Let Love Rule pops up on my ipod playlist and I groove mindlessly while riding in my very untricked out Honda Element. As I look in my rear view mirror to see Sydney, my happy 16 month old, shaking her head along with the car tunes, I notice the cheerios, goldfish crackers, and a herd of pacifiers resting in the various car nooks and crannies. That is when it happened. In the middle of the anti-kenny G sax solo, I realize... (sigh) his album is 20 years old. I own a 20 year old copy of this album. I have had this album for 20 years. I am 20 years older now... My 20 year high school reunion is almost here! When did this happen?
I suddenly realized that I remember when I was about 8 years old and I was listening to my dads "old" records... Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Beach Boys (Pet Sounds), and thinking the only place I hear this music is on the "oldies station"... that music was only 20 years old then... if that! Then yesterday, when most of my hairs are being cut I see a flurry of white hairs descend gracefully to the reverse cape I am wearing. I could almost hear each one of them sing song to me "you're not as young as you think you are" and then, aside from the fact that every once in awhile she has to tweezer out this one insanely long eyebrow hair (what's the deal with that), it's WHITE! But wait there's more. About 3 weeks ago, the pianist (that I hired, so he'd better watch it) looks at me and says, "did you know you have a white hair IN your EAR". Listen, I'd didn't ask for that. Why would I look in my ear for a hair... I'm not old... I mean my dad didn't start using "Just For Men" hair color until he was old and he was... Oh Crap!
But let's top this off, shall we? Last night, I am rehearsing our band and choir for Sunday AM. After we're done, this freshmen in college sits at the piano and starts playing a little "Train", and if you don't know who that is then you're older than me. Well, no one knows what she's playing except for me. I'm feeling a little proud of myself. Not so old after all. (yes I know its just Train, shut up) but she looks at me and says, "how do you know who this is and Katie (another 19 year old) doesn't" In other words... you're old, why do you know music.
My response... i didn't have one, except to say, This album still holds up and Lenny can still rock better than most of these airy waif bands that come out today. As Lenny says, "it ain't over till it's over" and considering most of the good rock-n-roll out there is created and produced by people over 30, I ain't that worried.
Karl Marx wrote that "Religion is the opiate of the Masses". The critique, at least how this quote has been used, is that religion is an escapist drug that keeps people from dealing with reality. Religion is a drug that heightens our emotions but not our intellect or action. Now, I think that there are many arguments that could be made to the point that this is often how religion has been used, but is most assuredly not the intention of Christ to give birth to a movement of the disconnected. But before I get into that, the thing I wonder is if we realize how many other opiates there are in the world.
A friend of mine noted recently that (he being an avid watcher) ESPN was the opiate. I think there is some truth to this, I cannot say I am an EPSN consumer, but I do love entertainment. I, like many of my kind (extroverted, ADD, life lovers) have an inner Robin Williams that needs an occasional release. But how much entertainment do we need. The culture of entertainment (a huge part is people pleasing and a great theme summary is Singing in the Rain's Make'm Laugh segment) has drifted over into media and politics. I don't remember who said it, but some journalist said that our politicians demand to be treated like rock stars and our rock stars pretend to be politicians (as if I really want to get my news from Roving Reporter Sean, Please Take Me Seriously, Penn). All the while substance has drifted and turned into simply policy driven by emotionalism.
See, the world wants hope and purpose and when they can't find it they look for distraction, which soothes our fear. All the while those who seem to think they have the answer can't seem to get their solutions out so they make grand promises of hope with no substance. What they offer instead of hope is more entertainment. We find ourselves with a lack of real hope.
N.T. Wright wrote, "in the absence of real hope, all that is left is feelings. This brings me back to the original opiate. When the church ceases to exist on this plane, we cease to offer real hope. We have real hope in the incarnation of God, Jesus Christ, and in his resurrection. This doesn't mean that we sit around and wait for something to happen one day in some promise of a future "pie in the sky", but that we work in cooperation with Jesus Christ today. Too often the church tries to make our work either/or. But without the worship of God; the acknowledgment of his sovereignty, reality, and active presence in our lives today, we are left with social action alone, which can become a kind of idolatry. Likewise, if we proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ without actually living the good news, we are living a lie. When life is lived out as Christ taught and with the power of his resurrection and gift of his Holy Spirit is no opiate, but a life of transformation that calls us to action today. When people see this life lived; one of caring for the weak, tending to the sick, blessing those who curse us, laying down our lives for those around us, standing and speaking for those with no voice, then it will be easier for the world around to see that there is real hope in the Kingdom of God. They might then trade in the opium and get on to the business of living.
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