Songs of the Presence of God

The musical selections during the worship services this Sunday at the East Moline campus will reflect the influence and spiritual journey that many of us encounter at various moments of life. We will hear arrangements of some well-known songs presented by our choir and the band led by George Smith. Among the opening songs is a composition written by Kris Kristofferson entitled “Why Me Lord.” This song was inspired by another song, “Help Me,” written by Larry Gatlin. Both of the songs describe low-points in which personal efforts are exhausted and bravado gives way to humble pleading. Larry Gatlin had not peaked, in terms of his commercial success as an artist, when he wrote “Help Me.” Kristofferson had achieved some success as a songwriter, but “Why Me” became his biggest hit as a singer.

Interestingly, Kristofferson recorded “Help Me” as the B-side of “Why Me Lord” (back when singles were recorded as 45-rpm records that included two songs). Some suggested that “Why Me Lord” was “out of character” for Kristofferson given the type of lifestyle he often appeared to embrace. However, the song was written by Kristofferson during a particularly difficult time when he realized his need for God, in spite of the popularity of songs that seemed to glorify a hedonic lifestyle of careless living. Kristofferson had attended a religious service by Jimmy Rodgers Snow. (Jimmy Rodgers Snow is a pastor in Nashville who was once a contemporary of Elvis. As Elvis’ career was beginning, Jimmy eschewed the rock’n’roll career and became a full time minister in 1958.) Some even described “Why Me Lord” as a “personal religious rephrasing of ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’” which detail the twisting emotional and physiological pathway that follows long Saturday nights of overindulgence.

The lyrics of “Sunday Morning Coming Down” creatively contrast the misdeeds of Saturdays with the youthful memories of the joy, comfort and peace of Sundays. In spite of the discomfort, the lyricist describes the jubilation of Sunday that enfolds the neighborhood in sights and sounds of families being together. As we listen to the beautiful music and ponder the meaning of the lyrics, may we also recall the pleasant memories of life in which the presence of God has been revealed to us.

In Christ,
Jon McCoy