The Beauty of Hozier's Church | Audio Review

If you like this song,
you might not want to watch/read this...

At first this song seems great, "take me to church." That's what our culture needs to hear. Although there is a natural need for worship, the singer lacks absolution. Although he has practiced a sort of love and communion, it ends.

The music video relays the story of idolaters. The two main characters are homosexuals who attempt to burry their secret. They fail. Their worship of sexuality is severely punished. The other characters who find the secret judge the others. They break into the main character's house, drag him out, and burn him alive with his secret. They worship legalism. They bow down to the Law.

The Law is a good thing. But, apart from Grace, (just like everything else) it is nothing.

Tullian calls this sort of legalism/idolatry cheep Law. The accusers believe that they are able to build utopia. They can create a culture free from sin. They just need to burn up their neighbors in order to do so. They're too blinded by the plank in their eye to see what their hands are doing. They don't have a view of deep Law, but only cheep Law. They don't realize that no one can complete the Law other than The One who has already done so. They don't realize that their sin is just as bad as their neighbors. All of these characters long to worship, but do not recognize the One to worship...

Our world cries out for Church. But, if in Church only the Law is found..... Then, that's not Church at all. (Need an example, check out what Jesus says to the Pharisees, the brood of vipers and white washed tombs...)

The Church is a place for sinners...
If you have to be perfect to be welcomed in,
the Church's doors would have all been closed a long, long, time ago.

Once, you understand the meaning of this song, its disturbing. But, it should be. The hard fact is that the world needs Church. But, the caring, loving, grace-filled, people have often become little more than an empty, hardened, condemning steeple.