In August/September, my pastor will be giving a sermon series on rock songs that display various Christian themes. I think we will be allowed to play one every week.
That sounds sweet. So far we've gotten away with "Spirit in the Sky", "My Sweet Lord", "Morning Has Broken", "Jesus is Just Alright" and "Put Your Hand in the Hand", but those are all pretty overt. I'm curious to hear what others there are out there, especially the more subtle ones.
He's definitely going for subtle. Here is something from a Facebook post he made earlier this month.
"I'm continuing to prepare for a sermon series currently scheduled for late this summer: "Jesus Rocks: Finding God in the Greatest Hits of Rock 'n' Roll." I'm looking to identify hits that give expression to four important themes: Power (songs that express exuberance, joy, fun, freedom and the sheer thrill of being alive); Captivity (songs that express the feeling of being trapped by limitations and bad decisions); Longing (songs that express a sense of yearning for something more); and Love (songs that express the ups, downs, challenges and questions that come from being and staying in love).
Here's my current list for "Songs of Power":
Rock and Roll All Night – KISS
Good Vibrations – Beach Boys
I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown
Born to Be Wild – Steppenwolf
Start Me Up – Rolling Stones
We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions – Queen
Jump – Van Halen
Dancing in the Street – Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Rock & Roll Band – Boston
The Loco-Motion – Little Eva"