Holy and Anointed One (opinions please)

[Kranke Krokodil]

What do you all think of this song? The worship leader at my church wants to use it this Sunday. I can't put my finger on it, but for some reason the lyrics have a certain "ick" factor to me. I think it's the part about honey on the lips. It almost sounds like a song to a lover, not to the Lord...

"Jesus, Jesus
Holy and anointed One, Jesus
Jesus, Jesus
Risen and exalted One, Jesus

Your name is like honey on my lips
Your Spirit like water to my soul
Your Word is a lamp unto my feet
Jesus, I love You, I love You"

 

[RadMan]

Well it's because many songs now days aren't about baby Jesus but Jesus, baby.

 

[DaRev]

What do you all think of this song? The worship leader at my church wants to use it this Sunday. I can't put my finger on it, but for some reason the lyrics have a certain "ick" factor to me. I think it's the part about honey on the lips. It almost sounds like a song to a lover, not to the Lord...

"Jesus, Jesus
Holy and anointed One, Jesus
Jesus, Jesus
Risen and exalted One, Jesus

Your name is like honey on my lips
Your Spirit like water to my soul
Your Word is a lamp unto my feet
Jesus, I love You, I love You"

While the author may have been alluding to Psalm 119:103, take a look a Song of Solomon 4:11. There's your "ick factor".

Well it's because many songs now days aren't about baby Jesus but Jesus, baby.

Sadly, this is true in many ways.

 

[TheCosmicGospel]

Look at how I love Jesus!

How we love Jesus pails in any comparison to how much He loves us. Our love is conditioned. Look at the "feed my sheep" exchange in John. Peter won't admit to loving Jesus as well as he is supposed to. Who can? But the singers in this song imagine, hey, they are pretty darn close.

It takes their eye off Jesus and puts it on themself. Bad theology. Our theology is a theology of the cross. Our songs and hyms should also reflect this.

Once you see your position as a sinner before God, it is hard to swallow this malarky. It just shows how little they understand the "Holy and Annointed One" in the first place when they place their love for Him on the same level as His.

Peace,

Cos

 

[Tangible]

I've seen this kind of thing before. There is a trend in the contemporary worship movement to readily accept any music - even from groups with highly questionable theology - as long as the music sounds good and the lyrics don't say anything too weird on the surface.

I think if you check the source of this song you will probably find that it comes from a Vineyard background or similar charismatic group. Vineyard in particular have been pushing this way-overblown interpretation of the Song of Solomon that envisions a practically sexual romantic relationship between the Bride (the Church) and the Bridegroom (Christ). Mike Bickle, KC Prophets, Metro Vineyard kinda stuff. They have a huge influence in contemporary worship music circles.

Best to steer clear.

[EDIT]

I couldn't turn up any info on the song's writer, John Barnett, but I found this about his wife Marie who also is a worship music writer.

http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/artistdetail.php?artist_id=2734

She doesn"t consider herself a worship songwriter, yet it was a song that she penned in 1995 that made Marie Barnett a household name in the worship community. The wife of well-known worship leader and songwriter John Barnett, Marie has been involved in the modern worship movement from its infancy, singing and leading worship at numerous churches and conferences over the years as well as singing at her local church. It was during one of those local church worship sets that the song "Breathe" was born.

"We had been singing 'Isn't He' by John Wimber, Marie remembers, "and my husband continued to play. I was so enthralled with Jesus at that moment, thinking I could never live, I could never even take a breath if I didn't have a word from Him every day. And so I heard those words - "this is the air I breathe, this is my daily bread" - and I started singing them."

From WP - John Richard Wimber (February 25, 1934 - November 17, 1997) was a charismatic pastor and one of the founding leaders of the Vineyard Movement.

http://www.larknews.com/april_2003/secondary_exclusive.php?header=header&page=walmart_cd

ANAHEIM — The latest Vineyard Music worship CD, "Intimacy, vol. 2," has raced to the top of the Christian sales charts, but Wal-Mart is refusing to stock the album without slapping on a parental warning sticker. The ground-breaking — some say risqué — album includes edgy worship songs such as "My Lover, My God," "Touch Me All Over," "Naked Before You," "I'll Do Anything You Want," "Deeper" and "You Make Me Hot with Desire."

