Thursday, January 24, 2008

Brian Kersch Note 1: Ashes to Ashes...

This was written by someone whom I am immensely blessed to be able to call a friend. He's probably one of, if not the most intelligent person I know-but he has also been blessed with the ability to take really deep concepts (especially theological ones) and put them into words that *most* everybody can understand. He dreams of being a youth pastor, and I have no doubt that he will make one of the best ones there ever was. This post and the next one were both written by Brian Kersch. I hope you will take the time to read it slowly and thoroughly. The truths in these posts are too important to just skim over.

Ashes to Ashes...We all fall down *buzzer noise* half wrong. I promised a bunch of people that I would write this note and I finally have, that being said I think it to be one of most profound insights and would greatly appreciate the actual reading of it rather than skimming, also note that if you are one of my non-Christian friends I would recommend not reading this or holding your tongue if you do, this was not meant for you, if you read it I ask you to refrain from your criticisms of Christianity as that is note the purpose of this note.

Rather this note is a tribute, and subsequent analysis of a few things, mainly songs, all intertwined with mass amounts of theology.

Ashes to Ashes
-Burden of a Day

Let's begin with Ashes to Ashes considering it is the namesake of the note and the reason this note was thought of in the first place. This is where you are both right and wrong, the end of song does conclude with "ashes to ashes we all fall down" but the most important portion is contained in the bridge, more specifically

"Why do we cry such bitter tears for a life that is no longer ours?
With dirty faces and mudcaked shoes we dance to be different but we are all the same.
Take us to a place where envy ceases to be green and the color red covers all our sin and blacks out our eyes."

Did it strike you? Did that chill your spine and make you stop reading? If you were listening would you have to pause the song to contemplate that?

Why do we call ourselves Christians? Are we followers of Christ or have we wholly devoted ourselves to Him? How could you live otherwise? Have you committed to following Christ? Or are you willing to die for Him? Better yet would you LIVE for Him?

so let me ask you
Why do we cry such bitter tears for a life that is no longer ours?
All too often we see those weeping out for former memories, things their life once held, wishing for the blessings back, I myself am guilty of this, more often than not. And yet we cry? What? We committed our lives to Him we are no longer living our lives. "I have been crucified with Christ and it is I who no longer lives but Christ lives in me..." Galations 2:~20

Lord take us to that place, the color red, Your blood has payed the ultimate cost for our sin. This is our plea! We have died, You have died, You made the ultimate sacrifice, You took sin upon Yourself entirely undeserving. The opposite of what You are and You gave yourself for us... and we cry.

"With no, no regrets
Live today with no regrets
With a song in our hearts and breath in our lungs
Our eyes burn with vision.
Ashes to ashes
we all fall down"

Everyone hears that "live with no regrets" and it is strongly misinterpreted to mean "live life so that you won't regret things you do." Which is stupid beyond all measure. No mortal lived a perfect life, nor will it ever happen. It is the inevitable nature of man to mess up I'm sure you all know that, if not read Romans 3:23. I interpret it to mean that, yes you messed up, but don't dwell on it, you're running a race and you can't run a race backpedaling. Keep your eyes forward but never forget everything behind you lest you forget why you're running in the first place. You both can't dwell on your past nor can you disassociate yourself from it or you are consequently going to forget the purpose of this existence.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, hallelujah, amen, you are dismissed" -Englishman
-Ted Dekker
(Anyone who's read the book [e.g. Marcelo] will note that this is quoted grossly out of context but will also note that it still coincides with the analysis following it)

Our earthly existence is one of ashes to ashes, we come from the earth and to the earth we shall return. But that is where hallelujah comes into play "to live is Christ to die is gain."

I stop here and ask you
have you ever had a moment(s) in which you were so caught up in This that nothing else mattered. A moment so humbling that you couldn't take for fear of wrecking it, destroying the beauty of it? Do you not understand that His glory is our existence. Have you ever been so caught up singing "O Praise Him" that when it ended you sat in silence just... existing, not thinking, not acting but just. being. there. ?
Do you not get it? THIS oh This is why we live, This is why we breathe, apart from This there is nothing. No there is not even nothing, there is a complete void, absent of anything. Oh it is those moments that I would give anything and everything, willingly, for. Everytime a breath fills your lungs, vision burns in your eyes, a song stirs in your heart, This is it. CAPSLOCK BOLDED IT There is nothing more than just to be, it is the perfection of our existence. Him.
(perfection in the sense of wholly completed)

There is so much more to add to this and it will be done I promise at a later time.

No comments: