If you try…
Chuck Finney has done it again, ruining another morning. The devilish proponent of the New Measures is praising the “modern sound” at CrossPoint Lutheran Community Church, with their blend of Amazing Grace and the Rolling Stones. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-75rozjG2o0]
Isn’t it great how the “modern sound” is something from 1969? The radio stations that play this stuff are now starting to call themselves “oldies” stations. Welcome to “contemporary” worship in the Missouri Synod!
I’m sure this really goes over well with the boomers, so I hate to start thinking theologically while everyone is having so much fun. Nevertheless, I must ask what the lyrics mean in a Lutheran Community Church worship context.
“You can’t always get what you want.”
What do I want? Is that good? Or bad? Sinner that I am, the things that I want tend to be not good for me or my neighbor. So, are they trying to direct me away from what I want? Or is the Gospel some kind of consolation prize for those that didn’t buy shares of Google early?
“But if you try some time, you might just find, you get what you need.”
I’m going to make the wild guess here that “what you need” is the “amazing grace” that teaches my heart to fear (note how they don’t even bother using the theologically-improved text from our hymnbooks). So, I’m supposed to get that by my trying? “Ach du lieber, Pastor Esget, you can’t expect the Rolling Stones to clearly articulate the Gospel!” Exactly.
Almost twenty years ago now, I played in a band like this, at an Easter-morning service at a Methodist church outside of Minneapolis. One of the tunes we played was a cover of the Doobie Brothers’ version of Jesus Is Just Alright. I’m still not quite sure what the song means – which is a pretty good indicator that it has no place in Christian worship. (May God forgive me; I knew not what I did.)
As for me, I’m looking forward to Sunday, when we’ll sing To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray. Here’s stanza four:
Shine in our hearts, O Spirit, precious light; Teach us Jesus Christ to know aright That we may abide in the Lord who bought us, Till to our true home He has brought us. Lord, have mercy!
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I could not watch this whole thing. However, I noticed the date on it was “Sunday morning 3-24-08.” That wasn’t a Sunday morning, but if it was . . . was this what they did to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord? (The 23rd) kyrie eleison.
It sounds more like “Sympathy for the Devil.”
“It sounds more like ‘Sympathy for the Devil.’”
It makes me want to listen to “Paint It Black.”
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes…
Rick Serina
Trinity Lutheran-Albany (TX)
You didn’t even look long enough. They rocked out Eleanor Rigby…
Chuck
This was all mildly amusing until I saw they did a cover of The Who’s “The Seeker.” Some things are sacred. To desecrate the music of The Who in this way is beyond blasphemous.
Why don’t these baby boomers all just f-f-f-f-fade away? This is nothing more than a teenage wasteland. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. We won’t get fooled again. I want to ask these people: “Who are you?” I can’t explain…
But if I swallow anything evil, put your finger down my throat.
my ears! my ears! why?!?!?!?
Did you all see the “I Am the God of Hate” video below the I linked to? http://ancienttruthmodernsound.com/love-and-hate-and-evil
“I am the God of hate, and my hate is a holy flame.” I guess they’re trying a different twist on Ablaze!(tm).
I just left a comment on their YouTube channel, which probably will get erased. About it sounds good for being on the SF strip, but not as a Divine Service. That I am also a blues singer (mostly retired, though.)
I hate this stuff, first of all, if you are going to rock out, ROCK OUT. Don’t give me a half-baked thing for church. I know where to go to rock out, and it aint church.
Please tell me I don’t have to suffer through half-baked Norm Greenbaum at church next.
Oh my — this church (according the LCMS website) has 1092 members and 941 of them worship on the weekends and they have 5 ordained pastors. All I can visualize is Mick Jagger and the voice even sounds Mickish!
L2: Norman Greenbaum! “I’ve got a friend in Jesus … Gonna set me up with the spirit in the sky.” I haven’t thought about that classic in awhile…
This is my granddaughter’s grandmother’s music.
Nice Stones cover. Buit, why did they have to ruin it with all that “grace” stuff?
And couldn’t they book a better gig than a lutheran church? Frank, Angela and Angel need a new agent.