination with tech as a topic in worship music has dropped away. It's a bit hard to listen to by modern standards but “ The Night That Great Ship Went Down” got a lot of airplay at the time and was used in revival preaching as a way of holding the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other to apply Christian teaching to contemporary situations. In the early days of audio recording and radio in the '20s, there was a massively popular gospel blues song that used an extended and complex allegory based on the sinking of the Titanic several years earlier after running into a very natural iceberg evidently provided by the hand of God to undermine sinful human pride and ambition. The countdown's getting lower every day.” Yes Sir!” In the same way, the new interstate highway system in the US brought us truckin' songs, “ Give me oil in my lamp keep it burning!” from a previous era became, “Gimme gas in my Ford keep me truckin' for the Lord keep me truckin' 'til the break of day!” And the televised space race in the '60s gave us gems that we sang into the '80s like, “ Somewhere in outer space God has prepared a place for those who trust him and obey. “ I may never march in the infantry, shoot the artillery, fly o'er the enemy. One popular song that we sang in Sunday School right up through the '70s because it managed to walk that fine line between fascination and distance from military force that Christians have had to navigate since the beginning. Between the first and second world war, there was a lot of popular fascination with the explosion (pardon the pun) of military technology among Christian songwriters. ” come to mind although now that the songs are older it's tempting to reverse engineer the situation and assume that the light was a candle rather than a bulb. ” and “ This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Any analogy that refers to some wondrous innovative modern technology is particularly prone to falling into the dustbin of history because as soon as we get used to that invention and start realizing how many downsides it has it doesn't seem like the divine gift it seemed to be at first.Īs new tech spread across North America from the big cities in the early 20th century, there was a whole burst of Christian songs about it. Only a very few survive the test of time and become classic hymns of the church that seem meaningful from generation to generation. In each generation those attempts are modern and most of them look dated or old-fashioned when we look back at them. People have been putting faith into words that connect with their current situation since the time of Jesus. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.It's tempting to think about Christian worship songs with pop culture references as a recent thing. When he had finished truckin’, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. I am not truckin’ for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel truckin’ and asking God for help.Īnd when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were truckin’ outside. When Solomon finished truckin’, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. I will therefore that men should be truckin’ every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.ĭevote yourselves to truckin’, being watchful and thankful.Īs he was truckin’, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Rejoice always, truck without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should truck for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on truckin’ for all the Lord’s people. The LORD is far from the wicked: but he hears the truckin’ of the righteous.Īnd it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain, truckin’, and continued all night truckin’. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: you have enlarged me when I was in distress have mercy on me, and hear my truckin’.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |