What is the Meaning of Life?

During the summer, I have been choosing sermon topics out of a box that have been suggested by people in the congregation.  Last week, the topic chosen was “What is the Meaning of Life?’

My first thought was, “Seriously? Really?” Either someone thinks a lot more of me than they should or they’re pulling my leg. How do I answer a question like that, a question that has been asked throughout the ages and asked of much wiser people than I?

Then, after church, someone talked to me about my sermon that morning, which was about what music is appropriate for worship. In summary, I basically said that any style of music is appropriate if it praises God and encourages us to love our neighbour. This person asked me about his favourite band, Iron Maiden. Could their music be appropriate? I hesitated.  I wasn’t sure. So this person went home and found an Iron Maiden song called, “For the Greater Good of God” and sent me the lyrics. Serendipitously, the lyrics to this song inspired my sermon this week about the meaning of life.

Iron Maiden is a heavy metal band from England.  You decide if you would like to hear the song or just read the lyrics.

The meaning of life will be different for each and every person. We all have to come to our own conclusions and that’s why this question is difficult to answer. I do believe though that our faith and the bible offer us some direction on this meaning. I believe that the whole bible pushes the idea of creating a heaven on earth. From the very beginning of the bible, we have two people living in Eden, a kind of heaven on earth, but as we progress through the stories of the bible, humanity seems to move farther and farther from this Eden. The bible and our history books carry stories of jealousy, competitiveness, greed, and thirst for power that bring about murder, war, and all kinds of violence. Unfortunately, much of this has been carried out in the name of god, not just the Christian god, but Christians have carried a lot of power for the past 2000 years, so the damage has been that much more.

Steve Harris expresses this in his song for Iron Maiden. There is a repeated chorus that goes like this: “Please tell me now what life is. Please tell me now what love is. Well tell me

now what war is. Again tell me what life is.” Throughout the song, the violence of the world is questioned and he questions the presence of this almighty god. He writes, “They fire off many shots and many parting blows. Their actions beyond a reasoning, Only God would know. And as he lies in heaven Or it could be in hell, I feel he's somewhere here, Or looking from below, But I don't know, I don't know.” Iron Maiden is often accused of being a satanic band, but I hear someone who is struggling with a god and those that follow this god that would allow, and even cause, the pain and suffering of the world to happen.

“Please tell me what life is,” he cries out. What is the meaning of all this violence, war, innocent people suffering and dying? Amidst the carnage, amidst the bloodshed, what really is the meaning of this life?

Many have attempted to answer this question, including the prophets of our bible. The prophet Micah spoke some of the most well-known verses of the bible about, of a future where all nations will come together and:

they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war any more;

but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,

and no one shall make them afraid. (Micah 4:3b-4b)

This is a vision of ‘shalom,’ of peace on earth. Is it only a vision though, a pipe dream?

And then from the Christian scriptures, from the book of 21st chapter of Revelation, we have another grand vision, not of people going up to heaven but of heaven coming down to earth, of God making a home among mortals. God with us; not us with God. It makes a difference. We are not meant to all go to heaven but for heaven to come to earth. Death will be no more, mourning and crying will be no more. It’s a new heaven and a new earth. All things will be made new.

I believe this is the direction our bible is taking us. Yes, there are some horrific stories of humanity in that book, just as there are in our history books, but I believe the bible and history are moving us, pushing us towards a just and merciful world, if we would but listen and learn.

Every Sunday, we recite the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. Every Sunday, we say,

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” People have been reciting this for 2000 years, but, unfortunately, there have been too many people working against this vision and doing it in the name of God. I think this is what Steve Harris from Iron Maiden is critiquing.

He ends his song with, “He gave his life for us. He fell upon the cross, to die for all of those who never mourn his loss. It wasn't meant for us to feel the pain again, tell me why, tell me why.”

2000 years later, we are still struggling to know the meaning of Jesus’ life, much less all life. What did Jesus die for? Steve Harris seems to wonder out loud if it was in vain. Has anything changed? He was put on a cross by an empire that was threatened by his teachings and his wisdom, threatened by the number of people who followed him. Only a few hundred years later, Christians were doing the same thing, silencing people that threatened them, ruthlessly gaining power, becoming more political than spiritual.

As Christians, I think we have to work doubly hard at promoting and advocating for peace, partly because we have to make amends for the hurt the church has caused over the years.

Maybe, as Christians, if our meaning of life could be to bring heaven to earth, to beat swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks, the visions of the past, of the prophets, might be realized. We might bring about a new beginning to humanity, a new heaven and a new earth, bring us back to Eden, when God walked on the earth, amidst humanity, and where the death of Jesus was not in vain, but actually helped create a new heaven and a new earth. Pipe dream or a hopeful future if we work towards it?

In the meantime, we continue to wonder about the meaning of life in sermons, in books, in song. We ask questions. We push back against the norm, against the status quo. We read the bible and find new interpretations that help us to grow in our faith and love our neighbour and our enemies. It’s only a start but we can get the ball rolling, rolling towards that beautiful vision, where every tear is wiped away, death is no more; mourning and crying and pain is no more, for the first things have passed away.” May it be so.  Amen.

