Twenty minutes ago, on Friday, March 13th 2012, I got back from the most life affirming concert I have ever been to. It was a Switchfoot concert. At that Switchfoot concert, there was a boy. This boy’s name was Jordan and it was Jordan’s birthday. Because it was Jordan’s birthday, the lead singer of Switchfoot, Jon, allowed Andrew to pick the next song on the set list. And it was 24. And I screamed. Loudly. Incredibly loud.
24 is hands down my favorite song in the entire world and is that song that is actually responsible for me being saved. I was raised in a Christian home with Christian parents and a good wholesome atmosphere but let’s face it. Being saved is not somewhere you live, its something you are. I heard the song 24 my sophomore year of college in a faith and popular culture class and it instantly changed my life.
If you have never heard the song 24, then just know that it is a song that goes down a list of different things and includes that there are 24 of them, i.e. “24 reasons to admit that I’m wrong. All my excuses still 24 strong. 24 finds me in 24th place” etc and so forth. The song is about being divided. The singer feels like they are being pulled into 24 different directions and at the end of the day he realizes that there is unity in himself through Christ Jesus. My favorite lyric of the song is
I’m singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
You’re raising the dead in me
Oh, oh I am the second man
Is that not the most beautiful lyric ever. So knowing that Switchfoot was a Christian band, I looked it up. There are two versions of the second man listed in the Bible. One is an allusion to Jesus Christ. Adam is the first man and Jesus is the second. Death through Adam and life through Christ but that is something that every Christian semi knows
The second man is also about Jacob as indicated by the lyric “wrestle an angel for more than a name”. The story of Jacob’s name change touched my life in more way than one. Jacob refuse to stopping wrestling the angel and in turn, God, until he blessed him. Is that not the most beautiful message? Needless to say, tonight goes down as one of the best nights of my life thanks to Jordan, Chris O’Connor and CAB.
And to top it all off I was close enough to touch the hem of the lead singers garment. Swoon.
