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A Savior for Adele
by Tim KimberleyApril 13th, 2012
22 Comments
I couldn’t get the grin off my face as I watched Adele perform at the 2012 Grammy Award Ceremony. I thought the moment was magical, a great feat of the human spirit.
In 2009, Adele burst onto the scene with her first album entitled 19. Her albums, so far, are named after her age at the time of creating the album. The track, Chasing Pavements, was an instant hit. Her debut album earned her 2 Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist.
Adele released her second album, 21, in early 2011. The album, amazingly, surpassed the success of her debut. Adele won six Grammy Awards in 2012, including Album of the Year. The first three singles from 21: “Rolling in the Deep”, “Someone Like You” and “Set Fire to the Rain” are setting unprecedented records. She currently has the longest running number one album by a female in Billboard history.
I like Adele’s spunky attitude. She reminds me a bit of my youngest daughter. When Karl Lagerfeld, head of Chanel, referred to Adele as being “a little too fat” she responded with graceful wit. “I’ve never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines,” she said, “I represent the majority of women and I’m very proud of that.” Karl Lagerfeld quickly apologized in wake of the public outcry while Adele’s stock continued to rise. In a recent Rolling Stone article she stated, “I don’t make music for eyes. I make music for ears.” You gotta’ love that.
In October of 2011, life took an abrupt turn for Adele. What happened next is why I couldn’t stop grinning as I watched her 2012 Grammy performance. Adele was forced to cancel two shows due to a “vocal cord hemmorhage.” She later released a statement saying she would need an extended period of rest in order to avoid permanent damage to her voice. What? Can you believe that? One of the most gifted young artists might be done. That’s it, Adele burned bright for a couple years and tragically lost her voice, never to return.
In December of 2011, Adele took a huge risk. She underwent throat surgery in the hopes of restoring her voice. If the surgery was a failure, her career would be downhill from here. When Adele stepped up to the microphone for her 2012 Grammy performance, the question in everyone’s mind was, “Did she get her voice back?” Here is her Grammy performance:
I couldn’t believe how confidently she belted out “Rolling in the Deep.” It was a magical moment of the human spirit. A woman, made in the image of God, triumphantly brought beauty from ashes. She showed the world her voice had returned in all its glory. I loved seeing Paul McCartney going nuts at the end of that video. Adele is on track to break Beatles records, and Paul is cheering her on.
Adele’s story, however, is ultimately sad to me. Yes, she has her voice back. Yes, she is financially comfortable. Yes, she is spunky as ever. She even shocked music fans recently by telling people she’s taking a break for 5 years just to live a little and have a bit less drama in her life. It looks like her next album will be 26 or 27.
In one of her acceptance speeches for 21, Adele explained the reason she wrote her album. She says, “It’s inspired by something everyone has gone through…just a rubbish relationship.” Yes, she’s British, so she uses the word rubbish. Did you catch that? One of the most successful albums in recent history is based on a rubbish relationship.
Adele’s experience at a young age of a relationship gone bad sparked in her a deep-seated powerful response. Why does a bad relationship spark such a passionate expression? What causes a 19 and 21 year old girl to respond in such a way?
Her yearning for a good relationship shows we are made to yearn for good relationships. A bad relationship where someone is left, cheated on, and forsaken awakens in us an instinct for something rather someone greater. We are left to seek a faithful relationship where we are never forsaken.
Adele has answered her personal injustice in a way that will ultimately disappoint her. In her song entitled “Turning Tables” she reveals her response to a rubbish relationship. She says:
So I won’t let you close enough to hurt me
No, I won’t ask you, you to just desert me…
Next time I’ll be braver,
I’ll be my own savior
Standing on my own two feet.
Her response to being let down in a deep relationship is to no longer look to anyone outside to fill that gap. She is going to fill her own yearnings for a good relationship. She is going to be her own savior.
Adele, there is a Savior for you. In your song “Turning Tables” you end up being the savior. I think you will end up disappointing yourself. The real Savior for humanity did overturn tables. He overturned tables because he was zealous for you. He didn’t care who was gawking at Him, He wanted you to never be alone. You need more than a rubbish relationship. He promises,”I will never leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
This has been true in my own life. I’ve been in a relationship with Jesus for 15 years and it’s never been rubbish. Adele, as you’re taking a few years off from music would you consider the One I believe you’re most yearning to have. You’re album 27 could be a beautiful response to a beautiful relationship. Your Savior is named Jesus.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30)
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22 Comments
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Great one, Tim. I can relate to Adele about the rubbishness.
Hope she somehow gets to read this.
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I’m not a contemporary music guy, so this is the first time I’ve ever heard of Adele.
I too, hope and pray, that she finds the risen Christ.
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Yeah, the first time I heard of her was when you read me this @credo. Great read. Downloaded the song on the blog from iTunes blast you!
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*jealous not zealous? Good blog otherwise. Feel free to delete this comment.
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Just reading this has made me go listen to some Adele.
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Awesome post Tim. Really enjoyed reading this.
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Beautiful. How could anyone say no to that?
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She might already be saved.
Is she baptized?
