Christ in Pop Music

When I was an agnostic, with an active dislike of Christianity and Christians, music was my savior. I looked to music to change my mood, whether I wanted a boost of energy or someone to commiserate with me through the bitter lyrics. After a painful breakup, I lost myself for months in my own curated break-up playlist of depressing songs that prolonged my pain. I did not have Christ or the Church to help me through my pain. 

When, through God’s grace, I was slowly able to open my heart to God’s presence, I began to see certain songs in a different light. I began to wonder if I should listen to any “secular” music–perhaps I should just stick to a rotating track of Byzantine Chant, I thought. But I have seen Christ work through secular music in my own life so many times. 

Very early in my journey toward Christ, before I had ever set foot in an Orthodox Church, I was on a plane on my way home from Halifax, Nova Scotia, when a song came on my playlist. I had heard it many times before, but suddenly I heard the lyrics in a different way. Suddenly, in the singer’s motowny cry of, “I need YOU!”, I knew that the YOU I needed was Christ. The song was a secular song about a romantic relationship, but at that moment, I heard the Truth regardless--Christ is the one thing needed. 

Christ can reach us and heal us through all things. He can reach us through pop music, just as he can through the music of the Church. He is not limited in his ability to reach us. He comes to meet us in our broken nature. He uses the base things of this world to create and heal. He creates us from dust, he heals the eyes of the blind man with His spit and earth. 

Now that I am an Orthodox Christian, I am blessed to have the hymns of the Church to guide me throughout the year. But that doesn’t mean that Christ cannot reach me through any other type of music. A couple of weeks ago, I was on the way to work and feeling a bit sluggish, so I decided to put on my workout playlist to wake myself up. Elton John and Dua Lipa’s song “Cold Heart” came on and I was jamming. All of a sudden, my eyes were hot with tears. A line had unexpectedly struck me: “This is what I should have said. Well, I thought it, but I kept it in.” 

I had been struggling with hurt, bitterness, and sadness over a very close friendship that had suddenly grown distant, and I was feeling resigned to accepting the situation and moving on, but the words of the song unexpectedly moved me to realize--I do not want to lose a friendship because I am too proud to be vulnerable and communicate with my friend. This moment spurred me to talk with my husband about the situation and meet with our priest, who encouraged us to continue to try to heal our relationship with our friend. When I spoke of having a hard time forgiving my friend, my priest gently urged me to remember how much I have been forgiven by Christ (and others). This pop song was part of the vehicle for pushing me to speak with my priest, to ask for Christ’s forgiveness, and for help to forgive and soften my heart.

While life in Christ requires us to be discerning in what we allow ourselves to take in, Christ can reach us wherever we are willing to open the door–even just a crack, and let Him in. We meet Him in the Divine Liturgy, in the beautiful hymns of the Church, but Christ condescends to meet us anywhere, through any means. 

Glory to God, who condescends to be with us. Glory to God, who is everywhere present and filling all things!