Thinking Sermon: Away from the Sun
Posted on May 4th, 2009 by James
I am working with the video for the song Away from the Sun by 3 Doors Down. I see in the weight we carry, that we yearn to be released from in our lives. I am wondering about the yearnings we all feel for something more, yearning to move beyond the heaviness that sometimes pulls us down.
There are many images in the Bible about darkness and light, about pushing forward. I am working to determine what would be the most powerful and healing images about light, striving after the light, that will bring the issues to light…
I belive that you Are correct about the song but I think that you could be alittle more detailed about what you think about the song so think about that the next time you blog.
I love this song and the imagery that the video holds. I wonder too if sometimes we are not only struggling against the burdens we place upon ourselves (the struggle with sin, temptation, and misplaced priorities) but also against the burden that we did not choose to carry. Sometimes we find ourselves the only advocate for someone we may not even want to play that role for or we open our mouth and end up with a project we don’t want to fight to bring to life or we just get stuck with someone or something we have to see through with some challenges along the way. I saw people in this video being terrible and the truth is sometimes we are those people throwing stones and fighting against people trying to carry their burdens up an impossible hill. Sometimes we know it and sometimes we don’t. We could see his weight, but we cannot always see the weight that others carry and it is a reminder to be kind, considerate, and to not assume that others have lighter burdens to carry than our own. Sometimes we are aware and we sit by and watch as some in this video did, numb or otherwise feeling helpless to stop the onslaught. We do this when we stand by silently as people do horrible things to people everyday in our lives and in the world. In any case, this boy could have made it up the hill if those people watching had helped him instead of pushing him down. We were given that gift by Jesus on that hill so long ago. He was helped in carrying his cross (which was really ours) along the way, but He died so that we would not have such great burdens to carry and hold us back. Who knows what is at the top of the hill, closer to the sun (a pun maybe?).
I haven’t slept much in days so maybe I am seeing things in my delusion, but that is what I see in this song…tons of potential here, good choice.
I can see this message going several ways:
1) This guy in the video never gives up. I could easily see a perseverance sermon about hanging in there no matter what, an “encouraging” sermon (encouragement/exhortation is one of my gifts). There are a number of Bible materials about never giving up.
2) I could easily talk about evil and the sources of evil in this world, often times those sources are people and negative choices they make.
3) My original thought when I was listening and watching this song was about the struggles we have and the load that each of us carries, about the hope of sun to light the way.
I haven’t had a chance to digest Erika’s thoughts but the struggling to carry our burdens… that is something we all can identify with.
Maybe we all feel this way this week. No sun and trying hard to get to the top. That weight holding us back. Looking up at someone beckoning us. Someone in our face.
Matt. 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matt. 11:29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matt. 11:30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”