God is in the house

On the weekend I read an interesting article in The Age (Saturday's A2) called "Digging to the soul", by Chris Fotinopolous. He quotes Nick Cave as saying "God deserved much better than what He has been getting". A bit of a sad indictment on Christian music, yet something about it resonates truth for me. Chris writes that the Christian pop song is "essentially a morality tale told dishonestly", and is usually heard on tv shows by evangelical preachers "arguing for the preservation of a social institution known as God's Kindom, a morally insular and homogenous place where the cries of the lost and forgotten do not reach the ears of the occupants." I wan to protest and say this is not so, the very heartbeat of the Kingdom is to embrace the lost and forgotten. Yet I think the words are readily drowned out by yet another cheesy lyric of self actualising faith statement, hallelujah. Nick Cave wrote a very provocative song called "God is in the house", on his mellow "No more shall we part" album. You can read the lyrics in full here. The sentiment expressed cuttingly by Cave as he writes that there is no cause for doubt or fear as "God is in the house". Outside the house are the broken – sexually, chemically, morally.

At the end of the song comes the sting in the tail.

" For no-one's left in doubt
There's no fear about
If we all hold hands and very quietly shout
Hallelujah
God is in the house
God is in the house
Oh I wish He would come out
God is in the house".

Mournfully (in lyric and voice) Nick wishes that God would come out. In this song Nick has the ring of the prophet – he shines an peircing light into an attitude that pervades the church and sorely needs correcting. As the Age writer intimated, the Kingdom of God is not to be reduced to little Christian feel-good enclaves. Jesus himself said he did not come for those who are well, but for the sick. It is time for us to stop wishing that God would "come out" of the house (as if we could contain Him), and join with Him amongst the broken and the lost.