Reframing the Message

Jesus said, “Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” - Luke 12:33-34

"Where you invest your love, you invest your life." - "Awake My Soul" by Mumford & Sons

REFLECTION:
The Christian Music genre is an interesting one.
Some bands intentionally label themselves "Christian" musicians. They sign on with Christian music labels and play at Christians festivals.

Some of these bands feel as though, for their music to be Christian, every song has to be about Christ.
Sometimes, specifically "Christian" radio stations (like K-LOVE) pop up to give consumers an option if they want to hear only Christian music.

That is one approach, and there is nothing wrong with it. It tends to separate "Christian" music from "secular" music and create a parallel musical world.

The other approach is interesting too...bands whose members are Christian, and who write about everyday life from that perspective, but who don't market themselves as exclusively "Christian."

This means those bands' music is played on all the major radio stations, because they haven't separated themselves out, either by marketing, or by making every song about Jesus.

I was raised on the first kind of Christian music. I was raised on Petra, Michael W. Smith, Rich Mullins, Steven Curtis Chapman, the Newsboys, Jars of Clay, DC Talk, and Jars of Clay. I still love this music.

But I also love bands like Mumford and Sons, whose lyrics are clearly just re-framing Christian principles in a way that is fresh, new, and palatable to a "secular" audience.

The Luke passage above was assigned for today, and has a simple message...but it is one that I think gets lost in the familiarity. So, I also listed a lyric from the song "Awake My Soul" by Mumford & Sons...where they simply re-state the same truth Jesus said in a fresh new way...

Where you invest your love, you invest your life.

So, two things occur to me as I start today...

1. Where am I investing my time today? Because my minutes and hours are like a bank account, and where I choose to invest says something about my priorities. Will there be time for family? For being still in the presence of God? For healthy practices that keep my body and mind strong? Or will I make 100% of my "deposit" of today's hours in the "Work Productivity" bank account?

2. Can I see myself a bit like Mumford & Sons? Do I need to wear my pastor-collar everywhere I go, or wear a big label that says, "This Guy is a Christian!" Of course not. Can I be like this band, who simply live out their faith in the everyday world, making that faith more accessible to those outside the church? Can I look for fresh new ways to communicate Jesus' Truth in everyday ways? Can my life be a "re-framing" of the truths from the Bible for a secular audience?

May we all wrestle with these two questions today...where am I investing my life? And can I invest it in ways that bring the "religious" and "secular" parts of my life together?

PRAYER:
God, give us the courage to set our priorities today in a way that honors you, and your desire for us to be whole, healthy, and grounded people. Show us how our Sunday faith can be real for our Monday-Saturday lives. Amen.