---

Posted by UnderDawg on 08-23-2009 at13:00:

  Hide the Beer......in church?

Okay, a few weeks ago, we hosted Terry, Steve and Andrew here in the backyard. We had almost 40 people including our pastor and her husband (yeah, female clergy. We love her). We had fajitas and beer and a great time. She LOVED "Hide the Beer, the Pastors Here". She worked a sermon around the song and we did it this morning.

We even did a video that showed a preacher coming to someone's door. They hide their beer so that he won't see it. He invites them to church and they offer him some water. When the homeowner goes to the fridge, it's full of beer, except for a bottled water labeled "Emergencies Only". The preacher thanks them, goes home, changes into regular clothes, sits in front of the game on the TV and pops open a beer.

I rewrote the verses to go with this premise and kept the chorus. Here's how it went...


Pushing a cart in the super mart
A corkscrew and cups is a real good start
A secret party tonight...in the back yard
Grab some beer, grab some wine
Cuban cigars would be real fine
There's a six-pack to hide...on the shopping cart side
Let's make some margaritas!

Hide the beer, the pastor's here
Hide the beer, think of your career
She might find out that we're human beins'
And bring us all down to the rack and the ruin

Standing in line before movietime
Heroes and gangsters and big-city crime
Hope no one sees me...in the back row
I rented a disc for my TV
It came in the mail so no one would see
What I'm watching tonight...I'd be in for a fight
If they knew what I was doin'!

When the coast is clear, we can watch it, dear
Together we'll have hell to pay
So hide the beer, the pastor's here
Put the "R" rated movie away

Yeah, hide the beer, the pastor's here
Hide the beer, think of your career
She might find out that we're human beins'
And bring us all down to the rack and the ruin

Hiding in our shells, in our private hells
No one knows what's ringing our bells
But God knows all....all our secrets
Lust and hate we try to hide
But these sins won't stay inside
Here's a secret for you....the pastor sins too
None of us are worthy!

Yeah, hide the beer, the pastor's here
Hide the beer, think of your career
She might find out that we're human beins'
And bring us all down to the rack and the ruin


So, whaddaya think? I was concerned how it would play in church, but everyone seemed to "get it". I'd really like some feedback to see what you think, in case we play it again sometime soon.

I always wanted to do some of Terry's music at church, but I never would have guessed it would have been this!

---

Posted by Ritchie_az on 08-24-2009 at00:08:



Pretty creative.

Reminds me of a friend who showed up at a children's ministry meeting with a six-pack of bud light. He had emptied the contents through a small hole in the bottom of each can.
You would not believe the controversy that started. We knew him real well and had a good laugh, but not long later him and his wife found a different church.

---

Posted by UnderDawg on 08-24-2009 at05:44:

 

This was (and is) my concern. Will people begin to talk and get angry, cause a backlash? I hope not, but you can never tell in a church environment how things will go over.

The pastor had nametags handed out during the service that said "Hello My Name Is" and in the blank space was written "As Is". The point being that God takes us as we are, flaws and all. Perhaps we don't invite friends to church because we don't want them to think that they'll feel like they can't be themselves around us when they think we are christians. While we are to be in the world, not of it, we are still sinners and we shouldn't be afraid to be "human bein's" in front of others. A witness that God loves us even in our sinfulness. Hopefully, it made everyone think.

---

Posted by MarkyMark77 on 08-24-2009 at09:23:

 

I used to worry about reactions to things like this, but not any more. If the concept you're talking about is Biblical, and you're not doing something unbiblical to teach about it, then there's no problem. People will get offended, often over something that has nothing to do anything Biblical. When they do, they need to be rebuked.

BTW, I wondered what kind of response Terry would get at our church with this song. I knew most people wouldn't have any issue, but I was curious what people might say. Terry had a long introduction to the song, though, and it was made very clear what the song was about. Usually, when you clearly explain what's going on, there's no issue (usually). The problem comes when things are sometimes left to interpretation.

---

Posted by anochria on 08-24-2009 at11:22:

 

I can say with confidence that Terry would get a warm reception in our church community with Hide the Beer....

They're always hiding their beers from me

---

Posted by MarkyMark77 on 08-24-2009 at17:01:

 

Many people at my church remarked that we'd have to hide the beer when the pastor comes because he'd drink it!

---

Posted by Mountain Fan on 08-26-2009 at14:15:

 

in jr high, i once took an empty beer can and cleaned it up and pretended to drink out of it while walking home from school just to see if i would get in any trouble. nothing happened, though

---

Posted by joey on 08-26-2009 at16:15:

RE: Hide the Beer......in church?

i've had a beer with my pastor...



of course he does not condone drunkenness....

---

Posted by Mountain Fan on 08-27-2009 at12:42:

 

i think they should let the adults have an easter beer hunt while the kids go around collecting eggs

---

Posted by Audiori J on 08-27-2009 at21:37:

 

---

Posted by anochria on 08-28-2009 at17:24:

 

quote:

Originally posted by MarkyMark77 Many people at my church remarked that we'd have to hide the beer when the pastor comes because he'd drink it!

That's exactly what I meant