In
recent weeks, popular music has seen the death of 2 iconic figures,
David Bowie and Glen Frey. Tuesday's Musical Notes has featured music
by both of these artists: Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Peace On Earth", Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Seven Bridges Road" and Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Please Come Home For Christmas".
The lives of David Bowie and Glen Frey are examples of how creative people can not only make a name for themselves in the music industry but carve and solidify entirely new niches of artistry. Bowie created Glam Pop with his Ziggy Stardust persona and Glen Frey as founding member of the Eagles wrote and co-wrote songs with Don Henley that continue to define "folk" rock.
Today
we feature a song written by Glen Frey and Don Henley. It has been
covered by more than 25 artists and is featured on numerous "Greatest
Hits" packages of the band they formed together, the Eagles. Frey and Henley formed the foundation of a band that has seen many incarnations. The original recording of "Desperado" appeared on the album of the same name. It included the Eagles lineup of Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Don Henley, and Glen Frey. Though it was never released as a single, the song's popularity caused Rolling Stone Magazine to list it at #494 on its 2004 list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The Western Writers Of America also posted accolades on the song by
naming it one of its Top 100 Western Songs of All Time.
One
of the reasons the song "Desperado" is so endearing to fans is its
ability to relate. At some point or another in our lives, we have been
that person who has been beat by the queen of diamonds or had a hard
time telling the nighttime from the day. It is a song about searching
for our place in the world as well as a longing to have folks to which
we can share that place. In one sense, "Desperado" is about the DNA of
community that is built into us when we are created. We were never
meant to live our lives alone.
For
followers of Jesus, this comfort comes in the form of Holy Spirit. He
is the "friend" and "comforter" persona of God that dwells in the
Christian. He shares equal status with God the Father and Jesus, God
the Son, but His role is different than Creator or Sacrifice. His duty is that of being with us until Jesus either meets us in heaven at our death or He comes at the end of time as we know it.
Until
the time of Jesus' ascension, Holy Spirit had a limited role in the
workings of mankind. There are folks in the Old Testament who were
given Holy Spirit to do the works that God had called them to do. His
activities in those folks lives were for a specific task and time. As
an example, see how Holy Spirit is integral in the making of the
instruments of worship for the Children of Israel to use in the
tabernacle while in the wilderness: Exodus 31 New International Version (NIV) of the Bible/The Message Paraphrase of the Bible parallel. And in Psalm 51 NIV/The Message parallel, David begs God to allow Holy Spirit to remain with him as he repented of his sin.
In the New Testament,
Jesus well understood how His disciples would feel upon His arrest and
crucifixion. He realized that the human heart was meant for community
and companionship. He had 3 years invested in that community and
companionship with them and His death would bring upon a great sense of
loss and anxiety. That's why He promised the disciples that at the
lowest point of their lives, the point where nothing they had done for
the last 3 years made any sense, that He would send The Companion that
would make everything clear. John 14:15-21 NIV/The Message parallel Holy Spirit would also provide for their needs in adversity: Mark 13:10-12 NIV/The Message
This
causes the question, "How can one receive Holy Spirit and get the
strength and comfort that the disciples had?" There is a simple
answer. Respond to the urging of Holy Spirit when He convicts you of
sin and shows you that Jesus is the only way that your sin can be
forgiven. You see, it is God's desire that no one is separated from Him
forever by going to hell. John 3:16-17 NIV/The Message parallel
According to this passage, God was willing to do anything, so that we
could be with Him forever. His plan at creation was to have a
relationship with man forever. God however, provided man with the
ability to choose. Every day, folks make the same decision Adam and Eve
made in the garden of Eden. They either choose God, or they don't.
However, instead of a Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, post
resurrection mankind chooses to surrender to the invitation from Holy
Spirit, BELIEVE that Jesus died for the elimination of their sins
(that's past, present, and future sins), was physically placed in a
sealed tomb for three days, was resurrected and seen in a physical body
by many who interacted with Him, and is waiting for God to send Him back
to earth to receive the folks who believe all of the preceeding
statements, or... they don't. For those who do not accept Holy Spirit's
invitation, Jesus issues a stern warning: Matthew 12:31-33 NIV/The Message
According to this passage from God's Word (the Bible) the only "sin"
that is unforgivable, is to reject the pleading, in fact the begging of
Holy Spirit for you to enter into a relationship with God through the
redeeming work of Jesus. In other words:
Desperado, Why don't you come to your senses
Been out ridin' fences, for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
But I know that you've got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow
The
recent deaths of notable folks such as Glen Frey makes many people
sad. Why? Their music continues on, so we won't miss that. We can
still see videos of songs or highlights of their life via YouTube. With
a few exceptions, we've probably never had personal interaction with
them. So why do we have a tug on our heart at the death of an icon?
The Notes contends that our sorrow at the passing of a well known,
accomplished person puts us in touch perhaps, with our own mortality.
It causes us to realize that our current reality will not be lasting
forever. It destroys the illusion that things will always be like they
are right now. It causes us to come face to face with finality, a
finality that has as its destiny, the uknown. We really have a fear of
the unknown and their is no comfort to be found in friends or family for
they have the same anxiety. But their is a solution. Jesus told us
that He would provide a "Comforter". John 14-15 NIV/The Message parallel This Comforter provides a buffer for the fear of the unknown by providing a knowledge of the future in which we can have great conficence.
So dear friend, in the words of the late Glen Frey, "You better let
somebody love you......before it's too....late." (insert piano outtro).
'Til Tuesday,
Serving HIM by serving you,
Randy
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