Gospel Music

Every generation throughout history tends to think that their days
were the best,that is why you will hear them saying " the kids of
these days don't do this,they no long greet,they don't dress well,they
don't do that " you know, Fagil Mandy says some kids don't even know how to walk..
It is just a human nature to admire the past days.However horrible or
difficult they might have been,we will always dig deep down and
remember some of the good moments we experienced.In the bible,we read
that the Israelite while slaves in Egypt,were mistreated by their
masters the Egyptians leaving them with no choice but a severe
miserable life.But even after God miraculously delivered them out of
that bondage,once in a while they wished they had stayed in Egypt
(Exodus 14:11-12).So sometimes it is just hard for us to do away with
our past,we will keep comparing it with whatever goes on in the
present and normally ,in our judgment the past appears to be better.I
mean the kind of food we used to have,the games,the culture,the
music,the list is endless.So recently I have been thinking about our
so called 'gospel' music and I kept wondering ,really what happened to
our music ? The gospel music I grew up eagerly listening to is so
different from what I less eagerly listen to now.Yes the technology
has changed and now we have better productions but I hate to say the
message or lyrics to put it in musical terms has changed from good to
worse .I am not a theologian but remembering what my dear pastor
taught me in that simple church with the most humble people I ever
met,he said the word gospel means Good news,good tidings and I grew
up knowing gospel refers to the good news of Jesus Christ,a message
that points people to God.
As a kid in Sunday school,we used to sing songs that talked more about
heaven than earth.Omubbi talinya ku gali ya yesu,Omuyaye talinya ku
gali ya yesu ( a thief can't go on to Jesus' train,.....)
Amanyi gange gava mu Yesu,wendiva wano amazima silisibula,ewaffe
siwano amazi ewaffe mugulu.(my strength comes from the lord,when I
leave here I won't say good bye,here is not our home,our home is
heaven ) .
we had artists like Fiona mukasa,oh mai,you would hear her songs
everywhere on every occasion ,wedding parties,funerals, church, every
where,they were songs that would get you thinking on nothing else but
God who is in heaven where we knew was our home after here.we had
Betty Namaganda,Robert Ssenyonga,Kirwana mark Africa,Pr George Okudi, l
, limit X.....etc.I don't get to hear these voices any more,the kind of songs
that kept us focused seeing ourselves as sojourners,pilgrims,travelers
reminding us that life on earth is not the end but a transition into
eternity.
Today the Church of christ has been attacked by evil spirits of
individualism and materialism.Today most people are focused on
themselves and what possessions they can gather for themselves.I think
we should not blame them for thinking that way because it is what they
have been taught by their spiritual leaders.Today most ministers
emphasize material gains than a sound relationship with God,telling
people to give offertory so as to receive later,the world is built on
the principal of getting more as you you can but God's way is built on
giving more to him.
You see they say what goes in must come out,if it is individualism
that has been sown in their ears,there is no doubt the same should
come out through the songs they compose because music is an expression
of what is on the inside,what you believe.Most ' gospel ' songs I hear
these days are personal testimonies of how one was poor but now they
are rich,of how they were in the village and now they are in town as
if village is a bad place to be in.Whatever they sing most of it is
about I,I,I ....and earthly possessions .You see musicians are leaders
who influence a great following ,so this kind of music has made us to
get so attached to this world,paying very little attention to God's
purpose for our lives.Whereas we sing about God and Jesus,we believe
and trust him in the context of ' Using Him ' to fulfill our self made
purposes of establishing ourselves on earth with many titles and
wealth instead of surrendering ourselves to him so He can ' use us '.
Some of us after we have used God to gain whatever we wanted to get,on
the last day of our transition to eternity we will find out we have
been running very fast but in the wrong direction .God will just ask
us a question we have heard several times, for what profit is it to a
man ,if he will gain the whole world but lose his own soul ?
Jesus said " I am the way, the truth and the life.No one comes to the
father except through me." so we really need that money,man with money
life can be very nice on earth,we need that house of our own so we
should stop worrying about our land Lords but while pursuing all that
which bring us happiness ,we should not lose sight of eternity ,we
should know that even the richest people need Jesus who is the only
way to eternity .Paul while writing to the church in philipi said "
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests,but also for
the interests of others." philipians 2:4.
Let Gospel music be the good news about God's love for humanity ,let
it bring hope to the dying ,those who find earthly possessions a
chasing after wind.Let it bring joy and a divine passionate purpose to
the rich who can't find peace in their wealth.Let gospel music speak
to the poor without wealth to live life without complaining because
these present sufferings can not be compared to the glory that will be
revealed in us.Amen.
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