Monday, November 2, 2009

This Is It

Tonight me and Janet checked out Michael Jackson's, This Is It.

Here are a few of my thoughts:

1) MJ was a gifted entertainer. No doubt about it. The guy was amazing. Should this concert have ever made it to a live audience, it would have been unlike anything we've ever seen. Director Kenny Ortega and MJ had created an experience that would have been astounding... I really enjoyed the glimpses the film gave us into the creative process of MJ and Ortega from concept to performance.

2) Contrary to some reports, MJ seemed to be ready for this series of concerts. In the film, He dances, sings, the works... I don't know of many 50 year old guys who could of kept up with him...

3) While the film only gives us glimpses into the rehearsals, MJ seems to be a gracious guy... He's kind and courteous to band members, dancers, singers and stage hands... When the sound techs, dancers or members of the crew applaud his dancing or singing, he regularly responds with, "God bless you... God bless you..."

4) People need a purpose to live for... The last segment of the film contains a pretty strong message regarding the environment... Towards the end of the film as the crew gathers for a group huddle, Jackson tells the crew that their cause is important. "We've only got four years to turn things around, before the damage to the planet becomes permanent."

While I disagree with Jackson's theory, it did make me think about how important it is to have a reason or purpose to live for, and absent the desire or drive to live for "God's glory," we will construct any number of things to give our lives meaning and purpose...

5) MJ was committed to excellence... He believed if it was worth doing, it was worth doing right... And even though all we're viewing is rehearsal footage, Jackson often delivers some amazing moments... No doubt, before an actual live audience, it would have been "magic." Jackson goes over segments again and again and again, to make certain the band, singers, dancers, etc. have things just "right." Jackson did all of this for a show... A live concert...

This made me think... Every day in our professional lives... Every week in our corporate worship experiences, many of us claim to be worshipping the God who spoke the world into existence, the God who sent His Son to die on the cross - for our sins, in our place - and we casually bring Him less than our absolute best... Sometimes we even give him work and worship that is "shoddy" or "second rate..." According to Malachi 1, this doesn't get it with God, and it shouldn't be okay with us...

6) I know that there were scores of rumors about Jackson's alleged "weirdness..." Some of it caused by Jackson himself... This saddens me... It seems that we are "cannibals" when it comes to celebrity... We devour our very own... I wonder how much of all the "weirdness" that seemed to surround Jackson the last 10 or so years of his life was created by a press and paparazzi that could not be satisfied, and sometimes even created stories out of nothing...

We may never know the truth...

7) At the press conference in London announcing the concert series, Jackson announced the concert by saying, "This is it. The final curtain call..." Little did he know, this really was "IT."

This should remind all of us just how short and fragile life really is... You never know when "this really will be IT," and in the next breath you will stand to give an account to a Holy God of what you did with your one and only life...

This is sobering to me... To use John Piper's words, I don't want to "waste my life." I want to pour it out for something that matters, for something that brings God glory, for something that lifts up the name of Jesus...

8) The film left me feeling sad... Sad for Jackson... His band, singers and crew... It seemed that they were really looking forward to the series of concerts... Sad for his fans...

I'm certain music execs and the Michael Jackson Company will find some other products to roll out over the next few weeks and months... But in a very real way, This Is It really was "IT."

No comments: