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Open Hearts and Minds

I have a confession. I had never heard of Bad Bunny until he was signed to be the entertainer at Super Bowl LX! I know....you are shocked, but it is true. I had no idea who he was! All I knew was that some people were super excited to experience the halftime show and some people were not. Great! Another thing to argue about! So, instead of listening to all the noise (meaning the incorrect information and untruths that were being thrown around) I did some research. Here is what I found.....

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio was born March 10, 1994 (this makes him 31 years old) and is known professionally as Bad Bunny. He is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, record producer, and occasional professional wrestler. Dubbed the "King of Latin Trap", he is widely credited with helping Spanish-language rap reach mainstream global popularity and is considered one of the greatest Latino rappers of all time. 

Bad Bunny has said, "I wasn't the kid who got involved in the streets. I liked to be at home with my family.” He attended church weekly with his devoutly Catholic mother and sang in the church choir until age thirteen. His stage name originated from a time when he was forced to wear a bunny costume and was annoyed about it. 

He is also an activist and promoter of social justice, especially for Puerto Rico (a territory of the United States). Bad Bunny criticized the lack of humanitarian aid in the wake of Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in September 2017. Later the same year, Bad Bunny performed at Somos Live! Telethon, a benefit concert for hurricane relief across Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Caribbean. He has spoken out for gay and transgender rights and against corruption in government. 

Yes, my friends, Bad Bunny performed at the Super Bowl completely in Spanish. And yes, I didn't understand any of the words. That's on me because I have never taken the time to learn Spanish. But I did understand the beautiful (and Biblical) messages embedded in his performance - joy, love, the importance of family and friendship, diversity, the richness of culture and tradition, anti-hate, humanitarianism, love of neighbor, encouraging one another and so much more. I mean, seriously, how could you not feel happy and hopeful during that performance? I felt like one of the disciples at Pentecost......"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:4) No, I don't speak Spanish, but I completely understood the whole performance!

God calls us to open our hearts and minds to new ways of thinking and living and to appreciate the great tapestry of diversity that makes up all of Creation. I encourage you to move beyond "the noise", the twisted truths, the lies and the hatred that fuels them and live out Bad Bunny's message as we remember that.....

"The only thing more powerful than hate, is love" - Bad Bunny

Grace and Peace

-Pastor Madeline