Then it would be up to God whether or not He would keep her in the promise of that baptism.
(I tried to make a comment on the last post concerning baptism…but for some reason was unable to…but it is still pertinent with Adele)
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This reminds me of the mystery of suffering – why do we have to hurt, and be hurt? Why do we still grapple with weakness and failure after receiving God’s eternal Spirit?
Only God can truly satisfy; and if I had to describe Heaven, this would be part of it: it is where our souls are completely satisfied and content – not with ourselves, not with externals, but with God in us and among us.
While yet on earth, we cannot be satisfied, truly, with ourselves, or with things, and certainly not without God in our lives, at least in some way.
“The LORD is my shepherd, [I am truly satisfied in Him] . . .”.
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@Chad – Good to hear from you my friend. Glad you enjoyed the post. Swing into the Credo House sometime and we can catch up over some coffee.
@Steve Martin – I considered researching and trying to find out Adele’s religious background. I came to the realization it didn’t matter from one perspective. Whatever her background has been she still needs Jesus today. Adele’s lyrics show someone searching for a Savior.
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Tim,
You are right. We ALL need Jesus today.
We all wander off, again and again and again.
I wanted to make some of these points in the last post about ‘does baptism save us’ (or something like that title)…but I think maybe the comments are closed. In any event I could not make a comment there.
But this Adele question could help us understand baptism and what God does in baptism. I too, do not know if she has been baptized, but if she were how could any of us say that God would not be faithful to her in those promises that He made to her in her baptism?
In Romans 6, Paul tells us that “we were put to death with Christ, and then raised with Christ to new life”.
In Galatians, Paul tells us that “all who have been baptized have put on Christ.”
In 1st Peter we are told that “Baptism now saves us.”
Can and does God save apart from Baptism? Sure! We agree with that. But the Scriptures make it quite clear that He has decided to save in Baptism, as well.
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Hi Tim,
Steve Martin is a devout Confessional Lutheran. If I’m not mistaken, Confessional Lutherans believe in Baptismal Regeneration. Is that right, Steve?
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T,U, and D.,
You are correct. I’m a Lutheran.
We Lutherans view the sacraments of Holy Baptism and The Lord’s Supper, exactly the same way we view our Lord Jesus. Fully of man…and yet fully of God.
And when the Lord Jesus commands that we baptize…we believe He fully intends to be in it, for us.
Thanks.
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Hi Steve,
Do Lutherans also teach that some baptized Lutherans might end up in Hell even though they’ve been baptized?
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T,U, and D.,
Sure we do. We teach that ultimately everyone’s salvation depends on what God does with them. He alone knows the heart.
But we aren’t shy about teaching all the verses that point to baptism as grounds for assurance…because God is the One who wanted us to baptize and to be baptized. And because we believe that it is an external Word, a tangible and visable Word that we can rely on…so that we won’t have to look inward to our feelings of being saved, or our works, our anything.
So that we might have faith in God (and what He has done), rather than having faith in our faith.
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“Hi Steve,
Do Lutherans also teach that some baptized Lutherans might end up in Hell even though they’ve been baptized?”
Steve Martin: “T,U, and D.,
Sure we do. We teach that ultimately everyone’s salvation depends on what God does with them. He alone knows the heart.”
Suppose a caring Confessional Lutheran pastor meets some antinomian baptized Lutherans. These antinomian baptized Lutherans are so wicked and perverted that the caring Lutheran pastor warns them to turn away and repent.
The antinomian baptized Lutherans dismiss him and his warnings with the reminder to him that they are baptized Lutherans.
The caring Lutheran pastor starts to wonder about the Lutheran doctrine of baptismal regeneration that has led to seeing such antinomian Lutherans reject biblical counsel and correction because the antinomian Lutherans keep touting their baptism.
What would you say to the Lutheran pastor, Steve?
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T,U,and D.,
Any Lutheran pastor worth his or her salt would know that the life of the Christian is repentance and forgiveness.
They could pour some law on them. Maybe they’d repent…maybe not.
But ultimately our salvation depends upon God and not ‘our’ repentance. Would you want to stand before Christ Jesus on the basis of how well you have repented of all of your sins?
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“Any Lutheran pastor worth his or her salt would know that the life of the Christian is repentance and forgiveness.”
So you believe that women can be ordained Lutheran pastors?
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T,U, and D.,
It sounds to me like you might have a problem with the graciousness of God’s Baptism.
That’s OK…but that may not be something that I can help you with.
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Quite often the issue for those who are opposed to God actually working His forgiveness in Baptism, is that it takes away from what ‘they have done’…or ‘haven’t done’.
It places the entire onus on God. And, quite frankly, many of us do not like that.
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Steve Martin,
Are you a member of a Lutheran church or denomination that ordains women as pastors?
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Sorry to thread necromance, but I can’t help noting TU&D’s obvious dodge and redirect. Wow. It’s sort of like “You’ve explained the Lutheran view on baptism very well, and I can’t really refute it, so I SEE YOU MIGHT BE IN FAVOR OF WOMEN’S ORDINATION! Let’s talk about that!” Hey, look, a pony!
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