September 17, 2011

As I have been spending quite a bit of time reading and studying and writing as part of my Masters journey, there has been some music that I have been listening to that has inspired, shaped, helped me along. I will periodically put up the songs on here that have struck a chord with me for one reason or another. The first one is Mumford & Sons song, "Sigh No More".
Here are the lyrics:

Serve God, love me and mend
This is not the end
Lived unbruised, we are friends
And I'm sorry
I'm sorry

Sigh no more, no more
One foot in sea and one on shore
My heart was never pure
And you know me
You know me

But man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing
Oh man is a giddy thing

Love it will not betray you
Dismay or enslave you, it will set you free
Be more like the man you were made to be
There is a design, an alignment, a cry
Of my heart to see,
The beauty of love as it was made to be

The truth behind the last "section" of lyrics is so penetrating. Often times humanity refers to sin as the complete freedom, but in truth it binds you, hauls you down, and ruins you. To quote N.T. Wright from his commentary on the 5th chapter of Ephesians, "In that world, as in ours, many people saw no need for restraint. If it seemed fun at the time, why not go ahead? Avoid all cheap imitations – Casual sex is a parody of the real thing – like drinking from a muddy stream instead of fresh, clear water, or like listening to a symphony on a damaged record or tape player when a world-class orchestra is playing in the theatre around the corner. It promises the earth and ends up killing you – if not physically, then certainly emotionally and spiritually.
Christ's love for us will never betray us, dismay us, or enslave us. How freeing and liberating to step into that way of life.