Re-post from last year - still listening and admiring Jackson Browne nailing it...
This amazing song from Jackson Browne is one of my fave Christmas pieces with so much truth and depth compared to other commercial stuff and what we sing in church. Verse two is really hard hitting linking 'Temple Trading' to both the church and environmental issues way back in the early nineties:
Ah, they call Him by the "Prince Of Peace"In the last verse he apologises for appearing to be judgemental (which I wonder if that's another sideswipe at the established church!) before closing the song with the fantastic proclamation:
And they call Him by "The Saviour"
And they pray to Him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
And they fill His churches with their pride and gold
As their faith in Him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worship in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus
So I bid you pleasure and I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus
P
3 comments:
Thanks, Banksy.
The verse about giving really speaks as well...yes, we give to those we love, but who doesn't? And we give a little to the poor "if the generosity should seize us".
Certainly there are many who do give to the poor (both of their money and of their lives) in the Church, but we who are a part of the Church need to be mindful of how those not necessarily in the Church view us. Because whereas we might concentrate on those who do help the poor, others see the rank-and-file...those who fill their churches (and lives) with "their pride and their gold."
Blessings to you this Christmas!
Steve (historyguy)
Just brilliant, 'A heathen and a Pagan on the side of the rebel Jesus' ...kind of sums me up really. Jackson Browne is one of my favourite songwriters, have you heard 'For A Dancer' by any chance? It never fails to raise the hair on the back of my neck each time I listen to it. Happy New Year.
Cheers Steve, thanks for 'getting' the song so succinctly...
Yes James, so love 'For a Dancer' too, just about to order another CD of his :-) Cheers for the brill book!
Best for 2011 guys
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