Song of the Week (Fourth Week in Sept.)
“The Stranger”
by Billy Joel
Billy Joel has long been a favorite of mine. No, it has nothing to do with the fact that we share a name but more that his music feels good when you hear it; His lyrics hit home when you take them in. Joel is also one of only a handful of people inducted into both the Rock and Roll and the Songwriter’s halls of fame. “The Stranger” has long been one of my favorite Billy Joel offerings because it exposes humanity to a reality that we rarely experience. The stranger is a metaphor for the images we project to the outside world. When we think about who we are verses who we let people think we are, we often find different realities. Sometimes they look similar to each other but with careful filters in place to protect the darkest corners of our personality. Sometimes we can project a completely different person keeping everyone away from our true selves.
This always gets me thinking about two things. First, if we do this in our lives in general then how does that affect how we project ourselves as Christians? If we are so busy carefully crafting our image, how do we craft our Christianity to the outside world? We might put our best foot forward, so to speak; keeping our good deeds in the forefront and hiding all of those things that might contradict our stated beliefs. On the other hand we might spend our time crafting an a-typical Christian persona. As a “Liberal” or I prefer progressive Christian, I find myself emphasizing the ways in which I differ from the dominant perception of Christianity. If the stereotypical Christian is a clean cut person who only listens to Christian radio stations, then I will wear four earrings and write about bands like Led Zeppelin & Dave Matthews. I have even found myself relishing those times when people meet me outside the church and then discover I am a minister prompting their “You’re a minister?” response. The fact is that we Christians are not perfect, but we wear masks that disguise our imperfections or emphasize them, but is that what God calls us do?
The second thing I think about is how we try to put on these masks for God. Do you ever find yourself hiding your true self from God? It is only natural, because we spend so much time hiding from others it only makes sense that we would carry that over into our relating to God. But if God knows us better then we know ourselves, why waste our time hiding? We all hide; sometimes even from ourselves because we cannot face the implications of our own reality. What will people think? How would things change if they only knew about …? Sometimes we need to protect our most vulnerable secrets but when we model our faith for God and for others we must not get caught up in the race of who’s a better Christian. This leads us to overlook those parts of our lives that still need work and make faith seem distant and unattainable to anyone seeking. We must, instead seek to do the best we can and acknowledge when we fall short…acknowledge to our selves, to others and to God. Only then can we grow in faith and model that faith to others; overcome “the stranger in (ourselves).”
For laughs check out a video of Billy Joel playing “The Stranger” from back in the day on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryhDgFXT-XA&mode=related&search=
“The Stranger” (Lyrics)
Well we all have a face that we hide away forever
And we take them out and show ourselves when everyone has gone
Some are satin some are steel some are silk and some are leather
They're the faces of the stranger but we love to try them on.
Well, we all fall in love but we disregard the danger
Though we share so many secrets there are some we never tell
Why were you so surprised that you never saw the stranger
Did you ever let your lover see the stranger in yourself?
Don't be afraid to try again everyone goes south
Every now and then
You've done it, why can't someone else?
You should know by now, you've been there yourself?
Once I used to believe I was such a great romancer
Then I came home to a woman that I could not recognize
When I pressed her for a reason she refused to even answer
It was then I felt the stranger kick me right between the eyes.
You may never understand how the stranger is inspired
But he isn't always evil and he isn't always wrong
Though you drown in good intentions you will never quench the fire
You'll give in to your desire when the stranger comes along.
