Countdown To The CMT Awards

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

I’ve lost my mind.

Up until four months ago I thought the only people who listened to country music were those who skipped routine dental visits so they could buy extra beer and pork rinds for when the cousin they were engaged to came over to watch Wrestlemania and NASCAR.

Now, unbelievably, and I’m sure this will come as a great shock to those within the church I serve; I’m slowly changing my mind.

While I’m still convinced most country music lovers contemplate going to family reunions to pick up women, I’m actually, and it shocks me to say this, starting to like it.

Rascal Flatts. Sugarland. Toby Keith. Kenny Chesney. Taylor Swift. Keith Urban. Martina McBride. Four months ago I had no idea who any of these people/groups were. Then, out of nowhere, I made the decision that I was sick of listening to classic rock and alternative rock and wanted to learn a little bit about a musical genre I knew nothing about. So I forced myself to listen to 92.5 WXTU “Philadelphia’s Country Station” everyday for four long months.

And I’ve been surprised.

So much so, that, believe it or not, we’re going to do our first-ever (and more than likely last) country-music inspired sermon series.

In two weeks we’re going to launch a 4-part series that’s a take off of the 2008 CMT Awards. We’re calling it the “CMT Awards.”

The CMT stands for “Corinthian Moral Troubles.”

When you read through the pages of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians), you begin to wonder if you’re reading the lyrics to a country music song – there’s always someone fighting, drinking, and cheating on somebody.

After Paul founded this tiny church in the cosmopolitan Greek city of Corinth in 52 a.d., he left to start more churches in other cities. In his absence the people in that new church began making immoral lifestyle choices that jeopardized the life of the church.

So Paul shot off 1 Corinthians, challenging them point by point to change their ways. Their immoral choices were beyond anything we read about anywhere else in New Testament! Paul essentially awarded them with what could be called the “CMT Awards” – The Corinthian Moral Troubles Awards. Their crazy lifestyle choices took the prize!

So starting on May 11th we’re going to look at those awards, and the issues that prompted them. We’re going to do so because, quite honestly, Paul could have just as easily written that letter to any church today, even our own.

Well, that’s the series in a nutshell – 1 Corinthians with a little country twang.

I just have four simple requests:

1. Do not make out with your hot cousin in the back row during the worship service, unless she's Carrie Underwood.

2. Do not bring beer coolers or dogs into the church building.

3. Please park all trailers in the back section of the parking lot.

4. Post a comment and give me your favorite country music song and I’ll pass that on to our Art’s team. We're looking for ideas.

God help us. God help us all.