Sister Sara (Dragontown, 2001)

Never expected to discuss this song – at least not this soon. But Dragontown‘s “Sister Sara” is where this week leads us on this journey with our Lord and Alice. This song finds ‘a nun having fun’ and parallels the life and sins of some of the more famous and/or infamous preachers and teachers of the last 30-40 years. This week, once again, leads us straight to the importance of Unity and wraps up the importance of relationship.

“Sister Sara” is written from the enemy’s perspective. Calling all the ‘faithless’ to join ‘his private stock’ of ‘ lovely little demons’. Boldly addressing how even those placed in a higher calling and/or authority must remain focused, driven, and determined to walk by faith, not by sight. As Alice has done so many times before, he warns of the distractions, ‘The Little Things’. Those pesky little things like ‘Sex, Death, and Money’ ready and waiting to pull you away from life’s focus. His focus. But it’s more than that. The authority and path for your life are given to you by Him and Him alone. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the hierarchy of religion. A religion and system that has been woven by man into something more sinister – having men and women answer to each other through a pecking order of sorts instead of walking what should be a personal relationship with our Lord.

Relationship with our Lord. What does that look like? It stems from Christ’s call for us to Love. Found in Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus states, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Do you realize the magnitude of those verses? Upon these hang ALL the law and the prophets. When we concentrate on those two things, all other goodness, righteousness, selflessness, holiness, etc. surfaces and bears fruit within our hearts. Keeping us not only from the temptations of sin, but also together as a body – working towards His purpose. His Kingdom.

1 John 4:12 reads, “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us”. It then goes on to wrap up things nicely in verses 19-21 – paraphrasing that ‘whoever claims to love God yet hates others is a liar.’ The two are entwined. Therefore, your actions against others are in direct correlation to your actions towards and/or against God. Stop and look at the actions of the character in the song. Sex, greed, pride, debauchery have all gotten the best of her. Acts that, of course, are forgiven when we take the ‘opportunity to call His name’ and make Him Lord of our lives. But they are acts of malice and hate. Hate towards others. Hate towards oneself. Hate towards God. If there’s ever a doubt about your actions and whether they are based on love, ask only this… do they uplift? Are they actions Christ would take?

Our relationship with Christ is where all other relationships draw importance, strength, and meaning. He calls us to be humble, gentle, and patient with each other (Ephesians 4:2). 1 Peter 4:8 goes on to address that, “above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.” Possessions, power, status, etc. will all mean nothing in the Kingdom of God. Instead, focus on making an ‘everlasting difference’ (a term frequently used by Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock) in the lives of all those you cross paths with in this life. Those in every situation, career, and role of this life. When you show others love, you also show them that God loves them as well.

One last point. Walking with others in love redirects your focus. Matthew 18:20 reads, “Where two or more are gathered in my name, there I am with them”. This is a direct call to walk in relationship with others. A relationship built on His love. Placing accountability into the hands of a trusted friend or group (Hebrews 10:24-25), being willing to confess and share your downfalls with others here on earth (James 5:16), and allowing close ones to advise and help correct your shortcomings (Proverbs 19:20) will help you in your walk and most likely prevent you from majorly stumbling.

Concluding this post, we all face temptation. There is no one part of the body that is more or less vulnerable to the things of this world. Whether pastor, elder, worship leader, lay person, etc., each role carries the same significance (the same abilities to minister). However, our response to temptation is what ultimately seals the deal. Do we choose the things of this world – separating us from God? Or do we choose His will and ways – bringing us an everlasting life, rich with His love and grace? Paraphrasing 1 John 2:14-16, the world offers lust of the flesh, lust for possessions, and pride attached to status, yet God calls us to value self-control, generosity towards our fellow man/woman, and a commitment to stewardship. What values are most important to you? Do they reflect the world or our Lord?