"Venice is Sinking" by Ross King

A while back I said I would share a song with you and explain what the message of the song is and how it relates to Scripture. Since Ross King's music has been ministering to me a lot lately, I thought I'd share another one of my favorites with you.

"Venice is Sinking" is written from the point of view of a gondolier who takes tourists on rides down the water ridden streets of Venice. Throughout the whole song, he comments on how Venice is sinking deeper and deeper into its own sewer system, and yet no one ever does anything to solve the problem. They just put band-aid solutions on it, and while they stay afloat a little while longer, the problem only worsens.

Now I don't think Ross King is that concerned about the welfare of the city of Venice. Rather, I'd say this is an allegory to how too often we treat things that we deal with in our walk with Christ. Issues come up, problems arise, and rather than deal with the heart of the matter, we want to put band-aid solutions on it. We go to exciting churches with huge services to feel closer to God, but we don't take the time to study and meditate on His word and pray in earnest. We plan program after program after program to try and bring the people into the church, but do nothing to invest in their lives and show them the love of Christ that attracted the likes of Matthew, Zaccheus, and Mary Magdalene. We grit our teeth in frustration that we can't overcome a particular sin, and yet we make no changes in our daily habits to avoid temptation. Ross King's song is a warning that one day band-aid solutions won't be enough. We can only raise our streets for so long before the water is too high to rise above.

Jesus, Matthew 5:30, tells us that if any part of us causes to sin, to cut it off. It's better to go into heaven with parts missing than to go to hell whole. Now, I don't think he was being literal--otherwise, we would all be missing hands and eyes--but I do think what he's saying is deal with the problem. If something holds you back from growing in Christ, get rid of it. Don't just raise your sidewalks. Deal with the problem.

Feel free to comment or ask questions. I'm always here.

Keep Soaring,

B