A Trip to Toronto and a Rock Show to Remember

It’s taken me a few weeks to process it all but now it’s time to write and share…

In mid-September I had the privilege of taking a journey with my friend Andrew from Halifax to Toronto to see U2 play at the Roger's Centre. The road trip (traveled in my 1985 Mercedes veggie-mobile that runs on both waste vegetable oil and diesel) was quite the adventure and the night of the concert was an evening I will never forget.

The age-old desire to be taken to that “Other Place” was our reason for going and we were not disappointed! The breaking open of paradigms and the slaying of dragons was the order of the day for our conversation along the way. While good company, deep reflection, serious soul searching, and a lot of laughs describe my experience. In the words of Bono:

Here's where we gotta be
Love and community
Laughter is eternity
If joy is real

The night of the concert was an evening filled with worship, joy, the call to live justly, and great Rock & Roll. It was awesome!

It's the incredibly inspiring blend and integration of music, worship, prophetic message, and mission that makes U2 not only so attractive to me, but also such an important voice in our contemporary world.

As it is at any U2 concert, politics, faith, and activism for human rights and democracy were addressed loud and clear. The clarion call for faith, hope, and love rang out in the Toronto skyline.

For me, the opening of the show was the best part of the concert. Standing about one hundred feet from the center of the stage, I was blown away by the 1st and 4th songs – Breathe and Magnificent – two of the best on the new album. If you don’t know them, get to know them!

After the 164-foot high “claw” started smoking to David Bowie’s Space Oddity we were rocked with the haunting, tempestuous start to Breath.

As I looked up into the cool clear Toronto night, the Dome wide-open, I joined Bono, belting out words of worship and freedom:

Every day I die again, and again I'm reborn
Every day I have to find the courage
To walk out into the street
With arms out
Got a love you can’t defeat
Neither down or out
There's nothing you have that I need
I can breathe
Breathe now…

Walk out, into the sunburst street
Sing your heart out, sing my heart out
I've found grace inside a sound
I found grace, it's all that I found
And I can breathe
Breathe now

An truly unforgettable moment in my life!

Then Magnificent. What a great tune. All I can say is I've been singing the following words for the past three weeks:

Justified till we die, you and I will magnify
The Magnificent
Magnificent
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love unites our hearts



God’s Magnificent Spirit drew me into The Presence in a remarkable way on this night in Toronto.

One of U2's best songs, Walk On, was the final song of the main set. It was dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has been under house arrest in Burma/Myanmar for the better part of 20 years. A powerful symbolic act was carried out when dozens of people from the concert where brought up to walk the catwalk that separated the inner floor section from the main floor section and then stand with a photo of Aung San Suu Kyi in front of their face for the entirety of the song.

“Wake Up! Stand Up!” for the way of justice and freedom was the unmistakable message.

Walk On is U2's word of hope and encouragement for us: hope for those who seek God’s full restoration; and encouragement along the way for those who’ve packed a bag “for a place none of us has been, a place that has to be believed to be seen.” A heart of love is the only thing that we can take (or that can take us!) to the place of liberation and freedom.

Before the song One, which opened the first encore, we heard a short homily from a beaming Desmond Tutu, another Nobel Peace Prize winner, who talked about “the kind of people” who make a difference in the world. What a treat! Right in the middle of a Rock show, Archbishop Tutu invited everyone to join the One Campaign and to work toward seeing an end to extreme poverty in the world. One life. One hope. One love.

After One, Bono played a solo rendition of Amazing Grace that moved right into Where the Streets Have No Name. The tension and spiritual conflict this brought on was palpable. In a moment of worship and surrender, a person yelled out “What the hell is this?” Ironic. All I could do was smile and thank God for a public, prophetic proclamation of God’s amazing grace at this time and in this place.

In classic U2 fashion, the show ended with doxology. Moment of Surrender was the song of choice. A clarion call for us to “fold to our knees” – to take pause, to slow down, to notice the passer by. This was a moment for me to get back…

To my heart
To the rhythm of my soul
To the rhythm of my unconsciousness
To the rhythm that yearns
To be released from control

This powerful moment of surrender was one more opportunity for those “with eyes to see and ears to hear” to enter into solidarity with each other and with their Maker.

As I walk away from this mid-September adventure I feel compelled to think much more deeply of the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13.13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

This was a truly memorable trip and a truly remarkable night of worship and first rate Rock music. It was an experience for which I thank and praise our Magnificent Lord and an experience that will help blaze the future direction of my journey in this world.

Here's some pictures from the Toronto show:
Various
The Claw

SIKSAY INTRODUCES DEPARTMENT OF PEACE BILL

The following GREAT NEWS is on the website of Bill Siksay, NDP MP. See: Department of Peace Bill

SIKSAY INTRODUCES DEPARTMENT OF PEACE BILL

30 Sep 09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 30, 2009

SIKSAY INTRODUCES DEPARTMENT OF PEACE BILL


OTTAWA – Today, in the House of Commons, Bill Siksay, MP (Burnaby Douglas), tabled a private member’s bill which would establish a federal Department of Peace. A broadly mandated Department of Peace would create a governmental infrastructure with a mandate to promote a culture of peace and nonviolent resolution of conflict in Canada and abroad. It would also establish a Canadian Civilian Peace Service to further professionalize peace work by Canadians. The bill is based on a model developed by the Canadian Department of Peace Initiative.

“The promotion of peace should not be a secondary pursuit of our government or of our Minister of Foreign Affairs. It deserves its own minister, its own department, and its own resources dedicated to that task. The bill would put peace front and centre,” said Siksay.

The bill was seconded by the Hon. Jim Karygiannis, P.C., M.P. (Scarborough-Agincourt), who said, “Canadians believe that this country has a particular calling to promote peace and non-violence around the world. This bill will enshrine those values in the structure of our government. We’re proudest of our leaders who put peace in the forefront of their work.”

“Canadian Department of Peace Initiative (CDPI) and our partner organizations across Canada consider this to be a momentous occasion. Bill Siksay's private members bill should make the government realize the deep longing among the electorate for a culture of peace at home and abroad and nonviolent resolution of conflicts – the need to bring peace through peaceful means. We hope that this bill will be a significant step towards building institutions for long-term research and policy action for sustainable peace,” noted Bill Bhaneja and Saul Arbess CDPI Co-Chairs.

"The creation of a Department of Peace for Canada is a significant step in restoring Canada's reputation as a peacebuilder and peacemaker. In recent years Canada has lost its way in international affairs; it is no longer regarded as a trusted, independent Middle Power. Canada's credibility and influence in this regard must be restored the creation of a Department of Peace is a major first step in this direction," said Gord Breedyk, Co Chair Civilian Peace Service Canada (CPSC)

“The launch of a comprehensive Department of Peace would advance the cause of peace in Canada and throughout the world,” concluded Siksay.


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