Recently, I heard a song by Kesha (Ke$ha to close friends and millions of fans) that sounded familiar. I was only half listening, really, when I heard a line about glitter being on the floor or some such nonsense. The line caught my attention because I recalled hearing another song of hers about glitter. Was it the same song?
It turns out Kesha has three songs out now on mainstream, Top 40 stations in which she sings about glitter. Yes, glitter. The rest of her lyrics are just as inane as other artists, singing about clubs and dancing and her experiences with alcohol.
Why does she sing about glitter all the time? Does she really miss 4th grade art class that much?
Glitter is one of Kesha's trademarks, one of the things she is known for. When she's not singing about it she's usually wearing it or watching it fall from the sky in her videos.
Believe it or not, Kesha made me think of Jesus. It's true. Well, Jesus and the Church.
As the Church, what are we known for? What do people think of when they hear "Christian" or "Church"? I imagine you would hear different answers from each person you asked.
Many people see the extreme voices on television, the hate, the book-burning and that is all they see. Others may have had a bad experience as children where their questions weren't welcomed or their gifts not encouraged, and they don't want to go back to church.
I have been thinking a lot about how the Church (capital C) and individual congregations go about changing what we are known for.
Most churches do not have international media attention, thank goodness. But, all congregations have neighbors and communities. What if we reach out to our communities in service and actually care about how they are doing? What if we give without counting the cost or lay down our lives for those who don't even notice?
I actually see Christians do this every day. It is a privilege to work alongside such committed volunteers and servants.
My lesson from Kesha is that you don't have to be radically different from everyone else. Just do one thing that's your signature and do it consistently. Too bad glitter is already taken.
Some thoughts to ponder:
What if Starbucks marketed like a church?
Lord, save us from your followers
The Simple Way