I Am Jack Johnson - A conversation about sin

If I were not a pastor I would be Jack Johnson. That also assumes that I could play the guitar, sing, surf, and be very cool. I cannot play the guitar, sing, or surf – but I am very cool to my daughters. To them I am Jack Johnson – at least in the car with the audio turned way up.

So here is the point. On Sunday I am preaching a message entitled, “What is Wrong with Us?” It is a sermon that looks at Jesus’ statement from the cross “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” It is not difficult for us to look at the world in which we live and see that something is not right. Richard John Neuhaus in his book, Death on a Friday Afternoon says it is like a kid standing in the kitchen after he has broken the cookie jar, he is not sure what to do, but he knows something has gone horribly wrong. Chuck Colson writes, “Someone has quipped that the doctrine of original sin is the only philosophy empirically validated by thirty-five centuries of recorded human history.”[1] The five most celebrated movies of the year are laced with violence, vulgarity, dishonesty, lust, murder, violence, and deception. What sort of statement has “The Academy” sent to us – is that who we are – is that what we want – are those stories reflections of our reality?

So I am encouraging my congregation and anyone else that wants to participate to have a conversation with me about this. Listen to Jack Johnson’s song “Cookie Jar”, read the lyrics and tell me what you think. Sure, he is very cool, no question, but do we blame our influences instead of taking responsibility for our actions? Is the television feed our evil, or is it the hell that we demand? More importantly, is there any hope to “turn it around?”

Here is a link to Jack Johnson’s page containing audio and lyrics of “Cookie Jar.” Click on the title of the song and you should automatically hear the song and see the lyrics in a player – once again, very cool.

Link to: “Cookie Jar” by Jack Johnson
[1] Chuck Colson, How Shall We Now Live, p. 149