2010 Lent 1 - Music CAN help change the world

Do you use your God-given talents (and yes, everybody has some God-given talent) to the best of your ability? When people look at your life, do they see someone who lives a life of faith?...So there you go – my Lenten challenge to you is to ‘leave behind some reasons to be missed’ – not selfishly, because you want people to miss you, but with humility, knowing that God loves you, so now you are free to love others. Another of my favorite philosophers, in the song “Instant Karma”, says, “Better recognize your brothers/everyone you meet.” John Lennon, for all his flaws, knew that what we do and say, and how we live now can have an effect on the world around us for who knows how long to come. “We all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun,” he sang. So shine, little stars, shine brightly! (from last week’s message)

For the next few weeks, I want to share stories with you of people who have “left behind reasons to be missed.” Here’s the first – a music group you may or may not have heard of.

Peter, Paul, and Mary started as a folk trio in the 1960s and continued to make music together pretty much until Mary’s death last year. Let me tell you, THIS is a group who left behind something to be missed. And not just really good songs, either.

See, they had a God-given talent for making music together. And through their music, they worked to change the world. In the 1960s, there was A LOT going on – the world was trying to change in a big way. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and people like them were working for equal rights for African Americans, others were protesting for social justice and an end to war, some people were just plain sick of the government…it was a turbulent time. Some great, great music came out of this time, but I want to focus on Peter, Paul, and Mary because of how they used THEIR MUSIC to work for change.

These three wrote powerful songs of inclusiveness (example: All God’s Critters Got a Place in the Choir), social justice (If I Had a Hammer), and some that were just plain fun (The Wonderful Toy). But just writing wasn’t enough – their talent and blessing was how they sounded together – because they were so good (in my humble opinion), their music was popular, and their message spread across the country. They used this “power” to record songs from other Protest Singers and folk singers of the 60s (like Bob Dylan), and those songs spread, too. As did other anthems of the Civil Rights Movement.

Now, they did more than talk the talk – they walked the walk. They believed it was not enough to just sing about equal rights and social justice, they worked for it – through singing at protests and marches, through working with social activism groups, and through how they lived their lives in commitment to equal treatment. Reasons to be missed, indeed!

So maybe you’ve never heard of this group. Maybe you don’t think these are people who would be interesting to you – after all, that was like 40 years ago, right? Who cares about folk singers in the 60s?

OK, fair enough. Who are some groups NOW that are changing the world through their music? U2 comes to mind immediately; but there are certainly others. Who are some of the groups you like that have had a big impact on you or your friends? Why have they had that impact? What’s their message? How are these groups using their God-given talent to change the world?

Changing the world through music – it’s something to think about, isn’t it! Changing the world through poetry set to rhythm – an awesome thought. It’s happened more than once. Do you have a God-given talent for music or poetry? Can you use this gift to change the world – or maybe just your little corner of it? Can you put out a message that’s important to you? Can you share God’s love through your talent? Hmmm……

Next week…another story.
Blessings!
Lisa

PS – if you are interested in learning more about Peter, Paul, and Mary – and honestly, it’s worth it to listen to their music and read a bit about them – check out their website: www.peterpaulandmary.com. And DO listen to their songs – they’re meaningful, important, and a lot of fun!