Today’s Scripture Reading (August 10,
2016): 2 Chronicles 7
Celine
Dion’s “My Heart will Go On” (the Theme from “Titanic”) had a rocky road to reality. To start off with, James Cameron
did not want a theme song for the movie. He felt that a theme song would
interfere with the movies commitment to the music of the period. Celine Dion
originally did not want to sing the song. However, she later admitted that she
was glad no one listened to her. I guess not, the song made her filthy rich (my
words, not hers). Kate Winslett, who starred as the character who provides the viewpoint for the song lyrics as she looks back
over her life, has said that she feels like throwing up every time she hears
the song.
Yet, in
spite of all this, the song was recorded, It was done “in secret.” Apparently, Celine Dion did the demo in one
take, and it is that demo that is used in the movie. Celine says that she sang
the song once and never did sing it again, except for the million or so times
that she has had to sing it live in concert. Cameron did not order the demo.
That was the action of composer James Horner, and he held the demo close to him
until he could find a moment when director Cameron was in the “right mood.” And
while the movie is considered to be a classic (personal admission, I have never
watched “Titanic” all the way through to the end), the song might just be
bigger. Oh, yeah, and today “My Heart Will Go On” is quickly becoming one of
the most hated songs on the planet – in other words, more and more of us are
starting to agree with Kate Winslet. But that isn’t because the song isn’t any
good but, rather, that it is massively overplayed. And, as some critics have
discovered, barring the song from personal playlists doesn’t help. The song has
been played so much it has become a form of music tinnitus – our brains play
the song even if we refuse to, as in, why can’t I get that song out of my head.
Apparently, our hearts will go on and on and on and on.
As God
speaks to Solomon, he accepts the Temple built for his name and promises to Solomon that his eyes and his heart will
always be there. That he will hear the prayers prayed in that sacred place, and
that he will have compassion on those who worship there. But unlike Celine’s
overplayed song, this is an extremely rare sentiment on the part of God. The
idea of God having a heart is an unusual thought one in the Bible; God’s heart
is rarely mentioned.
Where God’s
heart is mentioned, it usually to do with the suffering of God because of the
evil of humanity. But there might not be a more intimate way of God commenting
on his nearness to Solomon and the people of Israel. As Christians, we can be
confident that God’s eyes and heart are on us -
because Jesus has built the Temple to his name in our lives as we grow to be
more like Christ.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm
135
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