• God is a DJ

    May 31, 2008

    I imagine this may have already been discussed by the likes of Johnny Baker and others but I have been a bit of a fan of Faithless since I saw them once in concert. We scored a copy their album with this song on it and while I have added it to my rotation in my iPod, my wife is not too keen on it. But this particular song, God is a DJ has intrigued me since then. So, I have often thought about it’s meaning. Before I go any further, here’s the video.

    And here are the lyrics….

    This is my church
    This is where I heal my hurts
    It’s a natural grace
    Of watching young life shape
    It’s in minor keys
    Solutions and remedies
    Enemies becoming friends
    When bitterness ends
    This is my church (x3)
    This is my church
    This is where I heal my hurts
    It’s in the world I become
    Contained in the hum
    Between voice and drum
    It’s in the change
    The poetic justice of cause and effect
    Respect, love, compassion
    This is my church
    This is where I heal my hurts
    For tonight
    God is a DJ
    God is a DJ
    This is my church (x3)

    I have been doing a lot of reading lately about what forms the church is taking around the world, and in particular I am almost finished and really enjoying Tom Sine’s The New Conspirators. So, I know there is a lot of discussion taking place on the net and in pubs, cafes and living rooms. What I find interesting is that this song, penned in 1998, was already echoing what was to come. I know many folk, including myself, who long for a place where they can heal their hurts and become part of a greater a family of God.

    Ok, I am not being too romantic here as I worked in nightclubs once upon a time and know that many folk just enjoy the music, in particular the beat, while “enjoying” a chemical enhancement that they could miss the deep theological implications in the song. However, I would also argue that this song aptly describes the clubbing/dance scene in the late 90’s that I saw. I am getting too old and have not been to a club of any sort for well over a decade now, so I would hesitate to comment on todays clubs.

    Many saw the DJ as a God-like figure leading them on, but it is the lyrics about healing hurts, respect, love, compassion that were more evident in night clubs than they were in the churches I attended in those days! Yes, it was a third place for many, and yes, the drugs helped, but I would argue that communitas actually existed for many of those folks, albeit a very limited and shallow version.

    But really, is not God a DJ, providing a rhythm for our life? Ok, God doesn’t appear with headphones on, head down, bobbing to the beat, but He created so many natural rhythms that ARE life, as well as biblical rhythms for our lives. Natural rhythms include the seasons, waves, orbits, heart beats, and many, many more! Biblical rhythms would include some of the commandments in the OT for Jubilee and managing the land, to many NT ones describing our lives, marriage, children etc but the growth we experience, or rather should experience when we follow Jesus.

    In the New Conspirators, Tom Sine, writes about how the church in the British Isles was community-based rather than individualistic. He then asks,

    “I am persuaded that a biblical view of the church is really a call to become part of a new family that transcends, race, class and even biology. It is a family where we corporately worship the triune God and sit down to table with that great community. It is a family deeply rooted in an ancient story and a future hope where we nurture our life and faith together. It is a family where we take time to be know, loved and challenged to follow Christ into a more radical whole-life faith. It is also a family where we generously share our lives and resources with one another and with those in need. It is a family who is called to place God’s mission purposes at the very center of our lives and communities of faith, focusing outward and giving primacy to addressing the needs of others.”

    Wow. Almost sounds like the Faithless song that I began with above. Read the quote again, in particularly the first few sentences in light of the God is a DJ lyrics.

    I didn’t mention that Faithless also have a song called “Hem of his Garment” on the same album as God is a DJ - Sunday 8pm.

    God is a DJ.

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