Archive for the ‘Phil Collins’ Tag
You’ll Be In My Heart
Filed under: By Craig Kuhlman | Tags: Click, Easter Sunday, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Hope, Incarnation, joy, Phil Collins, Resurrection
Comments (5) 
This weekend we celebrate the life and resurrection of our risen Lord, traditionally called Easter Sunday.
Too often this is depicted as a time of sadness and regret, and for Jesus’ disciples that ran with him there certainly was sadness, but Jesus addressed it to remind them that He had to go so that He could send His comforter, the Holy Spirit, who would be with us always, forevermore.
Last night I caught the last half of Adam Sandler’s movie, Click. I have to admit, it still brought tears to my eyes. The movie depicts the life of an individual on fast forward, missing out on many special moments of his children growing up and not being there for them and his wife. Many tears were shed by his family in the last moments of his life. But then the screen returned to him waking up in a bed and realizing it had all been a dreamlike vision of what his life might be if he kept on that path. He was joyful that he had another chance to live life right as a much younger man. The sadness immediately left his character, and no doubt the movie viewer when he “came back to life.” A resurrection, if you will.
In the same way, Jesus’s disciples’ sadness turned to joy when they took Jesus’s words for them to heart, in the last chapter of Matthew. He had this to say to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
I was recently reminded of this when I heard Phil Collins track “You’ll Be In My Heart” to the Disney movie, Tarzan. Imagine Jesus singing these words to his disciples and by inference, to us today. Not a time of sadness, but joy, knowing he will be with us forevermore.
Come stop your crying
It will be all right
Just take my hand
Hold it tight
I will protect you
From all around you
I will be here
Don’t you cry
For one so small,
You seem so strong
My arms will hold you
Keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
Can’t be broken
I will be here
Don’t you cry
Jesus promises us that because of His death, and resurrection, the bond that he forged with humanity can’t be broken. Not a time of sadness, but of great joy.
[Chorus]
‘Cause you’ll be in my heart
Yes, you’ll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
Easter Sunday depicts the time when Jesus bound humanity to Himself, forever. Unfortunately not all at this time believe who they are in Him.
You’ll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You’ll be here in my heart, always
Why can’t they understand
The way we feel?
They just don’t trust
What they can’t explain
I know we’re different but,
Deep inside us
We’re not that different at all
Although Jesus was God, He chose to become man and will forever retain His dual nature of God and man. We’re different, but because Jesus rose and took humanity with Him, we’re not that different at all.
Don’t listen to them
‘Cause what do they know?
We need each other
To have, to hold
They’ll see in time I know
Although many don’t know today who they are in Christ, they will see in time, He knows. He knows because that was the Triune God’s plan from the foundation of the world, and today He is reconciling all things to Himself.
When destiny calls you
You must be strong
I may not be with you
But you’ve got to hold on
They’ll see in time I know
We’ll show them together
Although Jesus is not with us today, physically, through faith we hold on, and as firstfruits we will show the way together to All, in time.
I’ll be with you
I’ll be there for you always
Always and always
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
I’ll be there always
This Sunday reminds us through the words of our Savior, and through Collins’s lyrics, “I’ll be there for you always.” This Sunday is not a day of sadness. Make it a day of hope and great rejoicing for who we are in Him.
~by Craig Kuhlman
Photo courtesy of Apologetics UK
Follow Me (Follow You)
Filed under: By Craig Kuhlman, Love, Relationships, The Plan of Adoption, Trinity | Tags: And Then There Were Three, No fear shame guilt or doubt, Phil Collins
Comments (4)
Regular readers of our blog will no doubt be familiar with this headline and the one who made it, especially as this Sunday caps a season focused on, around, and in him. If we stated, “And then there were three,” we would all know to whom we were referring.
Perhaps Phil Collins did also when, in 1978, he sang “Follow you Follow me,” with hauntingly beautiful lyrics by band members of Genesis, released on their ninth studio album labeled “…And Then There Were Three…” I have come to hear the timeless 1978 original and their first to reach the American Top 40, along with their performance almost thirty years later, Live in Rome (2007) as one of the most beautiful Trinitarian love songs of what Jesus is communicating with his followers. I would encourage all of you to purchase it on your digital media of choice so you can play it as often as you feel moved. I encourage you to listen to the song as you read these written words. You can also listen and view it on YouTube.
Every time I listen to the words, I can’t help but imagine Jesus singing them to each of us…
Stay with me,
My love I hope you’ll always be
Right here by my side if ever I need you
Oh my love
And our response as we proceed through life in relationship with Jesus, sometimes our faith is unwavering…
In your arms,
I feel so safe and so secure
Everyday is such a perfect day to spend
Alone with you
And at other times when we look at the stuff around us, we may hold personal doubt…
I will follow you will you follow me?
All the days and nights that we know will be
I will stay with you will you stay with me?
Just one single tear in each passing year
But then realize there is no need to ever question Jesus’ relationship with us…
With the dark,
Oh I see so very clearly now
All my fears are drifting by me so slowly now
Fading away
I can say
The night is long but you are here
Close at hand, oh I’m better for the smile you give
And while I live
Why is it that we doubt? The fact that he chose to empty himself of his Glory, live on earth as he did, and then die a painful death (while we were still sinners), only to be resurrected and ascended to heaven with all humanity, should quiet our concerns forever, permitting each of us to always stand in relationship with God with no fear, no shame, no guilt, and no doubt.
How can we claim such a thing? Knowing that acts of sin and the shame and guilt that come with it is always nearby? Because of the events of this week, the Father doesn’t look at us the way we look at ourselves. He looks at us through the eyes of the resurrected Jesus, who died for our sins, past, present, future. Because of that, from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit’s view, there is no reality of fear, no shame, no guilt, and no doubt.
Because we stand in relationship with God from the same vantage point (albeit it’s harder for us to accept ourselves than it is for God to do that), we can respond to the call, Follow me, with no fear, or doubt.
In each passing year (from 1978), when Collins had long brown hair, to the 2007 tour in Rome with no hair, and Tony Banks on the amazing keyboards when his hair went from dark to gray, as we age and experience change, hopefully our faith is growing (not graying) as we follow him, and we will always feel so safe and secure. Our fears drifting by so slowly now, fading away.
As we heed his words to Follow Me, and we reflect on what happened during this Easter week that ended with the inclusion of all humanity (God’s plan from the foundation of the world), let’s rejoice that we stand before him with no fear, no shame, no guilt, and no doubt.
~by Craig Kuhlman