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Faith that Sounds Like Country
Music
Acts 16: 16-34
by John Roy
Country music
has been on the outside looking in at the rest of the music industry. For years
it was considered a step child to the formats of rock and roll and rhythm and
blues. Mountain music, southern music, often looked down at as unsophisticated
and musically simplistic has finally been mainstreamed. Today country music is
the largest format of radio music. This is due impart to a guy by the name of
Garth Brooks who did for country music in the 90’s what the Beatles did for rock
and roll in the sixties. Further credit needs to go to Wal-Mart, their growth
has parallel the growth of country music, and the market dominated by country
music is often the market dominated by Wal-Mart.
Yet country
music growth may be due to the label its critics applied to it. The critics said
the music was unsophisticated. To people who hate critics about as much as they
hate communist this was served as an endorsement. The people who watch The
Dukes of Hazard would consider being referred to as sophisticated as a put
down. The critics considered the music to simplistic. Yet, again for simple men
and women, for common folks who worry about making ends meet and who know the
difference between a stream and a creek simple is the highest praise you can
give anyone.
The common
person finds the themes of country music strangely familiar. Heartache,
misfortune, faith, and redemption are the threads that make music country. You
can be sure if the song mentions prison, singing, and eating it must be country
music.
As we were going to the place of prayer, we
were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners
much gain by soothsaying.
She followed Paul and us, crying, "These men are servants of the Most High God,
who proclaim to you the way of salvation."
And this she did for many days. But Paul was annoyed, and turned and said to
the spirit, "I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And
it came out that very hour.
But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and
Silas and dragged them into the market place before the rulers;
and when they had brought them to the magistrates they said, "These men are
Jews and they are disturbing our city.
They advocate customs which it is not lawful for us Romans to accept or
practice."
The crowd joined in attacking them; and the magistrates tore the garments off
them and gave orders to beat them with rods.
And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison,
charging the jailer to keep them safely.
Having received this charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened
their feet in the stocks.
But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and
the prisoners were listening to them,
and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the
prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and every one's
fetters were unfastened.
When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword
and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here."
And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down
before Paul and Silas,
and brought them out and said, "Men, what must I do to be saved?"
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your
household."
And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all that were in his house.
And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he
was baptized at once, with all his family.
Then he brought them up into his house, and set food before them; and he
rejoiced with all his household that he had believed in God.
--Acts 16:16-34
Almost the
perfect country song, it mentions prison, eating, and singing, if had only
mentioned mama and a truck it would be the perfect country song.
A common man
like Paul is thrown into jail for telling others about God’s love and then he is
rescued by prayer and an earthquake. There are people who miss the gospel; it
is not sophisticated enough for them. They miss the message of redemption
looking for something hidden or deeper. They overlook the top soil treasures
excavating for other treasures. Yet, like country music, with the gospel nothing
is hidden. The gospel hits you in the face with the truth.
There is evil
is the world people make bad choices; there is something at work that undermines
the work of God.
There are those
who dig around and try to explain away the evils of sin. Even those who justify
sin. Country music in its unsophisticated way will not ignore the obvious.
There's a long Black
Train coming down the line
Feeding off the souls that are lost and cryin'
Rails of sin only evil remains
Watch out brother for that long Black Train
Look to the heavens you
can look to the skies
You can find redemption staring back into your eyes
There is protection and there's peace the same
Burnin' your ticket for that long Black Train
Cause there's victory
in the Lord I say
Victory in the Lord
Cling to the Father and his Holy Name
And don't go riding on that long Black Train
There's a engineer on
that long Black Train
Making you wonder if your ride is worth the pain
He's just a waitin' on your heart to say
Let me ride on that long Black Train
But you know there's
victory in the Lord I say
Victory in the Lord
Cling to the Father and his Holy Name
And don't go riding on that long Black Train
Well I can hear the
whistle from a mile away
It sounds so good but I must stay away
That train is a beauty making everybody stare
But it's only destination is the middle of nowhere
But you know there's
victory in the Lord I say
Victory in the Lord
Cling to the Father and his Holy Name
And don't go riding on that long Black Train
I said cling to the
Father and his Holy Name
And don't go ridin' on that long Black Train
Yea watch out brother for that long Black Train
That devil's drivin' that long Black Train.
