THE LAST RIVER MILE

When I walk in the morning I spend time praying. Leading up to praying, I typically listen to faith-based music. I’m a fan of so-called “contemporary” worship music. I’m a little wary each time I log on to Spotify, though. While most of contemporary music is solid, some reflects really bad theology and practice. (The same is true of old hymnody, by the way.) This morning, for whatever reason, I started out skeptical.

And then I heard one that was new to me. And, just like that, the Holy Spirit turned skepticism into a dance of praise. I’ll let the lyrics speak for themselves:

BIBLES AGAIN (Brent Morgan)

“I opened up my old Bible again. Blew off the dust from my childhood friend. I thumbed through a page, not sure where to begin. But opened up my old Bible again.

I see people on stage and leaders of men use scripture like teeth, leaving marks on our skin. Something ’bout saving a world full of sin. Well, I hope they open their Bibles again.

“Cause I don’t think Jesus was sent here to teach us to fight until one of us wins.

We pick and choose verses to build bigger churches. If only we’d open our Bibles again.

I opened up my old Bible again. I tore through the pages to find where it said to hate my own neighbor and curse my own friend. So I opened up my old Bible again.

I was taught to fear God. Now we’re taught to fear men, and misrepresent what our Savior has said. So listen up close to the letters in red, if you ever open your Bible again.

‘Cause I don’t think Jesus was sent here to teach us to fight until one of us wins.

We pick and choose verses to build bigger churches. If only we’d open our Bibles again. Yeah, I hope we open our Bibles again.”

As Richard Rohr has said, it’s less about us reading the Bible, and more about letting the Bible read us. Would that all of us who reduce Jesus to an obedient, benign mascot for our particular ideology would really open our Bibles again.

I’ll see you around the next bend in the river.