Very happy for you Sara!
Speaking of matters of faith and U2, here is a take on the U2 "Elevation" experience from a pastor. A friend of mine emailed me this about two months ago:
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Worshipleader.org: When God Shows Up Unexpectedly (7-16-2001)
Thanks to Andrea for the following:
When God Shows Up Unexpectedly
The Promise of Worship in Public Space
by randy l. rowland
I absolutely love to worship. Whether it is contemporary, contemplative or
somewhere in between, I just love to worship. As I have grown older, I
have
discovered that some of the worship experiences I have are unattended. I
remember climbing to the flying bridge of my boat one morning while at
anchor in
the Puget Sound and catching a spectacular view of the Olympic Mountains.
Just
taking in that breathtaking view made me break out in a few verses of the
hymn
"How Great Thou Art": "Oh Lord my God/ When I in awesome wonder/Consider
all
the
worlds thy hands hath made."
Some study days when I am preparing sermons, my prayers burst into a time
of
private worship wherein I profoundly encounter the presence of God and am
transformed eternally by the moments with Him. Maundy Thursday this year
turned
out to be one of those unexpected worship moments.
The church where I serve as lead pastor did not have a Maundy Thursday
service
planned. So, two of my staff colleagues, a church elder and several
friends
and
I made plans to attend the Elevation Tour concert featuring the rock band
U2. We
traveled south to the domed stadium expecting a really good show. What
transpired, however, was an unexpected worship experience.
We gathered. With the house lights up full, people filled the stadium and
began
to settle in. The stage was quite interesting. It was shaped like a heart
with a
large seating area for audience members in the middle. The stage area
itself
was
relatively simple. The simplicity caught my attention, especially since U2
had
been using high-tech and major props on previous tours. The four members
of
U2
met as school boys in Dublin. And, if my understanding is correct, one of
their
earliest recordings, entitled October, was nothing short of a praise and
worship
album.
Since those humble beginnings, U2 has become a major musical force. The
band's
lead singer and front man, Bono, has become known over the years as one to
add a
cavalcade of theatrics, costumes, video clips, etc. to their shows. But,
what I
was seeing this time was a possible return to something that expressed
more
of
the band's humble beginnings.
In the background, the preconcert selections featured uplifting themes
played to
set the "Elevation" tone for the night. From "I Want to Take You Higher"
by
1970s funk-rocker Sly Stone to Rita Coolidge's "Your Love Keeps on Lifting
Me
Higher," we heard song after song about the elevation of the human spirit.
Then,
without any fanfare, the band walked across the backstage area with the
houselights on, took the stage and began to play the tour theme, the song
"Elevation." It wasn't until part way through the opening song that the
lights
dimmed and the light show began.
As the concert progressed, I was struck by the arrangement of the songs in
the
set. The selections were very inviting. Bono and U2 guitarist, The Edge,
often
held up on vocals and let the audience sing the songs. They involved the
packed
dome audience like masterful worship leaders. As Bono got people singing
on
some
of the songs, he would adjure "unto the Almighty ... unto the Almighty"
not
unlike a worship leader urging the audience to "sing it to the Lord, now."
I
found myself singing the songs, very aware of God's gracious presence. At
times
during the concert, I found myself praying in the gaps between songs or
during
instrumentals.
When the concert was over, I realized that I had been involved in worship
even
though I hadn't really expected to worship. I hadn't been all that
conscious
of
what I was being caught up in, but there I was, worshiping the risen Lord
at
a
rock concert. I thought I was a freak, really, and sort of kept my
response
to
the U2 event quiet. A little later on, bolder souls than myself, who share
my
faith in Christ, began to related similar experiences from the concert.
A little further digging about U2 and their spiritual underpinnings and I
found
out that what I had experienced that night was the culmination of the
band's
longstanding desire to become rock 'n' roll missionaries. In a letter to
his
father before U2 had recorded their first album, Bono writes, "[God] gives
us
our strength and a joy that does not depend on drink or drugs. This
strength
will, I believe, be the quality that will take us to the top of the music
business. I hope our lives will be a testament to the people who follow
us,
and
to the music business where never before have so many lost and sorrowful
people
gathered in one place pretending they're having a good time. It is our
ambition
to make more than good music."
What strikes me is that the spiritual longings of our culture are so
strong
that
bands are now sensing the spiritual hunger and responding by creating
space
for
transcendence in their live concerts. Interviewed by legendary rock
magazine
Rolling Stone, U2's Bono said of the Elevation Tour, "it's more God and
less
Elvis."
Is the possibility of worship moving to rock arenas? Is it possible that
venues
and performers that have traditionally aroused a baser side of humanity
are
now
exploring ways to connect their audiences with God? If not, then it was a
great
and unexpected night of worship at the U2 concert. But if so, then we
should
prepare for another spiritual awakening. WL
Randy L. Rowland is pastor of Church at the Center
I thought this was really amazing.
Tania
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I can't even say the word Achhhhhtung Baby"--Larry
I sure need a bunch of kleenex cause my tears keeps falling...
