Change for the Better

I was tasked with providing special music in church yesterday, so I chose two songs by Queen and one by Kenny Chesney. The Queen songs were “Is this the world we’ve created” (1984) and “The Miracle” (1989). Freddie Mercury, the iconic singer of the group, wrote the lyrics for both. What I see in these songs is how Mercury changed over time; he contracted AIDS and died in 1991, but instead of losing hope over time, it seems that he found God. In spite of the bigotry against his sexual orientation and the total neglect by the Reagan administration to help in that crisis, Freddie moved from asking if there is a God to celebrating all that God offers in creation. As a fan, I always loved the music of Queen. As a person, I found joy in the hope they offered.

I was raised with the Wesleyan concept that you are either moving forward or sliding backwards. John Wesley’s concept of finding perfection in love in this life – an idea I struggle with – was at the center of his understanding of human progress, which I agree with. He and his brother were made fun of for their methodical way of living, so they embraced the term for their movement – Methodists. They believed that anyone could change for the better, and they offered a grace focused faith that expected action. They weren’t waiting around for Jesus to come back and bring a destructive Armageddon – they believed that society could become more caring and moral if people of faith made it so. 

We are never too old, or stuck in our ways, or unaware, to change for the better. Nobody is lost forever unless they choose to be. I find this theology to be inspiring and frustrating, at the same time. Because of it, I believe in death-bed confessions and repentance; I also wish people wouldn’t wait so long to move forward. The good they could do would change the world – for the better. When it comes to living a better life, it’s never too late; but there’s no time like the present.

Prayer – Holy God, thank You for the ability to change, and for the knowledge that we are good, but we can also be better. Amen.

Today’s art is the cover of Queen’s “A Kind of Magic”.

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