Josh Turner sang this most recent installment of
“Long Black Train.” It’s a simple story, it is not subtle, but it gets to the
truth that decisions are to be made and victory is in the Lord.
Yet faith sounds like country music because the
common people of this world identify with the commonness of Jesus. Jesus told
stories about farmers, he told stories about families, Jesus told
unsophisticated stories we can all see right through the “Good Samaritian” or
the “Prodigal Son” but seeing through them does not make them any less true. In
fact, they are true because we see through them.
George Straight sings a
song that makes the truth clear.
I got sent home from school one day with a
shiner on my eye.
Fightin' was against the rules and it didn't matter why.
When dad got home I told that story just like I'd rehearsed.
And then stood there on those tremblin' knees and waited for the worst.
And he said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love,
A secret that my daddy said was just between us."
He said, "Daddies don't just love their children every now and then.
It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen."
When I became a father in the spring of '81
There was no doubt that stubborn boy was just like my father's son.
And when I thought my patience had been tested to the end,
I took my daddy's secret and I passed it on to him.
RepeatChorus
Last night I dreamed I died and stood outside those pearly gates.
When suddenly I realized there must be some mistake.
If they know half the things I've done, they'll never let me in.
And then somewhere from the other side I heard these words again.
Repeat Chorus:
Jesus was the
savior for all. Yet, throughout the New Testament it is the common person who
responds to his invite. The woman married five times at the well, the bleeding
woman, the soldier, and the fisherman. It’s not that others were not invited it
is that they would not respond. Jesus is an uncommon savior but he appeals to
the common folks.
The folks who
get sick, who divorce, who fail, who work hard, and who
Are often
overlooked. The people who love their families, pay their taxes, and complain
about gas prices. Buddy Jewel released a song that summarizes well, the location
of most of us.
The moment was custom-made to order:
I was ridin' with my daughter on our way back from Monroe.
An' like children do, she started playin' twenty questions,
But I never could've guessed one would touch me to my soul.
She said:
"Daddy, when we get to Heaven, can I taste the Milky Way?
"Are we goin' there to visit, or are we goin' there to stay?
"Am I gonna see my Grandpa? Can I have a pair of wings?
"An' do you think that God could use another Angel,
"To help pour out the rain?"
Well, I won't
lie: I pulled that car right over,
An' I sat there on the shoulder tryin' to dry my misty eyes.
An' I whispered: "Lord, I wanna thank you for my children.
"'Cause your innocence that fills them often takes me by surprise."
Like: "Daddy,
when we get to Heaven, can I taste the Milky Way?
"Are we goin' there to visit, or are we goin' there to stay?
"Am I gonna see my Grandpa? Can I have a pair of wings?
"An' do you think that God could use another Angel,
"To help pour out the rain?"
Well, I
thought about it later on,
An' a smile came to my face.
An' when I tucked her in to bed,
I got down on my knees an' prayed.
Lord, when I
get to Heaven, can I taste the Milky Way?
"I don't wanna come to visit 'cause I'm comin' home to stay?
"An' I can't wait to see my family and meet Jesus face to face.
"An' do you think, Lord, you could use just one more Angel,
"To help pour out the rain?"
For those of us
who weary of this world, for those of us who do the best we can, for those of us
who are trying to overcome ourselves, and forgive those who have hurt us country
music can sound like faith.
Country music
reminds us that salvation is as simple and as close as, "Believe in the Lord
Jesus, and you will be saved,.” You don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to
follow Jesus; you only need a pliable heart.
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