turn this song into a prayer

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995602.post-670953301400210782008-03-07T16:37:00.009-05:002008-03-07T17:21:33.769-05:002008-03-07T17:21:33.769-05:00turn this song into a prayer <p class="MsoNormal">Often times the words of psalms and songs will have greater meaning as time goes by than the author originally expected.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Consider the classic U2 song “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”<span style=""> </span>I remember a friend of mine who was very… shall we say, upright and religious… complaining about the title of the song.<span style=""> </span>He thought it was an insult to the sacredness of Sunday for Christians.<span style=""> </span>Having never bothered to pay attention to the lyrics or learn the story behind the song, he passed it off as heresy.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">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.<span style=""> </span>The song was written in response to a specific terrorist act that occurred in North Ireland in 1972, in which 14 people were killed.<span style=""> </span>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.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But like I said, often times a song can speak to something the author never expected.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yesterday was a bad day in the Middle East.<span style=""> </span><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7282948.stm">Eight people made in the image of God were killed</a> by a terrorist at a seminary in Jerusalem.<span style=""> </span><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7283111.stm">Sixty-eight people made in the image of God were killed </a>by two terrorist bombs in Baghdad.<span style=""> </span>Not to mention that over <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7274929.stm">one hundred people made in the image of God have been killed</a> in Gaza since last week.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What is most troubling is that too often events like these are considered part of the norm.<span style=""> </span>An entire song based on one event in Europe became a classic, while similar events happen almost every day in Iraq.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">But what is great about the song is that it transcends one event, and becomes more than a song.<span style=""> </span>It is a psalm.<span style=""> </span>It is a prayer.<span style=""> </span>And it bears being repeated and prayed on <span style="font-style: italic;">First Born Son</span>, 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.</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><blockquote><br /><br />Sunday Bloody Sunday<br />U2</blockquote></div><blockquote style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I can't believe the news today<br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><div style="text-align: center;">I can't close my eyes and make it go away.<br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span"><div style="text-align: center;">How long, how long must we sing this song?<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">How long, how long?<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">'Cos tonight<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We can be as one, tonight.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Broken bottles under children's feet<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bodies strewn across the dead-end street.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">But I won't heed the battle call<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunday, bloody Sunday.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunday, bloody Sunday.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunday, bloody Sunday.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunday, bloody Sunday.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh, let's go.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And the battle's just begun<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">There's many lost, but tell me who has won?<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The trenches dug within our hearts<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And mothers, children, brothers, sisters<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Torn apart.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunday, bloody Sunday.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunday, bloody Sunday.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">How long, how long must we sing this song?<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">How long, how long?<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">'Cos tonight<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We can be as one, tonight.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunday, bloody Sunday.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunday, bloody Sunday.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wipe the tears from your eyes<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wipe your tears away.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'll wipe your tears away.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'll wipe your tears away.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'll wipe your bloodshot eyes.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunday, bloody Sunday.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunday, bloody Sunday.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And it's true we are immune<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">When fact is fiction and TV reality.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And today the millions cry<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">We eat and drink while tomorrow they die.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The real battle just begun<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">To claim the victory Jesus won<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">On...<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunday, bloody Sunday<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sunday, bloody Sunday..</div></span></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span><p></p> Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08664056566879773286noreply@blogger.com3