60 Christian Songs That Explain the '90s: "Prophet, Priest and King" by Smalltown Poets
Who are your three dinner guests?
The world needs better icebreakers. It needs questions that go deeper than the "What do you do?' and the "How long have you lived here?" questions. We need questions that get to the heart of people's lives.
One way I enjoy getting to know people best is by exploring their bookshelves. They can say they're into classic literature, but if their bookshelves are full of Sarah Maas books and you know the truth. That's not to dog Sarah Maas, but a Bronte sister she is not.
But back to the dilemma at hand. So you want to get to know someone better. Someone you've just met. You've got options. You could invite yourself over and inspect their bookshelves, though that might be a bit forward. You could creep on their socials and uncover images from their beach trip last summer or pics from their kid's elementary school field day (yaaaaawn) but...don't do that. Just don't be that person.
Or you can ask a great icebreaker question.
There's a lot of good ones out there, but here's my favorite. You ready? Okay.
If you could have dinner with any three people, who would it be? Now, before your wheels start turning, let's make sure we know the rules.
The limit is three. No more, no less. That means you can invite all THREE members of DC Talk, but not all of The Spice Girls and not all of The Beatles. Unless you leave one out (Sorry, Ringo).
Your guests can be living or dead. Let's dream a little. Why limit ourselves to current day? What fun is that?
The meal and location doesn't matter. Let's not get lost in semantics, here. If you want them over at your house, fine. If you want to eat at Olive Garden, that's great too. The point is the people, not the food. In fact, it doesn't even have to be dinner. If you want to eat brunch with Kevin Max or John Lennon or Sporty Spice, go for it.
So it can be anyone. Anyone at all. And it's more fun if you really mix it up.
For example, we asked this question to the people in our small group at church. The answers varied. Some said they'd love to have a meal with a grandparent or two that had passed away. Different celebrities were mentioned. Some presidents. But one person's trio stood out above the rest. Their three dinner guests included Christine Caine, a well-known Christian author. The next guest? The Apostle Paul. That's a solid pick. I'd imagine yukking it up with Paul around the table would make for an interesting evening. But then this person picked their third guest. And when I tell you with a semi-straight face they chose Kim Kardashian, I was left speechless.
I just want to be there for the introductions. "Paul, this is Kim. Kim, this is Paul." Paul, a bit stunned Kim K doesn't know much about Jesus, would begin preaching. Kim, flabbergasted that Paul has never heard of her, will pull out her phone and show him clips from her family's reality show. And she'd be like "Paul, what's your Insta?" and he'd say "My what?" and she'd say "Nevermind. Are you on Tik Tok?" and Paul would look at her with confusion as he sits down to eat.
Then they'd swap stories and Paul would tell Kim about the times he was in prison and then shipwrecked and she'd say "OMG, so like, you're not only a criminal but you're bad at sailing?" and Christine Caine would take a sip of wine and possibly sneak out the back door.
It would be chaos. Utter chaos.
So tell me, who are your three? It can be anyone, obviously, that suits your fancy. I'd have a meal with Hank Aaron, Ernest Hemingway, and Walter Green, my maternal grandfather who I never met. He was a pastor and served in World War II.
It's fun to consider the possibilities. The conversations that can happen. But the burden of choosing three, only three, would be almost impossible. You could do Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, and Michael Jordan. You could have Queen Elizabeth, Simon Cowell, and Justin Timberlake. You could go full Old Testament and dine with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
But I know what you're thinking. You're gonna weasel you're way into inviting Jesus to your feast, aren't you? But that's actually the fourth rule. Because everyone's gonna pick Jesus, so you have to eliminate Him as a choice from the start. As intriguing as dinner with Jesus Christ and Kim Kardashian would be.
When I asked my youngest daughter what three people she'd pick, knowing all the rules and that Jesus wasn't a choice, she simply replied: "The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."
Kids really are wiser than us, aren't they?
Because yes, of course if we could choose anyone with no rules, no strings attached, we'd pick Jesus. And honestly, we wouldn't even care who the other two were. He's the only one worthy of full attention.
In this edition of 60 Christian Songs That Explain the '90s, we're taking a look at "Prophet, Priest, and King" from Smalltown Poet's self-titled 1997 debut album.
Smalltown Poets consists of Michael Johnston on vocals and guitar, Danny Stephens on keyboard, Kevin Breuner on guitar, Miguel DeJesus on bass, and Byron Goggin on drums. And these poets get their band name honest. Michael, Danny, and Byron hail from the small town of Tifton, Georgia. Michael and Danny connected and became friends while taking a poetry class in high school. In interviews, they often credit that class and their teacher Mr. Bussey for writing lyrics that connect deeper than other Christian music on the radio.
"The reason that our lyrics and music connect with people is because we're honest. And that's one of the first things Danny and I learned when we were in that poetry class together. Good writing is honest writing. If you're honest, the chances of someone connecting with what you're trying to communicate are so much better." -Michael Johnston
Smalltown Poets released Smalltown Poets on March 25, 1997. The album churned out six Top 20 singles such as "If You'll Let Me Love You" and "Monkey's Paw", a song that gets its title from a haunting W.W. Jacobs short story about a monkey's paw that grants three wishes to its owner. But the wishes often come at great cost.
In 2012, Danny Stephens was asked about the mysterious song. This is his explanation:
"In the lyrics of the Smalltown Poets’ song, a word picture is painted that shows how easily we are tempted to pursue our own wants, dreams, and ideals in the name of Christ, only to find that God would have rather had our obedience. We who call ourselves Christ-followers often get what we want only to see it backfire on us, because we were pursuing our desires instead of His – and no, the two aren’t supposed to be mutually exclusive (see Psalm 37:4). As in the story, we often get what we wished for, and then wish we hadn’t."
