The Most Important Concert Ever!

I don’t know if you are aware of this, but I can hold conversations with myself while doing most anything. While mowing the lawn, watching TV, talking to other people, pretty much any time. Typical of most males, I can’t multi-task very effectively, but I can converse with myself… go figure.

Recently, I was having a conversation with myself while I was playing a gig. It was a new town, a small mainstream book store/coffee shop type of place and the conversation went something like this…

“This is a nice place, small town, but a cool coffee place. I hope the coffee is good… gotta make sure I get a cup after the set.”

“I wonder how I got here… I know they called me, but where did they find me? I don’t know anybody here, I have never played this town before…”

“Do they know I am a Christian artist? I noticed I was the only ‘Christian’ artist on their calendar… Ooops, well they know now… I just sang about Jesus…”

“How many people are here? 1,2,3… hmmm, about 20… What are they thinking? Do they like me? Are they wondering what they have gotten themselves into?  Does this gig matter at all? Why am I here?”

Believe it or not, that whole conversation happened within the first song and a half!

As soon as I ask myself whether or not a gig matters, I start to think about what constitutes a “good” gig… big audiences, big sales, sweet solos, big money, screams and adoration, oh yeah – lots of ministry too… Funny thing though, even if I got to play that idea of a “good” gig, once it’s over, it’s over. Moments in time are funny that way. No matter how good a moment is, it is a moment only for a moment and then a memory forever. And while memories are precious, they aren’t sustaining by themselves.

Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34) I can’t feed forever on memories, I can’t survive on the unknowns of the future… I can only do this moment. I can only effect this point in time. I can only choose good in the present task. I can only serve, act and worship in the now.

Which leads me to the conclusion that good gig or not, this is the most important concert I will ever play, because it is the only one I can play at this moment.

So, as the third song began that night in that small town, I had a completely new attitude… and I believe it showed!

Elvis Impersonators and Jesus Imitators

At a recent festival, I went on to do my set after an Elvis impersonator. He was a pretty good one, too… blue jumpsuit, mutton chop sideburns, full head of black hair (his own too!), the arm movements, tossing teddy bears and scarves to the crowd… and he had the voice.

A couple of years ago I was in Branson and caught a show in one of the theaters featuring the Liverpool Legends, a Beatles tribute band. Just like the Elvis impersonator, these guys had done their homework… the outfits, the guitars, the hair, the accents, the onstage behavior… a good show!

I started to really think about these folks who do the tribute shows – how they must read all the biographies, watch the videos, listen to the records, and practice practice practice to be able to impersonate Elvis or the Beatles. In other words, they eat, drink and breathe the character. It reminded me of what we as Christians do… we read the Bible, we gather in worship, we sing, we attempt to act like Jesus… ideally Christians eat, drink and breathe Jesus. But as I thought in that direction, I must confess that I was also bothered… if we are just like these folks, who are in reality actors of a type, do we end up being no more than Jesus impersonators? And let’s be honest… the phrase ‘Jesus impersonator‘ doesn’t sound good!

Ephesians 5:1,2 tells us to ‘Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.’ (NIV) Paul says to imitate God, so that would make us Jesus imitators, not impersonators… now, you might think that is just semantics but I think it is a big difference. An impersonator, by definition, is pretending to be someone. While an imitator, by definition, is using the subject as an example, something to model him or herself after.

An Elvis impersonator is only pretending to be Elvis for that time on stage… it is a character, a costume he puts on and takes off, if you will. It isn’t really who he is. When an Elvis impersonator faces a moral decision, I doubt very much that he asks himself “WWED?” In fact, to be a good impersonator you have to separate and remove yourself from the character. You have to look and act like Elvis, not like you being Elvis.

Christians, on the other hand, are not trying to be Jesus at all. We are trying to be like Him. Life in Christ should not be a costume we put on and take off in different situations. And we should definitely be asking ourselves what Jesus would do in any given situation. A fascinating difference between impersonator and imitator is that God calls us to be totally ourselves, we are all part of the Body, after all (1 Cor. 12:12). We are not supposed to remove ourselves from the equation, rather we are called to be totally ourselves infused in every way with the character of Jesus.

Obviously, the biggest difference is that Elvis doesn’t actually live inside of the impersonator,  no matter how accurate the impersonation. But as Christ followers, we are actually inhabited by the Holy Spirit, no matter how shallow the imitation. So, may we all go forth and be imitators of God!