The British band Mumford & Sons has a unique folk rock sound and their album "Sigh No More" has grown in popularity worldwide. The thing that caught my attention is that the majority of their songs are laced with Christian ideas such as grace. I am not sure if the members of the band are Christians but their lyrics seem influenced by Christian thought.
The song Roll Away Your Stone seems to portray someone who is looking into their own heart and mind and evaluating where their priorities lie. If you read the lyrics that follow you will see references to one's soul and heart. In class we have talked about how the immaterial man is made up of a soul, spirit, heart, mind and conscience. I believe this song is an attempt by the artist at evaluating the condition of his own immaterial self. The song describes all that the individual sees as being dominated by darkness. Yet through grace they can receive a restart that will change their heart. Although in the end they still seem apprehensive about the position of their soul.
Roll away your stone, I'll roll away mine
Together we can see what we will find
Don't leave me alone at this time
For I am afraid of what I will discover inside
Cause you told me that I would find a hole
Within the fragile substance of my soul
And I have filled this void with things unreal
And all the while my character it steals
Darkness is a harsh term don't you think?
And yet it dominates the things I see
It seems that all my bridges have been burnt
But you say that's exactly how this grace thing works
It's not the long walk home that will change this heart
But the welcome I receive with the restart
Darkness is a harsh term don't you think?
And yet it dominates the things I see
Darkness is a harsh term don't you think?
And yet it dominates the things I've seen
Stars hide your fires
These here are my desires
And I won't give them up to you this time around
And so I'll be found
With my stake stuck in the ground
Marking the territory of this newly impassioned soul
But you, you've gone too far this time
You have neither reason nor rhyme
With which to take this soul that is so rightfully mine
I believe this song illustrates what a lot of us see when we truly evaluate our immaterial being. We end up being overwhelmed by the the darkness that we see in ourselves. Our minds are dominated with selfish and evil desires. However God does offer us grace and gives us the chance to change our hearts and start a new life. Through faith in God we can bring light into our immaterial being and be able to entrust him with our soul. Jesus says in John 8:12 that “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” We do not have to be dominated by darkness. I appreciate how the song refers to a newly impassioned soul. Through Jesus Christ we can have a newly impassioned soul.
What an inspiring post. I love this band and their folky sounds draw me back to my time spent in Ireland. What I think is so interesting about this song and so many other secular songs is that man is painfully aware that he or she has an immaterial side, and painfully aware that something is not right. Maybe it is too scary for people to look inside, to scary to feel the emotions, so they don't (and as Dr. Corsini said today, that is not a good thing). It only makes me realize that the people we interact with in our personal and professional lives are so much closer to God than we think. God is preparing them. Our job is clear, follow the Spirits leading and be willing to go with someone into the dark parts of their soul where they are afraid to go alone. "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (NIV)
ReplyDeleteMatthew, thank you for posting this! I enjoy listening to this band, and although they deny being a Christian band, they do explain that want to explore dilemmas that everyone deals with in life, such as faith in their music. I agree with Noel in connecting I Corinthians 2:4-5, and that many people may be painfully aware that something is not right inside of them. It makes me wonder how many non-believers are seeking a "high power" without being aware that their immaterial self is crying out. How often does their thirst go quenched? I believe this will be very evident to us when working with our clients. Many people will be seeking help for issues in their personal lives when really it is an internal issue they are struggling with. Matthew 5:6 says "
ReplyDeleteBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled". I pray we will be able to make ourselves available for God to use in our client's lives when they are seeking help in Him.
I too am a fan of Mumford and Sons. The lyrics are really compelling in that you can observe that they fear vulnerability by exposing what is in their hearts. I see that they are aware of the immaterial person, but whether they attribute the void in their souls to Jesus or to being temporarily filled is another question.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Noel and Rachel that this kind of thinking is more common in non-believers and that the void cannot be filled through earthly measures. Psalm 91:14-16 is a passage containing the truth that God will save and satisfy the one who calls to Him for a refuge. Satisfy in this context means to be filled, have one's needs fulfilled, or to be in excess.
It would be so interesting to know what kind of experiences they have had with Christianity or religion in general to think this way. Thanks for posting Matt!