Today we’re witnessing the debut of the most-hyped movie of 2009, starring the most-hyped celebrity of our generation. When ‘This Is It’ premiered in the cinemas, I was so wanting to catch it. But today,I’m a little put off out by the over idolizing stuff that I’m seeing applied to the King of Pop.
In his new single Micheal Jackson referred to himself as the “light of the world.” The movie trailer is full of references to his amazing presence, the hope his music gives, and the fact that he is “at the centre” of everything.
It appears like we are seeing the truest picture of worship you may ever see here. It’s unheralded devotion. People are overcome with emotion. Hordes with voices raised, hands lifted, tears streaming. Isn't that worship?
Horrible god. But amazing worship.
MJ was an incredibly gifted musician: I won’t deny that. But he makes for an incredibly bad saviour. His life was as remarkable and enchanted and weird as they come, but in the end, he couldn’t save himself. He needed the true Saviour to do that for him.
Do I believe that Jackson thought of himself as God or as a Christ-figure? No, I really don’t believe that. But I wholeheartedly believe that there are people treat him as if he was.
Michael Jackson is certainly alive somewhere forever, just as we all will be one day. If his hope was in Jesus, that “somewhere” is in heaven. If not, he is not there.
So our greatest devotion and deepest admiration; the energy behind our raised voices, our lifted hands and our streaming tears must be to the true Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Because in the end, this world and its idols just isn’t it.
