Tuesday Tunes

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.  Matthew 25:13

I love Tuesday’s!  That’s the day students file in, find a seat and get ready for “Tuesday Tunes”!  The process is very simple and I’m amazed each week at how something so simple can be so fun and powerful.  After I play a song we talk about what God might be speaking to us through the lyrics.  I’m always amazed at the way some kids react and respond.  I’m continually surprised at how the same set of words can mean something so different to each of them; and the way some of them dig half-way to China and grab a deep nugget of wisdom and insight never ceases to amaze me!

Last Tuesday I played a song called Born In Me by Francesca Battestelli.  If you haven’t heard it make sure you head over to YouTube when you’re done reading to check it out; it’s an incredible song. When the song finished there was just silence in all four classes.  They were thinking and studying the image of the Baby Jesus at the end of the song.  It was pretty amazing to see a room full of middle lovelies just entranced by a song.  There was a line in the song that said “I will hold you in the beginning and you’ll hold me in the end.”  Several said that was Mary talking simply saying Mary held Jesus when he was a baby and then Jesus will hold her in his arms when she comes to heaven.  One dug really deep and said he thought it was God speaking to us saying “I held you in my hands and made you in my image as I created you and after you have lived your life well on earth, you will return to me and I will hold you again.”  May I remind you this child was 12!  Amazing! 

Another line they found powerful was the line that said “I’ll make my heart your Bethlehem”   What a beautiful thought!  A few of the middle lovelies were sure that meant that Jesus came to Bethlehem the first Christmas but as he finished his life on earth we simply celebrate his return to our hearts each Christmas. Beautiful…and then another one said; “We have to work really hard to make sure our heart is pure, clean and wide open because if our heart is to be his home, we don’t want him to find there is no room at the inn again!”

The kids picked up on the line that said, “If You’re pleased with me why am I so terrified?” I loved the thoughts on this line.  There were the obvious ones like, she was afraid of what her Joseph, her parents and family would say and she was afraid of the unknown.  But then it happened…someone went in a direction I’d never considered and said, “I think Mary was terrified because she wanted to make sure she could protect God’s son.  I can’t always protect my iPod and my cat; I can’t imagine how scared I would be to be in charge of Jesus! I just think she was afraid to disappoint God because disappointing your parents is really a bad feeling.”

The last line that really struck them said “The only thing my heart can offer is a vacancy.”  One class fell silent when a very humble and honest young man said, “I don’t even think I can offer that most of the time.  I spend too much time being selfish, playing and doing what I want to that I don’t think there is enough room in my heart for Jesus.”  Holy Cow!  I think he spoke for all of us and opened the door for amazing discussion on the ways we can use the last days of Advent to make sure our heart can offer a vacancy to the Newborn King. 

It was more powerful than you average Tuesday that’s for sure!  If you’re looking for a new way to sit in quiet prayer you might try a Tuesday Tune of your own…on any day you like.  Just play it and see what lines hit your heart and then spend some prayerful minutes just pondering the words and the message.

A Seed To Plant:  Find Born In Me and give it a prayerful listen.

Blessings on your day!