DON'T MAKE ME STOP MY SONG

I remember going to visit a friend of mine at Franklin Marshall College back in the 1970s.  They were having their annual Spring Festival with lots of activities and a keg on every corner.  Janis Ian was their star performer and she was to give an outside concert on the lawn in the early evening.  A loud crowd gathered with eats and drinks in hand and waiting to be entertained.  She began playing and singing which added great background music to a lot of chatter and noise of the crowd.  After she had sung a song or two she stopped and spoke clearly into the mike at full volume, “If you don’t shut the

F….up, I’m going to pack up and leave.”  Suddenly there was a hush over the crowd; you could have heard a pin drop.  She said, “Thank you.  I have some pretty good stuff here and I want you to listen.”  She proceeded and put on an awesome concert.  Needless to say, I was impressed enough to remember it over forty years later.

These days the crowds of God’s people are loud and noisy.  Discussions revolve around what is happening to religion, where did it go wrong, and what should we do about it.  It seems like God is in the background trying to have His say but we’re just going on and on trying to do what we feel we should be doing. I wonder if God, at some point in time, will stop His song and say the same thing that Janis said; only without the F word.

He did it once, with a smaller crowd; three guys on the top of a mountain.  They saw a miraculous transfiguration and Peter started running around talking, even though he didn’t know what he was saying, making plans for setting up tents and chairs.  God stopped him and clearly said, “This is my Son, listen to him.”  And they did.  But now days there is a lot more people making plans and a lot more chatter; He may have to stop His Song and yell into the mike to get our attention; “I have some pretty good stuff here and I want you to listen.”