The 'Why Me, Lord?' composer retires

I read the other day about the recent retirement of musician Kris Kristofferson.

Kristofferson is 84 and has led, by any fair estimation, an interesting and productive life.

He kept his birth surname of Swedish extraction, resisting Hollywood entreaties to abbreviate because an agent deemed it difficult to spell.

Born in Texas, Kristofferson graduated from high school in California and was a Rhodes scholar in England.

His father was an Air Force major general, and published articles reveal Kristofferson felt "pushed" into the military.

Pushed or not, Kristofferson prospered, becoming an Army helicopter pilot stationed in West Germany, was promoted to the rank of captain and completed the elite Ranger School.

When he was about to muster out in the mid-1960s, Kristofferson declined an offer to teach English literature at West Point and pursued his dream of songwriting, a decision deeply disappointing to his family.

The octogenarian is known today for singing and acting but at Kristofferson's core, he's a composer, writing hits covered by other artists: "Sunday Morning Coming Down" (Johnny Cash), "Me and Bobby McGee" (Roger Miller, Janis Joplin), "For the Good Times" (Al Green, Perry Como).

Kristofferson also wrote music he recorded himself.

The most notable song of this category, in my view, is "Why Me, Lord?" the biggest hit Kristofferson ever had, the only one of his compositions to hit No. 1 as a country artist.

The tune was recorded in 1972, a year after the singer said he became a Christian.

Kristofferson's ardor for Christianity seems to have cooled over the years given his past statements, but the grizzled entertainer's lyrics, an excerpt from which appears below, make clear he understood the essence of the faith.

Why me, Lord, what have I ever done,

To deserve even one,

Of the pleasures I've known.

Tell me, Lord, what did I ever do,

That was worth loving you,

For the kindness you've shown.

Lord, help me Jesus, I've wasted it so,

Help me, Jesus, I know what I am.

But now that I know that I've needed you so,

Help me Jesus, my soul's in your hand.

Try me, Lord, if you think there's a way,

I can try to repay,

All I've taken from you.

Maybe, Lord, I can show someone else,

What I've been through myself,

On my way back to you.

I've read a lot of theology over the years from now-dusty tomes sitting in boxes in my attic, but Kristofferson's words, set to a simple orchestration with just the right touch of harmony, have it exactly right,

• Justification by faith: I know I've needed you; my soul's in your hand; I've done nothing to deserve your kindness.
• Sanctification: I can "try" to repay; maybe I can show someone else my experience as I continue to make my way closer to your ideal.

Friends, there are folks sitting in churches this very weekend who lack the faith clarity of Kristofferson's lyrics:

Justification: I am nothing, you loved me anyway, I am grateful for your grace, I believe.

Sanctification: Since I have been so favored by you, let me use what remains of my life to be your example to others by using my experience, and as I do this, I adhere more intimately to your example.

It won't happen but I'd enjoy a conversation with Kristofferson about his faith journey and where he finds himself now as his days on earth move toward conclusion.

I'm so grateful he wrote the song and if you're reading this, I encourage you to go to YouTube, where virtually all things temporal may be found, find the link to "Why Me, Lord?" and be reminded of the probity of Kristofferson's words and what they say about the faith I, and so many others, hold dear.