Jun 16 2010
Pastor’s notes
Christian greetings to all of you. Shalom. Peace.
A little while back, Margie bought me an iPod Nano. They were at reduced prices at Target. I loaded up all my favourite music – real classic rock stuff, the blues and those songs which have been my personal “golds” through the years. I haven’t had much opportunity to listen to this music since we got married because Margie doesn’t really like it. It was great to listen to the driving beat of Ten Years After, Blind Faith and Eric Clapton’s early days with Cream. But after a little while I realized that my taste in music, and the things I actually wanted to listen to, had changed. I dumped the rock music and refilled my iPod with Il Divo, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Chris Tomlin and Amy Grant. And I added a couple of sermon podcasts from iTunes, including, Bill Hybels, Louis Giglio and Rob Bell. And for those serene moments, I put on some Gregorian chants.
I began to think about why we change our music tastes and life preferences. My parents hated my music when I was a kid and I thought their taste was pretty dull. And yet, if they were alive today, I think that they would really like the music I listen to. I don’t think that I’ve become dull as the years have piled onto my life. In fact, as I matured, I think that my listening tastes have become fuller and far more discerning.
As I thought about it, I began to discount all the usual answers – that I was “finally” maturing, that I was become more risk averse as I approached the end of my life, and so on. No. I think it is that I have come to appreciate the really good things in life, and, by the way, that still includes really good rock music – I still go crazy when I hear Alvin Lee’s guitar riffs in “I’m going home” and Ginger Baker’s drum solo in “Do what you like” on the Blind Faith album. As a child, everything is just amazing, we have to try it, have to do it, even when it is really rubbish. For a child, the new and the novel is the attraction, but as maturity comes we become more discerning. We want the good things, the things of value and truth, rather than just the latest gimmick, or hot pop star.
I think that this has a whole lot to do with God. We might not always recognize His hand in our life, but He is constantly guiding and directing His creation back towards Himself. And as we come into His view we begin to “throw off the things that so easily entangle” and we desire more to enjoy the good and pleasant things that God has blessed us with in this world. We look for quality, we appreciate the wonderful, and we see value in eternal things.
And, by the way, this has very little to do with age. It has, it seems to my way of thinking, much more to do with understanding life and what it is all about. Sometimes, perhaps mostly, it is about a new appreciation for God, who is the author of life and who has redeemed our lost life through the Cross. And, even though I have been a Christian for most of my life, I have, through this process of thinking about music, realized that I am drawn closer to God and have, in the last few months, come to appreciate more and more the wonder of God’s grace towards me and His creation.
I hope that this little reflection will give you cause to think about why you do things you do, and like the things you like. I really believe that God loves us much more than we can imagine and that His desire is for us to enjoy all things and to be at peace with everything that He made so well.
God bless.
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