"We've had concerns about previous Vineyard CD's, but this time they went overboard in their suggestive imagery depicting the church's love affair with Christ," said a Wal-Mart spokesman. "It would be irresponsible to sell this to 13-year-old kids."

A Vineyard Music Group (VMG) spokesman defended the album. "We felt this was the next logical step in furthering people's intimacy with the Lord, as the title implies," said Sam Haverley, director of VMG public relations. "People aren't content with yesterday's level of closeness. They want something more. We feel this album gives them that."

Wal-Mart represents a third of all CD sales, which has forced VMG to try to negotiate a deal. VMG proposed adding a heart-shaped warning sticker rather than the black-and-white label more often seen on raunchy rap albums, but Wal-Mart refused. VMG is considering issuing a censored version of the album.

"If Christians want to make R- or X-rated music, that's up to them," said a Wal-Mart spokesman, "but we don't have to carry it."

What a wonderful witness for Christ.

And it's so sad that so many people are chasing after the next level, and the next level, and the next in their emotional roller-coaster "spiritual" life. It's never quite enough.

This is simply the logical and expected outcome of attempting to use emotional experiences as a means of grace.

 

[Whitta]

While the author may have been alluding to Psalm 119:103, take a look a Song of Solomon 4:11. There's your "ick factor".

I'm sorry, but I don't see this connection. I think you may be reading their theology into the words. I personally don't see anything wrong with this song. I admit the honey on my lips part is a bit odd, but necessarily icky. Probably just trying to fit Psalm 119 in as it may have been a verse they wanted to use.

I know this is usually a point of contention in the LCMS, but I don't see a problem with it. The post about the theology of the cross, while correct in some ways, demands that all our songs fit certain parameters. Why can't this be a song about expressing ones joy for Jesus?

 

[actionsub]

Lark News dot com
ANAHEIM — The latest Vineyard Music worship CD, "Intimacy, vol. 2," has raced to the top of the Christian sales charts, but Wal-Mart is refusing to stock the album without slapping on a parental warning sticker. The ground-breaking — some say risqué — album includes edgy worship songs such as "My Lover, My God," "Touch Me All Over," "Naked Before You," "I'll Do Anything You Want," "Deeper" and "You Make Me Hot with Desire."

"We've had concerns about previous Vineyard CD's, but this time they went overboard in their suggestive imagery depicting the church's love affair with Christ," said a Wal-Mart spokesman. "It would be irresponsible to sell this to 13-year-old kids."

A Vineyard Music Group (VMG) spokesman defended the album. "We felt this was the next logical step in furthering people's intimacy with the Lord, as the title implies," said Sam Haverley, director of VMG public relations. "People aren't content with yesterday's level of closeness. They want something more. We feel this album gives them that."

Wal-Mart represents a third of all CD sales, which has forced VMG to try to negotiate a deal. VMG proposed adding a heart-shaped warning sticker rather than the black-and-white label more often seen on raunchy rap albums, but Wal-Mart refused. VMG is considering issuing a censored version of the album.

"If Christians want to make R- or X-rated music, that's up to them," said a Wal-Mart spokesman, "but we don't have to carry it."

What a wonderful witness for Christ.

And it's so sad that so many people are chasing after the next level, and the next level, and the next in their emotional roller-coaster "spiritual" life. It's never quite enough.

This is simply the logical and expected outcome of attempting to use emotional experiences as a means of grace.

While your critique of much of modern praise music is on target...Lark News is a comedy site that spoofs trends in contemporary Christianity. The article you cite here is literally a joke.

 

[RadMan]

Lark News can do massive damage since impressionistic kids/adults read their "stuff". Some people think it's gospel truth. Thousands of people don't know it's a comedy spoof since the disclaimer is buried in the site.





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[Tangible]

While your critique of much of modern praise music is on target...Lark News is a comedy site that spoofs trends in contemporary Christianity. The article you cite here is literally a joke.

Well, crud.