Toward the end of the song, these lyrics hit me hardest.
I held the monkey's paw today and put my wishes into play
Thanked heaven for the trophies but I still had hell to pay
So I brought my spoils to the altar's edge
Heard You say obey instead
Smalltown Poets is a classic "no-skip" CD. On other words, you can play it straight through and never get bored. You won't find a bad song on the album. But its biggest hit, the one with the most streams on Spotify remains "Prophet, Priest and King". And if you want cultural references, this song's got 'em. It's worth diving into the lyrics to get a better grasp on what the band's saying.
The opening stanza is about the lead singer Michael Johnston writing to the leader of the free world:
Put down my thoughts in a letter to the president
Penciled and packaged with all due respect
Elvis commemoratives just for effect
Never heard back, you think you know a guy
Of course, the POTUS doesn't write back. And if he (or she, God-willing, one day) does, it's a form letter with a pre-printed signature. After all, in the late '90s, the president had too much on his plate to write back to you, Michael Johnston!
Yeesh. Okay, okay. So the next stanza talks to a different kind of power couple.
Wired my congrats to Chuck and Di some time ago
My invitation was lost in the mail
But I know I was missed when they kissed 'neath the veil
I sent a nice gift, never got a note
I was only a few months old when Prince Charles married Princess Diana, a wedding termed a "fairytale" and the "wedding of the century." 750 million people watched it. To put that in perspective, that's nearly four times the viewers for the last Super Bowl.
I was only 16 years old when I was watching TV in my bedroom and saw the news flash and went to wake my parents up to tell them Princess Diana was dead. As little as I knew then about British royalty (and only a little more now thanks to The Crown), I knew it was a big deal. No title, princess or president, can ultimately protect you.
So those two stanzas move into the chorus. Here we get into the point of the song. That even if we heard back from the president or got acknowledged by a member of the monarchy, we have access to someone much, much greater.
But my closest's a shrine to an old friend of mine
Here I talk all the time to a Prophet, Priest, and King
Pull out boxes and brooms, I gush like a groom
For it's here I commune with a Prophet, Priest, and King
Our daughters returned recently from a church camp with some friends where the theme was "Jesus Over Everything". They talked about Jesus being greater than the things around them, even greater than their fears. I've thought back to my time as a teen. What was Jesus greater than in my life? And did I recognize it? I never wrote to the president only to never receive a reply. I never sent a gift to the Queen that was ignored. But I did want to be noticed. I wanted certain girls to find me funny and attractive. I wanted teachers to think I was smart. I wanted coaches to see some form of athleticism in me. And when any of those ambitions dried up and failed, it could crush me.
The final verse of the song hits home the most. It's powerful. It's part of those deep lyrics the band talks about. Honest lyrics. Danny Stephens once said, "We're poets because of the gift God has given us." The verse says this:
If I indeed am misperceived by some heads of state
Hey, hey that's great
'Cause I talk to a Prophet who tells me the truth
And I dine with a King at my home in Duluth
Better yet I'm in touch with a much-needed Friend
Who hears my confessions and pardons my sin
Who are your three people? Who do you want to have deep conversation with over dinner? And what is the likelihood of it ever happening? Slim to none I’d suspect. But to meet with the One who created you, loves you, and knows you better than anyone else is something we get to do whenever we want.
Smalltown Poets has released nearly a dozen albums over the years, each filled with deep, honest music. Many of their lyrics resonate with me, but it’s a song called “Hold It Up To The Light” from their second album Listen Closely that has been a life mantra of sorts for any big or small decision I make. Check out this verse.
I said “God, will You bless this decision?
I’m scared, is my life at stake?
But I know if You gave me a vision
Would I never have reason to use my faith?”
See, too often I’m looking for more. I need confirmation from the world’s leaders. I need to know the people in power see me and are guiding me. So much that I neglect the One who gave me life. And the faith that He has blessed me with sits dormant.
“Prophet, Priest and King” comforts me. It’s a poignant reminder that even the most powerful and most popular in this world don’t ultimately matter as much as we think. If the Smalltown Poets revised the lyrics for 2024, what might that say? Something including Trump or Biden? How making America great again isn’t the same as making our faith strong again?
Or maybe there’d be a line about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, a power couple of sorts many are wrapped up in. How their love and affection is nothing remotely close to that of our Holy Priest who loves us.
Or insert any kind of influencer. Someone people “follow” (whatever that means) and buy what they’re selling. Someone going viral, blowing up your socials. A Kardashian, perhaps. None of them will ever have the influence that Jesus Christ has.
Matthew 6:6 (NIV) tells us But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. I love that imagery from the song as well. Cleaning out the closet to make room for time with the Savior. Clearing out the temporary to bring in the eternal. Eliminating distraction to focus not on three people, but on the One who embodies so much: a Prophet, a Priest, and a King.
Try it sometime. Put your phone on airplane mode. Or just shut it off completely. Sit down alone in your room. Just you. No one else. No noise except perhaps the low hum of the air conditioner. A slight rattle of the ceiling fan. Maybe a robin chirping outside the window. Take that time and be quiet. Meet with God there. And talk to Him. Praise Him. Thank Him. And know He hears you. He is not sitting far away in a safely-guarded White House. He’s not off in an unreachable palace. He’s not posting selfies for the world to buy his merchandise. He’s there, in that room, just with you. And there is nothing greater than that.
Thanks for reading this week’s “60 Christian Songs That Explain the ‘90s”. Check out the video for Smalltown Poets’ hit song “Prophet, Priest and King.” I’ll be on hiatus for the next few weeks, but will return after vacation with the fourth installment of “60 Christian Songs.” Until then, enjoy your summer!
Your passion for this series is palpable!
SP is one of my all-time favorite groups! I have all of their music... and almost all of it is simply awesome.