turn this song into a prayer

Often times the words of psalms and songs will have greater meaning as time goes by than the author originally expected.

Consider the classic U2 song “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” I remember a friend of mine who was very… shall we say, upright and religious… complaining about the title of the song. He thought it was an insult to the sacredness of Sunday for Christians. Having never bothered to pay attention to the lyrics or learn the story behind the song, he passed it off as heresy.

Of course, the lyrics and the story speak to something that all of those who claim to really follow the Gospel of Christ should agree with. The song was written in response to a specific terrorist act that occurred in North Ireland in 1972, in which 14 people were killed. It was dubbed the “Bloody Sunday” massacre, and the song by the Irish band was both a cry to end the violence and a call to forgiveness.

But like I said, often times a song can speak to something the author never expected.

Yesterday was a bad day in the Middle East. Eight people made in the image of God were killed by a terrorist at a seminary in Jerusalem. Sixty-eight people made in the image of God were killed by two terrorist bombs in Baghdad. Not to mention that over one hundred people made in the image of God have been killed in Gaza since last week.

What is most troubling is that too often events like these are considered part of the norm. An entire song based on one event in Europe became a classic, while similar events happen almost every day in Iraq.

But what is great about the song is that it transcends one event, and becomes more than a song. It is a psalm. It is a prayer. And it bears being repeated and prayed on First Born Son, because we oppose the use of violence to fight violence, especially against civilians. And ultimately our goal is to pay attention to the cries and learn the stories so that we can be a catalyst for forgiveness and peace.

Sunday Bloody Sunday
U2

I can't believe the news today

I can't close my eyes and make it go away.

How long, how long must we sing this song?

How long, how long?

'Cos tonight

We can be as one, tonight.

Broken bottles under children's feet

Bodies strewn across the dead-end street.

But I won't heed the battle call

It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.

Oh, let's go.

And the battle's just begun

There's many lost, but tell me who has won?

The trenches dug within our hearts

And mothers, children, brothers, sisters

Torn apart.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.

How long, how long must we sing this song?

How long, how long?

'Cos tonight

We can be as one, tonight.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.

Wipe the tears from your eyes

Wipe your tears away.

I'll wipe your tears away.

I'll wipe your tears away.

I'll wipe your bloodshot eyes.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.

And it's true we are immune

When fact is fiction and TV reality.

And today the millions cry

We eat and drink while tomorrow they die.

The real battle just begun

To claim the victory Jesus won

On...

Sunday, bloody Sunday

Sunday, bloody Sunday..