John Jessee
A little over one year ago I moved to Indianapolis in order to find a job, form a new life for my family of five after leaving the security of the military, and to be closer to my wife’s family. I knew that we would be attending a church that my wife was a member of before we met and to be honest, I was a little reserved about this group.
I attended this church one time, long ago, and remembered the shocking rituals that they engaged in. Oftentimes during worship, the church members would, without mention from any leader of the church, drop to their knees, clap, sing out about how much they loved God (with no powerpoint presentation to explain to them what they should say) or even raise one or both hands in praise. It is rather needless of me to state that my background in much more stoic environs (Church of Christ, old school Methodist, and Southern Baptist) did not allow me to feel right at home. I was determined, however, to give it another shot as Indianapolis would be my home, and I knew that this group of bohemian believers at least sought God, which is something that you don’t see in every congregation.
There are two main things that I look for in any service: is the Word of God being preached unapologetically, and is the worship service a time for musicians to show off or a time to seek God? Over time I have become convinced that both items have been fully satisfied by this church and, as an added bonus, I have met many members of the church who earnestly seek God rather than assuming that’s what they pay the pastors for. As a bonus, I found out that this church was the home to members of a band by the name of 1000 Generations.
Fast forward to October 3, 2009. I have just returned from my first, full fledged concert of 1000 Generations. I have seen enough of the band through interaction at the church to know that it would be a professional show and that there would be a good amount of energy. I was not let down. In fact, the concert began with an unveiling of their new video for the song “Fail Us Not” (www.failusnot.com) which set the tone of the concert very distinctly to the message that God is faithful and can be trusted, and that He can heal you of any hurt. After this, the concert went on to include several high powered songs such as “Let This Be Not of Our Hands”, “Fascinated”, and several other meaty songs (“Bring Me Down” should not be missed) along with a great rendition of “When Love Came to Town” in which Steven got to show off some amazing piano skills and Amanda complimented him with a beautiful bluesy soul in her voice . Not to be forgotten in the least Lorin, the drummer of the band, and Alain, the bassist, kept an incredibly tight rhythm throughout the entire concert, displaying some great mastery of their chosen instruments.
Many groups can give loud concerts that leave your ears ringing, a few can even showcase the talent of each member of the band. So what made me want to inaugurate a blog after returning from this show? I can assure you that, though I share a church with these talented individuals, this had very little bearing on my choice. I do not make it a practice to push another person’s agenda or to pat someone’s back in the hopes of future reward. I decided to write about 1000 Generations for a much more personal reason.
During the video you are welcomed into the lives of each member of the band as well as several other people. They do not showcase their pretty family as a cheap chance to show how well they have it together. On the contrary, you see the hurt of each person without apology and without masks. It is this willingness to show pain that moved me, both during the video and particularly during the concert. This bald reality that they presented is something truly unique in the entertainment world. Their reality? They love God desperately, they are broken, just like every other person that walks on this earth, they are in the process of God’s healing, and they want to get just a little more undignified for the sake of God.
Dignified.
It’s a word that has followed me with an air of pride throughout my life. I may not possess stunning good looks, I may not be rich, I may not be a fearless warrior on the modern field of sport, but at least I am dignified. I do not show my emotions, I do not dance, I do not raise my hands, drop to my knees, weep like a broken child, or dance like a four year old that’s up three hours past his bedtime and had four times too much candy for one evening. These are all things that God has asked His children to be willing to do, however. Steven (ostensibly the front person of the band) spoke tonight about how King David was willing to make a royal idiot of himself, much to the embarrassment of his dignified wife. When reproached on this subject his response was “I LOVE God and He chose me to do His will! I will take joy in my Lord whether you approve or not. I only hope I can make a bigger idiot of myself for His sake”. See John’s Authorized Version or the JAV for the appropriate text. Or if you prefer, you may find it under 2 Samuel 6:21-22.
So what does a loony Jewish King and a bunch of budding rock stars (trust me, this band’s star is rising and it’s fun to watch) have to do with my dignity? My dignity is a front. It is a method to show everyone how horribly intelligent, rational, and well put together I am. The truth of the matter is that I have met a countless amount of greasy mechanics, day laborers, and other “undignified” people in my lifetime that can outwit me any day of the week. Perhaps it’s time to drop the veneer and admit that, I too am broken. Perhaps that is what God really wants from us. Maybe He’s much less interested in how you dress during church, what type of car you drive and whether it has a Jesus fish on it or not. Perhaps He simply wants us to be real, genuine, loving, undignified followers that are willing to talk about our fears, addictions, and failings if it will help someone else. Maybe He doesn’t want us to be so dignified that we won’t talk about our Father because we’re afraid we may not “win the argument” or “speak it eloquently enough”. These other dignities that we hold so high in this world, that I am so guilty of holding so high, are nothing more than what it may take to gain the favor of your fellow man, to be accepted, and to be told you’re not a failure.
So it remains that, if I trust God when He tells me that all have fallen short of His glory, than I must admit my failure. If I admit this, than by what right and what pretense do I have to retain this air of conceit and false dignity? The answer is of course that I have none.
With that I say, thank you Steven, Amanda, Alain, and Lorin for a great show! Thank you for reminding me that vulnerability is a wonderful, Holy thing. Thank you for teaching me the beauty of having no dignity. Mostly, thank you for being God’s messenger and doing what His will is for your life. The message was needed. The concert was outstanding.
