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More than rainbows and butterfl ies


Give children permission to lament by Mark Burrows


I’m in-right, outright, upright, downright happy all the time. I’m in-right, outright, upright, downright happy all the time. Since Jesus Christ came in and cleansed my heart from sin, I’m in-right, outright, upright, downright happy all the time.


A


m I the only one who fi nds this song a little unhealthy, unnatural, and maybe even a tad creepy? Okay, I know Jesus is my Savior. I know I belong to a loving, all-powerful God. Yet there are times when I still feel frightened, angry, confused, sad, and alone. Does this mean I have a weak


faith? If I truly read and believe what’s in the Bible, shouldn’t I be happy ALL the time? Well, that depends. Are we


talking only about the parts of the Bible we usually encounter in wor- ship and Sunday school – Scripture that wraps up with a bow like a predictable romantic comedy? Sure, we can handle some twists and turns along the way because we know everything works out in the end. Now, is that the whole Bible? Let’s turn to the Psalms. Psalms, the great iPod of our


faith, is loaded with 150 amaz- ing songs. But how many do we really listen to? Most of us go to our favorites – 23, T e Lord Is My Shepherd; 100, Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord; 121, I Liſt My Eyes to the Hills. We hear words of comfort, praise, and thanksgiving. (I did a google search, and there are approximately a ZILLION mu- sical settings of Psalm 100.) What if we were to put this


iPod on “shuffl e”? We would hear songs that question authority and songs that cry for vengeance. We would hear words of anger and pain and sorrow. We would hear


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January-February 2014 • WorshipArts • www.UMFellowship.org


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