Dark Before Dawn: A Soundtrack for Lent

I usually put out a playlist sometime around Holy Week. But this year, I started on it way early because we are using so much secular music in worship. Our theme is “Nothing But Time,” which lent itself (get it? LENT itself? no extra charge for the puns, folks) to lots of wonderful art support.

Ever thought about how much of your stress and anxiety is wrapped up in how you think about time? From the day to day hurry to the broad, existential, why-are-we-here kinds of things. If we could change how we think about time, it would truly change our lives–and maybe the world. Lent seems like a good time to try and make that shift.

And once you start looking for music about time, seasons, life changes and the human experience– you realize that you are talking about all of the songs, ever. Still, some really stand out as seasonally appropriate–whatever theme-y-ness you may or may not be working with. You can follow the playlist I made on Spotify, if you want the whole experience. Meanwhile, here are some highlights:

Glory, John Legend.  ICYMI, just won an Oscar for Best Original Song. Well deserved. And challenging for the Church as we think about changing the generations-long narrative of race and violence.

Take Me to Church, Hozier. And no, not because it’s about church (it’s not). But because it challenges a lot of institutional baggage and assumptions about sex, death and religion that, again, the church should be examining in this season of repentance.

Turn Away, Beck. “Turn, turn away from the weight of your own past/it’s magic for the devil.” C’mon! Also, this is from the movie “Wild.” I haven’t seen it yet, but it would be a pretty great wilderness trek for the season. (Hey, if I’m not going walkabout, I can do it vicariously through Reese Witherspoon. Also, wouldn’t you like to see her without makeup and perfect hair JUST ONCE?)

Dust to Dust, The Civil Wars. Think I could get them to play our Holy Week services??

Every Age, Jose Gonzales. In case you were one of those people who did not spend the whole last season of Parenthood crying into your glass/box of wine (What? Me neither…much) check out this lyric video of the song that made the next-to-last episode especially tear-jerky. And Lent-worthy.

Down in the Valley, The Head and the Heart.

Comes and Goes (In Waves), Greg Laswell. An ode to doubters. And aren’t we all?

Long Time Traveller, The Wailin’ Jennys.

And here are some that I’ve shared before, but I just keep coming back to them. They preach/sing/dance their own kind of worship.

Ashes to Ashes, Andra Moran. (Free download! And also, I know her!)

The Once and Future Carpenter, The Avett Brothers. The whole album, really… but this song especially.

Shake it Out, Florence and the Machine. (My Holy Week anthem, every time). Not to be confused with “Shake it OFF,” Taylor Swift. Which, fun as it is to sing really loud with my kids in the car, is not so much a Lent-vibe.

Mary, Patty Griffin. Always.

Beautiful Things, Gungor.

That’s just a sampling of all the great inspiration that will be piping through my office/house/car for the next 6 weeks or so. These are tunes that help me put my sense of time in perspective with God’s: who is the real keeper of our days.

What are you thinking about this Lent season? And how do you find the right music for the journey?