Pastor John Van Sloten

This Sunday I’ll be preaching on Regina Spektor’s hit song, “Laughing with…” It’s a poignant commentary on God and faith. Here’s the link – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rov3pV9PsRI What do you think God is saying through this artist’s musings?

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laughing at God

Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, November 12 2009 @ 12:03 AM PST
Wow, I was hoping if I left this a few days someone might comment…
I guess not!
The main thing I get out of her song (which is probably the most obvious
thing) is the idea that when life is peachy keen we don’t need God, and so
the idea of a creator and saviour is laughable. I mean, who needs God when
you’ve got more money than you need, a perfect house, delicious food, and
all the fun you can handle? It’s like the man who stored up all the food in
his barns and thought “I’ve got it made.” In our affluence it is easy to feel
like we’re in control and that we can handle anything.
Of course when things go wrong it’s like the floor falls out and people
wonder what they’ve done to deserve it. All of a sudden they HOPE they’re
not in control, because they have no idea how to fix it. That’s when the idea
of God maybe isn’t so laughable or unneeded. All of a sudden it’s like
“Somebody save me!” Of course when things go well again it’s just as easy
to forget the one that helped you out. You can convince yourself it was
really you.
But back to the guy that built up his barn… we can’t forget that God said,
“You FOOL! Tonight you die, and then what will become of your wealth?”
That line makes me think of “we’re laughing with God.” Maybe we think
we’re laughing at him, but ultimately he is in control and maybe he is
laughing with us because of our ignorance. Not that I think he would take
pleasure in our suffering or ignorance, it’s more the meaning behind the
words than the literal interpretation.
It’s easy to believe there is no God when you walk through life meeting all of
your own needs and feeling like you’re the center of the universe. Maybe
another Galileo needs to come along and say, “Um, actually, you’re not in
the centre. You’re just a part of a huge galaxy.”
Again, this seems to be the very base, surface meaning of the song, but that
is what hit me about it first, so I thought I’d share since no one else did. I
know there are probably a lot deeper interpretations out there and I hope
someone posts one or two!

laughing at God
Authored by: Anonymous on Sunday, November 22 2009 @ 06:00 PM PST
This song tells us to always have fellowhip with God–not just when we need Him.

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Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, November 28 2009 @ 03:51 PM PST
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