Sometimes life takes you in funny directions.  Five years ago, if you had asked me about Heavy Metal, I would have told you everything I know about uranium or something like that.  Ask me about Progressive Metal and I would have talked about my titanium bicycle.  In fact, Heavy Metal and Progressive Metal are types of Rock Music and I have begun listening to it.  Especially a group called Tool.

Now, before you shake your head in dismay, or call the Presbytery to report that your pastor is out of control, hear me out.  About a year or so ago, I volunteered to do some mentoring for a program being developed by Elbert County.  The teen I was hooked up with is a 16 year old named Robert.  My job is to spend some time with him and be a positive role model.  Provide an ear to listen to his problems, let him know that someone cares.  When I was going through the orientation, I was told that one of the things considered inappropriate was witnessing if he was not interested.  When I met with his counselor, I was reminded of this and Robert said that he was not interested in hearing about my faith.  This was not the best news I had ever heard, but I decided to leave it in God’s hands, and see what would happen. 

Well, we began spending some time together and found Robert to be a great kid.  We worked on a tractor engine that he was rebuilding and I was able to invite Peter and Alex on some of our get together.  Robert hit it off well with my boys, sharing an interest in music and video games as well as general teenage stuff.

Actually one of the things I found surprising was how talkative Robert was.  When I heard that he was a fan of Heavy Metal music I expected to find a sullen and troubled youth.  This was not the case.  Robert was more than happy to talk to me about the music he listened to and was also interested in hearing what I thought about it.  Now at this point, our relationship was at a crossroads.  If I tell him that Heavy Metal is not my cup of tea, I have just shut myself out of a major part of his world.  Heavy metal music expresses many of the emotions Robert is feeling and so to reject the music is to reject that part of his heart.  When Peter and Alex began listening to Metal music I listened because I cared about them.  Now I listened some more, because I cared about Robert.  

Last Monday, Robert and I were eating dinner and talking about life.  The topic of conversation turned to music and he shared some lyrics from a song performed by Tool.  As we talked about the music, Robert said he was impressed by the depth of their work.  A couple of songs particularly impressed him, Wings for Marie and 10,000 days, both written by Maynard James Keenan about the death of his mother.  She died after a twenty-four year (10,000 day) battle with cancer.  Listen to some of the lyrics:

Listen to the tales as we all rationalize our way into the arms of the Savior.

Feigning all of the trials and the tribulations; none of us have actually been there.  Not like you.

And this little light of mine, a gift you passed on to me.

I’m going to let it shine to guide you safely on your way, your way home.

Daylight dims leaving cold fluorescents, difficult to see you in this light

Please forgive this bold suggestion, but should you see your Maker’s face tonight

Look him in the eye, look him in the eye and tell him,

“I never lived a lie, never took a life, but surely saved one.

Hallelujah, it’s time for you to bring me home.”

So, what do we have here?  A powerful song about a boy trying to come to grips with the death of his mother.  He deals with suffering, the faith of his mother (This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine – sound familiar?) and the mercy of our God and Savior.  You see Robert may think that he is not interested in my faith, but that is just because no one who was interested in sharing God’s love with him was interested in listening to Heavy Metal with him first. 

You see, I believe that we are surrounded by people who are desperate for the Gospel of Christ but just don’t know it.  They care deeply about justice, peace, questions of mortality and suffering and whether or not life has meaning, and a host of other issues that can lead them to Christ.  Our task is to listen to their heart and show them the heart of God.  And who knows we may even get to listen to some pretty cool new music along the way.