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Lenny Kravitz’s “The Resurrection” is a great Lenten meditation

J-P Mauro - published on 03/09/18

This seasoned rock star has a long history of faith.
Look what He’s done to me Now I am living in another space and time He walked on the righteous path To keep us from Satan’s wrath We are not alone And we’re going home

Lenny Kravitz has had a long, successful career as a singer/songwriter, with 10 albums since 1988 and another one on the way. He has performed on some of the biggest stages, played the Super Bowl halftime show, and even broken into acting: appearing in such films as Precious and The Hunger Games. He released this powerful Christian-themed tune, “The Resurrection,” on his 1995 album, Circus.

“The Ressurrection” opens with Kravitz playing acoustic guitar and slowly builds in a style similar to “Stairway to Heaven.” The lyrics are unabashedly Christian, speaking of the glory of the Resurrection of Christ and the salvation of all the souls trapped in Purgatory. It’s more than just a meditation; it’s a really good rock song that you’ll want to play again and again.

Kravitz has never been shy about proclaiming his faith. In 2015, he shared a story of one of his faith’s most formative moments with Huffington Post. As a boy, Kravitz had a spot in the California Boys Choir, which had a training regimen so intensive and physically taxing that he became sick. While recovering in the infirmary, he was afforded time to strike up a conversation with another boy who was similarly afflicted, and that’s when the boy started telling him about Jesus.

“He starts telling me all about Christ and all this scripture and things, just talking to me and reading to me,” Kravitz continues. “It’s quite interesting because you have these two young boys just sitting there talking and having this great conversation about God and love and Christ.” Though Kravitz hadn’t been raised in a particularly religious household — his father‘s family was Jewish and his mother was Christian — Kravitz was deeply moved by the discussion with his fellow choir member. “I can’t explain it to you, but the presence of God was in the room,” Kravitz says. “I’m talking about something really heavy and thick, and the two of us felt it. It was something that just kind of came over us. We were both crying because whatever this presence was, was so overwhelming that it just hit you in your spirit… We were having an experience with God.” That moment helped solidify Kravitz’s belief that God is truly everywhere. “The spirit, the being, the power that created me was right there with me,” he says. “I didn’t need to go to anybody to deal with God. It was just right there. It was a personal experience.”

In 1993, Kravitz released one of the greatest rock songs ever, “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” He has admitted this song is about Jesus, who he has referred to as “The Ultimate Rock Star.” “Are You Gonna Go My Way” has a frantic beat that reflects how “God gives choice to man about where to turn.”

Kravitz doesn’t just write songs about God; his faith guides his life decisions. In 2009, he opened up to The Telegraph about his decision to become celibate. As a rock star, the temptation of vices is in no short supply. After one instance where he succumbed to these temptations, he made a decision not to repeat his mistake.

“I was doing my normal thing and I was with somebody, and I remember waking up in the morning thinking, ‘What am I doing?’ It’s not that I was all over the place. It’s not, like, groupies or somebody you’d pick up on the street. I didn’t carry on like that. It was somebody that I know. But it was still, ‘What am I doing? And why?’ And that morning I was just talking to God, as I do, and I said, ‘You got to help me to stop this. I just really want to stop this.’ And that was the day that it changed.” He continued, “It took years to get it right. To actually do it, and really try to walk the walk and not just talk it. It’s not like it’s not important – I think sex and intimacy and all that is very important. It’s just that I’m going to do it with my wife.” He laughs. “And not everybody else.”

Tags:
Christian MusicLentPop Music
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