Who would think I’d choose to die
To say my life was never mine
To loosen my grip on pleasures I love
And fix my eyes on God above
Who would think I wouldn’t care
If men would strip my body bare
Hurling sticks and stones and lyric
They can break my bones but can’t touch my spirit
Who would think I’d turn my cheek
Or love on my sworn enemy
Why would I bless those who curse?
Because I know He did it all first.
bon blake + james iver
“Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,
when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,
when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,
when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt’?”
-God
“He alone stretches out the heavens
and treads on the waves of the sea.”
-Job
It’s times like these…
I wish I had an iphone.
Bondi’s “Sculptures by the Sea” is an annual tradition that I’ve enjoyed almost every year since I first moved to Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs about 13 years ago. It’s pretty self-explanatory; basically sculptures line the sea-side walk between Bondi and Tamarama in an open presentation of art. The public exhibition is consistently impressive and one can always find some inspiration amongst the innovative sculptures. The artworks are beautiful and each year is completely unique and creative, but just the familiarity of the whole thing evokes such fond nostalgia for me. This year I got to go with three of my oldest and best friends. With every memory that was reminisced, a new one was created. We finished the day with sore legs and warm hearts. You should definitely go next year. It’s never too late to start a new tradition.
“Sing a song for us! Yes! Please sing!”, cheered the school group of Barcelonan kids. I turned to my friend, and we both grinned at each other, “Why not?!”
It was the fourth day of our Europe choir tour, and the Wesley Institute Choir had boarded a plane for Paris, leaving another beautiful Spanish Summer’s morning behind us. It was a small plane, with about half the choir seated in the back section, and to our sheer delight we were surrounded by a large group of primary school students leaving Barcelona on a rather impressive excursion. Some of the more extroverted personalities of the choir (unsurprisingly including myself) had developed somewhat of a tradition, taking it upon ourselves to bless anyone near us with a short singing performance. When people met us and realised we were part of a choir, they often asked us to sing, at which point we would turn to each other and say “Why not?!” We were young musicians in Europe, and we were determined to have as much fun as possible. We found ourselves on a plane surrounded by excited school kids, and having lots of our choir members involved in kids and youth ministries, we decided this was going to be a memorable flight. We got the kids cheering during take-off, as if it were a roller-coaster ride, but the moment the seat belt sign turned off we jumped out of our seats and that’s when the real fun began.
I started humming and clicking with my right hand, setting the key and beat. Looking around at the young faces, I smilingly began our short repertoire of harmonised a cappella pop songs, namely Bruno Mars. “When I see your face, there’s not a thing that I would change, cuz you’re amazing just the way you are!” The girls squealed with excitement and the boys clapped their hands, joining in on the familiar song. Soon the back of the plane was transformed into a noisy school bus. Loud sing-alongs, fun games, excited kids running up and down the isle; needless to say it was an OH&S nightmare.
As I talked to the young children around me, discovering this intriguing and beautiful culture that was so different to the one I had grown up in, I noticed the main point of connection between such starkly different age-groups and ethnicities – music. As the excited kids endeavoured to communicate in their broken English, a good part of their limited vocabulary was made up of song lyrics.
They struggled to put together a full sentence, but when we sang a chorus of a popular song, they wouldn’t miss a word. At first it impressed me, the aptitude of young minds; then one of the young boys, probably no older than 12, sang out “I just had sex”, a popular Lonely Island song. A few of us looked around at each other entirely shocked before we quickly hushed him, shaking our heads and waving our fingers.
Soon the cabin crew came and made sure everyone stayed in their seats, reducing the volume if only slightly. I sat next to a young boy who offered me his left earphone, then proudly showed me through his favourite songs on his ipod. My mouth dropped as this young boy from the other side of the world, barely even able to speak English, went through song after song quoting lyrics of sex, parties and alcohol. Sometimes he would copy a dance move from film clips as he endeavoured to impress this ‘grown up’ from The West, the land of the great MTV, the place that defined ‘cool’.
Here was a young boy who probably still believed in girl-germs, singing about hot chicks in the club. Here was a boy who had probably never had anything more potent than red cordial, singing about poppin’ bottles and gettin’ slizzard.
I couldn’t help but realise the profound effect Western music had on the developing mind and outlook of youth culture globally. I imagined American producers putting together another pointless song that would make them millions of dollars, and having no idea that this song could effect how a young Barcelonan kid half way across the world would treat women.
Music is powerful. A song has the ability to put a thought into the listener’s mind without their permission. A melody can carry a lyric, a lyric can carry a concept, and a concept can influence a lifestyle. I wonder how much I am unconsciously influenced by the music that I listen to. As a song-writing musician, I also wonder how much power my songs could have to influence modern youth culture. Upon whose ears will my music fall, and in what situation will they be when my words ride melodies into their mind?
One can look at the world’s desolate situation and feel overwhelmed, but I prefer to use that as motivation. If pop celebrities can influence youth culture negatively, how much more, with God’s hand, can that same influence be used for good? I think Christians should endeavour to be the best and not shy away from spotlight positions of influence; because if we don’t, someone else will. A song, an artwork, a business, whatever your gift, you never know how far it could go – it could even reach a young child half way across the world, in Barcelona.
Daniel J. Mathew is studying music at Sydney’s Wesley Institute and serves as a volunteer for the senior high youth ministry of Hillsong Church, City Campus.
