When was the last time you heard the word "brothel" popping up in a Christian song?  When did you ever read of a line like "walking to the red lights/cheap thrills on a costly night" on a CD sleeve of a Christian artist?  When has such moral faux pas existed conterminously on a disc with the theological erudition of Jonathan Edwards and John Bunyan?  And when has ever an artist entitled his record based on an obscure verse from the Old Testament book of Numbers?  Matt Papa is not the Christianized version of Marilyn Mason; he is not out to shock for the sake of the thrill of his ghastly antics.  Rather, Papa is one of the most penetrating Christian artists today.  Like Jesus Christ when He was preaching His "Sermon on the Mount," Papa is not afraid to unveil how heinous and odious sin is.  He is not afraid to call sin for what it is.  And he is not reticent to be ruthlessly violent in his rhetoric against sin.  Yet, "Look and Live" is not a damning legalistic record.  When Papa sings also about grace, second chances, forgiveness and the redemption offered on the Cross, he gets even more exorbitant with his high energy ringing theatrical rock.  Matt Papa is a minister & recording artist based out of Raleigh, North Carolina where he lives with his wife, Lauren, & their three daughters, Paisley, Stella, & Sofi. Currently, he serves as an Artist-In-Residence & Worship Leader at The Summit Church in Durham.

For Papa, music is not just the stringing together of words and melodies.  Rather, his songs are sermons set to music.  Just as every Godly sermon is grounded in a Scripture text; "Look and Live" builds its Scriptural cynosure around Numbers 21. In this passage of scripture, the Israelites have turned away from God in idolatrous rebellion when they kept complaining and grumbling.  God in his righteous anger sent serpents to bite them. And when the people cried out to God for mercy, God created a bronze serpent for them to 'look and live."  Jesus in the New Testament takes up the typology and tells us that looks to Him and we will be saved.  Thus, on "Live and Learn," Papa explores this theme of idolatry and grace with striking perspicuity.  Papa goes right to the genesis of our hell-bent towards idolatry with the "All for Your Glory."  Papa masterfully re-tells the creation story of how God created the universe for His glory.  Instead of living for God's glory, Papa goes on to lament on how we as human beings have fallen away.  Yet, this longing God has created in our hearts never goes away despite our rebellion.  And this is beautifully brought out in the instrumental "Sehnsucht" (which is a German word for "yearning") expressing our unexplainable God-ordained craving for the Divine.

Taking his cue from the Puritan preacher/author Jonathan Edwards, "The Ocean" tells us that the enjoyments we experienced here on earth, be it the sunlight or the beautiful sea, are only "shadows" leading us to God who is our substance.  Lead single "Show Me Your Glory" is the sine qua non of the album:  it teaches that in order for us to forgo our addictions to our idols we need a bigger thrill; a larger-than-life addiction and that is nothing short of the glory of God.  The thumping drums, the blast of the electric guitars and Papa's crescendo building vocals truly bring out God's glory in its brightest arrays.  Yet, when is God at his most glorious?  It was when He was on the Cross.  "The Crucible of God (Gethsemane), "The Son of God Arises" and "The Song of An Angel (Who is this King?)" deal with the Cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  A word needs to be said about "The Crucible of God (Gethsemane):" this is an epic theatrical piece that unfolds with the song's narrative line as we walk with Jesus on the last night before He died.  A piece of deftly piece of historic drama; "Gethsemane" comes alive with the Jim Steinman-esque electric guitar and percussion laden crescendo.

With our culture's obsession with pornography and fornication, "At the Brothel" deals with the heart of the issue: we don't dare to be naked enough.  We do not realize that our ultimate desire for intimacy is much deeper than just on a fleshy level.  Rather, true intimacy is only found when our souls find Jesus Christ.  "A Pilgrim's Progress (Keep Running)" brings the album full circle back to God.  An intimate ballad written by Papa in one of his most vulnerable times; this is a track that will offer us the perseverance to keep running to our Father in our most trying times.  "Look and Live" is indeed more than just a mere marriage of words and melodies.  Rather, these are fourteen homilies wrapped around a voice that is not afraid to speak the truth where idolatry and grace are concerned.  So, may these songs lead us to look to Jesus and may we truly live.