Listening for God in the lyrics
Pastor finds messages for young audiences in the words of Twenty One Pilots songs
Pastor Justin Ulmer found inspiration for his latest series of sermons in an unusual place — the lyrics of popular rock band Twenty One Pilots.
For example, when singer Tyler Joseph cries out, “Jumpsuit, cover me,” in the song “Jumpsuit,” the pastor imagines how the Holy Spirit can engulf and protect someone.
In “Chlorine,” Ulmer hears about an ultimate cleaning agent — God’s words. In “Bandito,” he envisions a description of a warrior for peace and light, pitted against the darkness. And in “Cut My Lip,” the pastor sees how disciples present Jesus to the world — recognizing that not everyone is going to like it.
The band aspires to make listeners think, Ulmer said, and so does he.
“The coincidences are too powerful to ignore,” he said. “Every song is a parable, a story. You have to think about what’s really going on.”
Ulmer serves as student pastor
at WoodsEdge Community Church at 25333 Gosling Road, where Spring and The Woodlands meet.
Ulmer had never heard of Twenty One Pilots before his wife, Brook, who serves as girls’ student director at the church, introduced him to the band. She took a couple of students to a concert and was blown away.
“She was like, ‘You have no idea what they’re doing on the stage. The songs are all about God and Jesus and the Gospel,’ ” Ulmer recalled.
The next day, Ulmer bought an album. “I trust my wife,” he said. “I listened while I mowed the lawn.”
Immediately, he started thinking of ways to turn the songs into sermons. “The ideas just kept coming,” he said.
Ulmer presented his concept to Bailey Theaker, director of worship and administration at the church.
“My first reaction was skepticism,” she said. “It was fear in doing services around a band that were not necessarily followers of Jesus, and a little fear that it would become worship of that band. I was pretty hesitant about all of it.”
Ulmer, however, persisted.
“We talked about it for quite a bit,” Theaker said. “The reason I was sold on it is that the songs are used as an illustration. It speaks to our students, some who wouldn’t even step into a church otherwise.”
Ulmer has created 22 sermons based on the band in the past two years. He starts a service by playing a song.
“I’ll take a chunk of lyrics and focus on the spiritual relevance driving them,” he said.
He entitled the series, “The Gospel According to Twenty One Pilots.”
Ulmer explained that the musical duo are both openly Christian yet they do not consider their band to be religious.
“You have to look for it,” he said. “They want their audience to think, and they’re loving them while they do it. These guys love their fans. They’re creating a positive message of life, love and acceptance.”
In Montgomery County, where suicide rates are high, Ulmer said a message of love and understanding is especially relevant.
“We have kids so discouraged and disillusioned,” he said. “They’re comparing themselves to everybody else. We want them to know you’re not worthless. Just stay alive.”
It’s something that hits Ulmer especially hard.
“I grew up with this story,” he said. “I was a child of divorce, a latchkey kid, facing the temptation of alcohol and drugs. That’s how I grew up, and it took me a decade until I realized there was more available.”
Ulmer was a member of the first 300 families who settled in The Woodlands. He grew up in Grogan’s Mill and graduated from McCullough High School.
He struggled with alcoholism for about 10 years — and found his way out of addiction through art and God. At age 26, he begged for help from above and, soon thereafter, felt called to pick up a camera.
“I went into the woods and started looking for God through the lens in nature,” Ulmer said. “I got right and started living according to the Lord.”
He created Sevenapples, a ministry in photos, available online.
Not long after that, a friend called Ulmer about an opportunity to serve as student pastor at his hometown church.
While feeling totally disqualified for the position, he was also intrigued by the possibility to help teens.
“There was no question that God called me to it,” Ulmer said. “I felt like this is what I’m supposed to do.”
He wanted to encourage teens to be creative, to make something, instead of feeling depressed and despondent. He wanted them to know that he and the church supported them no matter what.
“The idea is, why don’t you make something instead of tearing yourself or others down,” he said.
Ulmer believes Twenty One Pilots shares the same message, by making music to uplift others.
The pastor selected the theme for students this year at WoodsEdge — “Brokenness Is Welcome Here.”
“I don’t care if it’s your best day or your worst, bring us whatever you’ve got,” Ulmer said. “It’s a reminder that every person is just as messed up and as broken as you. Turn it into a photograph, a poem or a song. It’s OK to not be OK.”
The theme is one that Theaker readily embraced. She had suffered with depression herself in the past.
“We’re saying, ‘You’re messed up? Cool, so are we. Let’s talk about it, and let’s talk to Jesus about it,’ ” she said. “God wants to hear what’s going on with you. He doesn’t want to sweep it under a rug.”
She said in Twenty One Pilots, students have found a listening ear as well.
“It’s like, ‘Here are some people who get how I feel,’ ” she explained. “It’s great to bring that back into the church and say the church has that, too. We’re here for you.”
The same way he found God in nature and photography, Ulmer is teaching teens to listen for God in lyrics and music.
“It’s challenging to think about everything and remember God is in every circumstance, and I just need to look for Him,” he said. “It’s just like how God is in all of the Twenty One Pilots songs, and you just have to listen for Him.”
The pastor plans to deliver another couple of sermons based on the band before switching to a new subject. He hopes to arm teens with the tools they need to start their own conversations with God and to find holiness in even the smallest details.
“Student ministry is only for a season of life,” Ulmer said. “Our home is for our students to go off equipped to think, that they leave our church knowing how to take care of their relationships with the Lord. These truths go beyond the band. They’re everywhere. I’ll use whatever I can to help them recognize that.”
Past sermons are available to watch online. For information, visit woodsedge.org.