Concert Preaching

Okay - the title may seem a little misleading. I DID NOT preach at a concert. Rather, the band's lead singer did a little preaching. And I found that to be a little refreshing.

Last Friday (yes, 14 February - a.k.a. Saint Valentine's Day), I took the opportunity to see 3 Doors Down in concert at the Carnegie Music Hall in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. (They are currently on their acoustic "Songs from the Basement" tour.) 3 Doors Down is my favorite band, and, though only having been to one of their concerts previously, I found that the concert atmosphere was wonderful.

Yet during this most recent concert, I was surprised by the honesty of Brad Arnold, the lead singer of the band. During the concert, he mentioned how he and the other members of the band feel very blessed by God to have the opportunity each night to perform [their] music for people. (I would think that he meant, in some ways, the music that the band has produced. However, they did cover a few pieces that the band or people in the audience liked.) 

And while we may hear this from time-to-time from different people in different walks of life, the band was unashamed in their faith in God, and particularly in their faith in Jesus Christ. 

A number of the audience applauded. Another set of the audience sat, perhaps in a little shock that something like that would be said at such a venue. (Maybe they considered this band to be like many other musicians and entertainers of our era who consider themselves "spiritual but not religious." - An interesting article about that can be read here.) Nevertheless, I found it to be a wonderful witness to the Christian faith. 

And the way that it was said was not flashy. It wasn't overbearing. It was in no way over-the-top. It was said in a matter-of-fact style. It was said in humility. It was said in a manner that showed he completely understood and agreed with what he was saying.

And that was awesome.

Following that, Mr. Arnold mentioned that that moment was a good set-up and movement into the next song, which, paraphrasing him, "you can replace the 'u' with an 'o', and it's still true."

(I had a feeling where he was going.)

He was introducing the song "Away from the Sun."

To be honest, sometimes a secular song hits me as being "prayerful", meaning that it can be used as a prayer. Other times, a song may help me to reflect upon my relationship with God. And while "Away from the Sun" was a song that struck me in many ways, I don't think I thought about it in that "theological way." (And though it may have not been an exegesis on a great Scriptural passage, the statement can be true.)

At the core of understanding the "Son" - the way that we stay "away from the Son" is through our sinfulness, hiding in the dark of those things which distance us from the Light of Christ. And the further we distance ourselves from Christ, the harder it is to see the Light through the darkness. It's not impossible to see the Light, but if our choices keep us in the dark, we will not have the ability to allow the Light to lead us out of the darkness. In essence, we keep ourselves "away from the Son."

The lyrics, at least to me, can point us in that direction. Questions like "What have I done?", "Where am I?", and "How do I get out of this place?" are posed when we recognize that we are "away from the Son" - the Light that shines to lead us sinners back into the warmth of the the fire of God's love and mercy.

But, remembering yesterday's First Reading and Gospel, it must be OUR CHOICE which helps us understand that we are in the dark, and that we need the help of God to bring us back into right relationship with Him and His Church.

For your assistance and pondering, here are the lyrics:


It's down to this
I've got to make this life make sense
Can anyone tell what I've done
I miss the life
I miss the colors of the world
Can anyone tell where I am

'Cause now again I've found myself
So far down, away from the sun
That shines into the darkest place
I'm so far down, away from the sun again
Away from the sun again

I'm over this
I'm tired of living in the dark
Can anyone see me down here
The feeling's gone
There's nothing left to lift me up
Back into the world I know

And now again I've found myself
So far down, away from the sun
That shines into the darkest place
I'm so far down, away from the sun
That shines to light the way for me
To find my way back into the arms
That care about the ones like me
I'm so far down, away from the sun again

It's down to this
I've got to make this life make sense
And now I can't tell what I've done

And now again I've found myself
So far down, away from the sun
That shines to light the way for me

'Cause now again I've found myself
So far down, away from the sun
That shines into the darkest place
I'm so far down, away from the sun
That shines to light the way for me
To find my way back into the arms
That care about the ones like me
I'm so far down, away from the sun again

Oh no...
Yeah...
I'm gone...


It was a great moment of evangelization which took a number of people by surprise. I'm grateful it happened. I think that we need more members of our entertainment industry to truly hold fast to some type of belief, and not simply flip-flop around to the most popular spiritual practice of the day.

Although I would have enjoyed the concert without the public witness of faith, that moment gave me something more to appreciate, not only as a priest, but also as a Christian. And though I wasn't wearing the collar to the concert that night, I felt in some way the band was.


This is the type of preaching I like to hear.

And this is the type of preaching I like to hear from people who have a bigger soapbox than I.




Enjoy the journey . . .