Death and Life

Why did we wait for Michael Jackson's death to celebrate his life?

This has been the question on my mind for the last 32 hours. Since news of his heart attack, coma and death, he has been the center of every conversation, his songs have dominated the airwaves and he has been a hot seller on iTunes. With as much coverage going on about him, those stuck in the 80's have no reason to think otherwise.

But before 3pm yesterday, Jackson was forgotten about. No one cared about what we was doing or eating for breakfast or what his nose would look like next year. And then he died and he made twitter and wikipedia crash.

Wow. How honored he must feel. "Thanks for playing my songs again and talking about me every minute of the day after I'm gone."

It's like when you're at a party and you leave and everyone starts talking about what you were wearing and the bad jokes you told.

Sure Michael Jackson was an icon, a legend, the real american idol. He transformed the music industry and made a lot of money doing it. He paved the way for a lot of artists. And by all means, we should celebrate his achievements.

Let me throw in a what if.

What if Christians did the same with Christ?

What if we put His name at the beginning and end of every sentence that flows from our lips? What if we sung praises about Him every minute of the day?
What if we spoke of His greatness to those around us?
What if we talked about His death and coming back from the dead like it happened YESTERDAY!

You might be thinking, "Nate, you're comparing Jesus and Michael Jackson?"

MJ would be so lucky.

The King of Pop died leaving us wondering if he had anymore to give.
The King of Kings died leadving us wondering how He could give us life and life to the full.

That is the true thriller.