the voice of sufjan

A few weeks ago I discovered a new-to-me singer/songwriter, Sufjan Stevens. Today he's been the main selection for my inner deejay. From a hauntingly beautiful yet oddly titled song, "Casimir Pulaski Day," my inner deejay has been replaying over and over:

All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications when I see His face
In the morning in the window
All the glory when He took our place
But He took my shoulders, and He shook my face,
and He takes and He takes and He takes

The written words don't do it justice. For one thing, it is quite unusual to find a talented indie musician who is a) Christian and b) secure enough in that fact to share his spiritual journey through song.

But aside from the pure beauty of the song, why is this my inner deejay's selection today? I think I'm feeling a wee bit overwhelmed at the amazing wonderful crazy journey of my life. And it would be overwhelming, were it just me alone on this path. But God has given me companions with which to share this glorious world. Companions to walk with me. And a loving God who has a variety of tools to shake our shoulders and remind us that God is with us. Christ took our place. And takes and takes and takes. Until it's manageable again.

Who knows what sufjan intended. That's what it's saying to me today. Combined with what my friend Henri told me this morning, it's a good reminder for me to stop, breath and remember God's amazing love. And to realize that sometimes it's going to take a shoulder shaking wild goose encounter to get me on track.

Lunch time over. Back to work.

(If you're interested, you can listen to a podcast of the song in question here. The lines are at the end of the song).