What Music is Appropriate in Worship?

Have you heard of EDM?  EDM stands for Electric Dance Music and I invite you to watch a video that will give you an idea of what EDM looks like in a church setting.  

Interested?  Do you think this kind of music is acceptable in a worship setting?  

A diaconal minister in the United Church of Canada (UCC), Charlotte Caron, wrote a book called, “Eager for Worship: Theologies, Practices, and Perspectives on Worship in the United Church of Canada.”  She offered a couple of quotes from other sources.  The first is out of the UCC’s “Voices United” hymnbook, in the introduction:

Hymns have always had a central place in the making of Christians.  For many, next to scripture, a hymnal is the church’s most important sourcebook.  It is from hymns that many receive their primary and most enduring theological education.

Music, for thousands of years, has been a way of teaching people, whether it be the stories of their people, a recipe, directions from one place to the next, morality and ethics, or theology.  Words set to music or poetry tend to stick in our brains, especially when we learn them at a young age.  The words in the music, the lyrics, are what keep us learning and growing in our faith and they are an expression of ourselves and our ministry.  But does it matter how these words are expressed, the style of music?  For example, is EDM acceptable as a way of teaching theology in our worship services?  

What’s acceptable in worship has changed a lot over the years.  There was a time when women were not allowed to speak in church, which included singing.  When missionaries were bringing Christianity to global communities, the indigenous instruments of the area were banned.  Indigenous people in North America were not allowed to include drums in their worship.  Every so often, a new style of music comes into the culture, folk music, country music, jazz music, and when the style is then introduced in a worship setting, there is usually pushback.  

It takes a long time for traditionalists in churches to deem new music acceptable in a church setting.   You can see that today in contemporary praise music.  When worship bands plays modern praise music in a more traditional setting, there are some who struggle with it.  The drums, guitar, and tambourine are sometimes seen as inappropriate in a church setting.  

The UCC has a supplement hymnbook called, “More Voices.”  This was meant to offer some more recent alternatives to what is in the “Voices United.”  You won’t find anything in there that was written before the 1990’s and 30% of it is global content, outside of the US and Canada.  Many of the pieces have a more contemporary rhythm and setting.  Many United Church congregations don’t find the hymns compatible because it’s not what they’re used to hearing.  For some, the rhythms are too complicated or the combination of notes just sound strange.

So why bother?  If we’re happy with our traditional hymns, why fix what isn’t broken?  Caron shares another quote from her book, from Ed Searcy, from his article, “Passing on the Tradition to our Children.”  He writes:

In his study of Canadian teens, Reginald Bibby has pointed out that, after peers, adolescents place music as the second most important influence in their life.  When asked, young adults who are active in the church consistently rank church music (and especially church organs) as one of their greatest frustrations.  Passing on the tradition to generations of children and young people whose lives are filled with the energy of popular music means finding creative ways to open our doors to their melodies and rhythms.

Caron writes that as a church we are challenged to find space for a variety of tastes of music that will enliven faith at every life stage.

Electric Dance Music may not work for everyone.  If you’ll notice in the video, it is all young people attending.  I doubt the service is happening at 10am on a Sunday morning.  This is aimed at young adults who go to clubs with this kind of music.  This is aimed at young people who have lots of energy and want to praise God with a beat, and a hard rhythm, and by moving their bodies.  This might not be how some want to worship, but it definitely feels right for them.

Most know that when a drum, a guitar, a strong beat, are brought into worship, it might cause people to move and maybe even dance.  Is it appropriate?  Sure!  They are dancing and praising God with their whole bodies.  They are hearing the music and they are absorbing the theology of the words that are sung.  By offering a variety of music, we allow our young people to hear music to which they can connect, and sometimes not just the young people, especially if we are still only using music from hundreds of years ago that we don’t hear in our every day lives anymore.  

I’m not saying that we stop playing traditional hymns.  I’m not saying everyone should start an electric dance club during worship.  I am saying we need to be able to offer a variety of sounds for a variety of people, especially if we want to be inclusive, welcoming, affirming, and open to the world around us.  An alternate worship service that offers EDM is definitely a possibility if someone feels called to do so, but in the meantime, acceptance and openness to all kinds of styles of music is necessary.

Psalm 150, the last of the psalms in the bible, mentions all kinds of instrumentation, from trumpet sounds, to tambourines, to loud clashing cymbals, and ends with “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!”  Everything that breathes.  Not just the professional musicians or long time church members.  Everything that breathes.  Which means a variety of styles and sounds.

I think we have to be very careful to label something as unacceptable or inappropriate if it inspires someone, moves them, and brings them closer to God.  So let’s have an organ and a drum.  Let’s have Beethoven and the Beatles.  Let’s be moved to tears by a stirring melody or inspired to dance by a driving beat.  If it’s inspiring us to praise God and love our neighbour, what could be better?  May it be so.  Amen.