A Song I Like
Teacher Council Meeting last Sunday reminded me of a song I like and have replayed every day this week. My ward’s Sunday school president played a segment from a 1998 talk by Elder Jeff Holland, “A Teacher Come from God.” including this retelling of Jeremiah chapter 20:
Angry that he had been so mistreated and maligned, Jeremiah vowed, in effect, never to teach another lesson, whether that be to an investigator, Primary child, new convert, or—heaven forbid—the 15-year-olds. “I will not make mention of [the Lord], nor speak any more in his name,” the discouraged prophet said. But then came the turning point of Jeremiah’s life. Something had been happening with every testimony he had borne, every scripture he had read, every truth he had taught. Something had been happening that he hadn’t counted on. Even as he vowed to close his mouth and walk away from the Lord’s work, he found that he could not. Why? Because “his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”
I was not familiar with this passage, but since last summer I have enjoyed listening to the Killers’ “Fire in Bone.” Should I be embarrassed that a rock musician is more familiar with Jeremiah than I am? Well, I am glad he shared his familiarity. The musical style of the song will not be to all tastes. A very favorable album reviewer considered this song Imploding the Mirage‘s “only off-putting track.” I did not love this song the first time I listened, but it grew on me and became a favorite. The Jeremiah verses are combined with a chorus that is the redemption of the Prodigal Son sung in first person by the Prodigal. Give the song a try, then give it another try a couple days later. Maybe you will feel the joy of it too and wonder if this is how Jesus told the parable and how his hearers felt.
Next week I will try to share in this space another song from Imploding the Mirage that I like even more.
E.C.
April 28, 2021
As I’ve studied, I’ve come to think that once a prophet is called, they can’t stop testifying. Jeremiah’s fire in the bones, Jonah’s brush with Sheol in the belly of the great fish and subsequent mission to Nineveh, Mormon’s recanting of his oath to shut his mouth – they all point to an idea: once truth is known, it cannot be kept inside oneself forever. Truth must be shared to increase, even if the sharing causes the truth-bearer to be persecuted.
John Mansfield
April 29, 2021
Continuing that idea, E.C., there are no secret disciples. Followers of Christ, if they really are, are known at large to be his followers. If others are largely ignorant of that about us, it shows that our discipleship is lacking. The exceptions to this rule are exceptions.
G.
April 29, 2021
That is good.