Posted by
Puddleglum on Monday, February 25, 2008 5:46:10 PM
Mr. 'One Way to Heaven' sign, Mr. The Original Jesus Freak of the Jesus
Movement, Mr. You've Been Left Behind and Wish We'd All Been Ready gets
to see Jesus before the parousia.
I must admit I'm sad about this though heaven has another Live-Wire on
its hands. Larry clearly had his spiritual ups and downs as we all do
but he was a trophy of God's grace. In the midst of the ongoing 'bless
me' music Larry wrote about VD/STDs, civil religion, racism, UFOs, the
2nd coming of Christ, false notions of Jesus, etc. and did so in a
fresh style that was current with the dominant youth culture music of
his day. Kind of the original CCM in a Christian culture that was
monopolized by hymns-only (believe it or not! we could use a few more
of those these days!). Larry wrote 'The Six O'Clock News' on media bias
long before Coulter or Limbaugh!
Too few write music on such themes from a Christian worldview even
today but when people speak a word of Scripture to a current brokenness
it seems to me it is always something commendable. Larry did it with
"Only Visiting this Planet" and other works. Keith Green did it with
"So You Want to Go Back to Egypt" and other works. Others follow in the
trail they blazed. Sure there are the songs on what the culture tells
us is important like AIDs and environmental concerns but who is writing
today about human cloning, harvesting human eggs, human trafficking,
preventive war, discernment about Sharia, global terror etc? A lot of
the Jesus Movement sadly has become its own subculture. There are
noteworthy exceptions and I believe that revival has lasting,
righteous, and even profound impact but it must be spiritually
discerned when market forces seek to pedal it for pedaling sake.
Christians (like Larry Norman) in the arts are often aware that they
are on enormously needy ground. The arts are full of super egos, super
marketed, super prostituted (at times), fickle fads and fans and are
intense contexts for inappropriate, performance-based self-esteem/human
dignity, or the lack thereof, drivenness, perfectionisms... good night
it is a mine field. To be there and take a stand for righteousness and
not be molded by it is very tricky. Booking agents, the need for the
next big gig or award, how to wow them one more time...it is easy to
lose focus on glorifying God and having a clear witness for Him in
character, community, and content.
But death is a reminder of an empty tomb, and of a glorious reunion, of
new bodies, of a new earth and heaven, of the ultimate victory of King
Jesus. And it puts time and fortune and relationships...well actually
the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and the super-real prospect of
His any-moment return puts EVERYTHING in perspective! Jesus Lordship,
our finite, frail, fallible, fallen status comes into focus and His
glorious salvation as well.
How can one view such things and not turn from the self-centered life?
Or see these things and not rely fully and only on Christ's
substitutionary death for forgiveness of sin with great gratitude? Or
not receive Him into the core of our being for empowerment over sin and
His abiding Presence with us? How can one speak of knowing Jesus as a
religious or therapeutic savior and not as King and rightful Lord whose
word is our manifesto and unquestionably authoritative and true.
Thanks Larry for being a wonderful even if imperfect example of being a
Christ follower who often thought and served and worshiped outside the
box of mere political and denominational tribalisms, and various other
group-think, conformities. Some musicians get merely knighted here below with mortal approval, but
today I suspect we can thank you, Sir Norman. Thank you kindly!