On Saturday nights our church has a service called God Rock. Last week I had the opportunity to speak as the pastor who leads it, Gord, was away on vacation. I do this about every 3 months, anyway, even though it’s hard for me because the service and the congregation are so different. Most of those attending are former alcoholics, drug addicts, and prostitutes. They have a rocky and rough background while my background is kind of squeaky clean, so I find it difficult. Yet, I love it. They seem to like me, too.
The first thing you notice during the service is their music. It absolutely awesome. It seems to me that drug addicts and alcoholics are often very sensitive and creative people and so they are artsy and musically inclined. Some of the best musicians I've met are ex drug addicts/alcoholics who perform each Saturday night. They could play at any venue they are so phenomenal. They practice for one hour and then perform. It is rock and roll unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
Finding common ground with this group of people was easy as I shared with them a story about a piece of valuable art.
Back in 1990, a Jesuit home for monks in Ireland was being remodelled. They had removed some pictures off the walls because they were repainting. These old, dusty, dirty cracked paintings were lying around and it just so happened that an Italian art conservator, Sergio Benedetti, saw one of the pictures and he thought he recognized something that an average person would not have noticed. The painting looked a lot like it had been done by an artist from the 16 century – Michaelangelo da Caravaggio. And he thought to himself, could it be?
It had a different title on it and a slight difference in the shades of colours plus it was all cracked and varnished. It had turned yellow, was dusty and the frame was broken but he thought he saw something in this old picture. He asked if he could take it to show it around a bit. Some of his friends and experts thought it was a reproduction but Sergio was certain it was very real. So he spent hours (3 years actually) meticulously cleaning the painting, taking off all the old cracked varnish and removing the dust to get underneath. When he did, he discovered it truly was a redone picture by Michaelangelo da Caravaggio back in the 16th century. This painting had been in the parlour, with the monks eating in front of it every day since the 1920s, and no one knew it was a long lost masterpiece with a value of $40 million.
I told the congregation that we were like that. God has painted this awesome picture, with His hand print but we've become cracked, yellowed, tarnished and peeling. Someone has painted over us and we do not look like the original at all. But as we begin to work off the dust and the varnish, and gunky stuff like that, there is an original painting that God has made. His plans for us have not changed, even though we've been down a very hard road. Our value has not been lost, just hidden from the world.
As I spoke, I noticed they were very engaging and talked back to me. They didn't say amen, they said cool or sweet or whatever and sometimes they clapped after a point. There is an openness that reminds me a lot of the people that Jesus dealt with. He would talk to the blind, the beggar, the prostitute and he just seemed to gravitate to that kind of person because they had a vulnerability about them. They’d been to the bottom and they were very open about their failures. Maybe that's the reason I really love to speak at this service.
Afterwards, they are very responsive. Always a few accept Jesus at the end of the service because they know they have hit bottom. They are currently in the recovery houses, and most have spent time in prison, so they relate to Jesus’ type of teaching.
God Rock is unlike most church services in that the atmosphere is relaxed and casual. You don't have to worry if you have nice clothes or an education. It's all about your soul and your life purpose. You don't have to be a drug addict or alcoholic to attend, either, but if you struggle with addictions, you'll find lots of support and understanding.
God Rock starts at 7:30 every Saturday night. Why not drop by and hear some phenomenal music and testimonies. You'll be blessed. I know I was.
Barry
The first thing you notice during the service is their music. It absolutely awesome. It seems to me that drug addicts and alcoholics are often very sensitive and creative people and so they are artsy and musically inclined. Some of the best musicians I've met are ex drug addicts/alcoholics who perform each Saturday night. They could play at any venue they are so phenomenal. They practice for one hour and then perform. It is rock and roll unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
Finding common ground with this group of people was easy as I shared with them a story about a piece of valuable art.
Back in 1990, a Jesuit home for monks in Ireland was being remodelled. They had removed some pictures off the walls because they were repainting. These old, dusty, dirty cracked paintings were lying around and it just so happened that an Italian art conservator, Sergio Benedetti, saw one of the pictures and he thought he recognized something that an average person would not have noticed. The painting looked a lot like it had been done by an artist from the 16 century – Michaelangelo da Caravaggio. And he thought to himself, could it be?
It had a different title on it and a slight difference in the shades of colours plus it was all cracked and varnished. It had turned yellow, was dusty and the frame was broken but he thought he saw something in this old picture. He asked if he could take it to show it around a bit. Some of his friends and experts thought it was a reproduction but Sergio was certain it was very real. So he spent hours (3 years actually) meticulously cleaning the painting, taking off all the old cracked varnish and removing the dust to get underneath. When he did, he discovered it truly was a redone picture by Michaelangelo da Caravaggio back in the 16th century. This painting had been in the parlour, with the monks eating in front of it every day since the 1920s, and no one knew it was a long lost masterpiece with a value of $40 million.
I told the congregation that we were like that. God has painted this awesome picture, with His hand print but we've become cracked, yellowed, tarnished and peeling. Someone has painted over us and we do not look like the original at all. But as we begin to work off the dust and the varnish, and gunky stuff like that, there is an original painting that God has made. His plans for us have not changed, even though we've been down a very hard road. Our value has not been lost, just hidden from the world.
As I spoke, I noticed they were very engaging and talked back to me. They didn't say amen, they said cool or sweet or whatever and sometimes they clapped after a point. There is an openness that reminds me a lot of the people that Jesus dealt with. He would talk to the blind, the beggar, the prostitute and he just seemed to gravitate to that kind of person because they had a vulnerability about them. They’d been to the bottom and they were very open about their failures. Maybe that's the reason I really love to speak at this service.
Afterwards, they are very responsive. Always a few accept Jesus at the end of the service because they know they have hit bottom. They are currently in the recovery houses, and most have spent time in prison, so they relate to Jesus’ type of teaching.
God Rock is unlike most church services in that the atmosphere is relaxed and casual. You don't have to worry if you have nice clothes or an education. It's all about your soul and your life purpose. You don't have to be a drug addict or alcoholic to attend, either, but if you struggle with addictions, you'll find lots of support and understanding.
God Rock starts at 7:30 every Saturday night. Why not drop by and hear some phenomenal music and testimonies. You'll be blessed. I know I was.
Barry
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