They're Playing Our Song?

Psalm 36:10-12

O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your salvation to the upright of heart!
Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
or the hand of the wicked drive me away.
There the evildoers lie prostrate;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.

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Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you.

Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
I'll be watching you.

Oh can't you see
You belong to me?
How my poor heart aches with every step you take.

"Every Breath You Take" by The Police, written by Sting, from the album "Synchronicity."

This is the third in a series of three songs that are not love songs. This may be the spookiest of all because for many people of a certain age you will hear them say "This is our song" or "This was our wedding song." To listen to the melody you can hear how seductive this song is. To pay attention to the lyric, well, you had better pay attention to the lyric.

This little ditty is a stalker's anthem! I wouldn't say it leaves the prior two days entries in the dust when it comes to creepiness, but when you consider the number of 1980's weddings that featured this song for the first dance, an honor the other two songs didn't hold, then it may win the race by a nose.

The singer is watching an old love, the singer is watching you, and everything you do. But the Lord protects. The steadfast love of the Lord is for those who know and salvation is for the upright of heart. The foot of the arrogant, certainly the stalker, we pray will not tread on me. We pray the hand of the wicked will be driven away. Yes,the evildoers will lie prostrate, unable to rise.

You belong to me? No, Psalm 24 teaches us the world and all that is in it belong to the Lord, but the Lord has never forced us to Love. That sort of love is coercion. If it were physical, it would be assault.

Our Lord does not demand love. Our all knowing all seeing God is not a stalker. Love is patient. Stalking is criminal.

Creepy Love Isn't Love at All

Psalm 36:5-9 (NRSV)

Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgments are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O LORD.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.

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Into this night I wander
It's morning that I dread
Another day of knowing of
The path I fear to tread
Oh into the sea of waking dreams
I follow without pride
Cause nothing stands between us here
And I won't be denied

And I would be the one
To hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
And after, I'd wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes...

"Possession" by Sarah McLachlan, from Fumbling Towards Ecstacy

There's something about creepy love songs. First, they aren't love songs at all. They are stalker anthems. They are about obsession and possession and abuse. This is not a light use of the word abuse. Second, they are seductive. In the same veinThe Police had a tremendous hit with "Every Breath You Take." It's such a big hit that people still say "it's our song" without realizing how creepy it is.

Sarah's "Possession" is a great song. The lyric, the vibe, the tune, especially the performance makes this a great song. But like the ocean, wonderful, glorious, and dangerous as a storm or rip tide; there is an undercurrent to this song that is just plain creepy.

Nobody knows that better than Sarah who in another performance said this song was her attempt to get into the head of the 1% of fan letters that comes off this way. Yes, she says almost all fanmail is wonderful and encouraging, but there is a tiny sliver that is not right.

In fact, a fan stalked Sarah, writing these words in letters to her. While awaiting trial, the man sued her for using his words in her song. Creepy and creepier.

Our God is all knowing, all creating, all powerful. In the hands of someone with evil intent, these are not good qualities. It is with thanks to the Lord that we come to know God as a wonderful and caring Lord; the Lord of our refuge and strength; the Lord of plenty by whom our hunger is satisfied and our thirst quenched. In the Lord, we live in the light of God's love.

It is said that when a door is opened, the light spills into the closet, the darkness does not spill into the room. We live in your light, we live in the warm glow of your love.

Love that is not obsessive. Love that is self-giving, even unto the point of the Son's death on the cross.