Elvis/Playing The Fool

I've always been fascinated with Elvis Presley. Anybody else? '68 Comeback Special is my favorite "version" of Elvis! He's just one of those personas that has a sort of magnetic pull. He's also one of the few people that I can actually answer the question to, "where were you when Elvis died?" (in the car, returning from picking apples with my family in Grafton, Illinois).

Last month we did an illustrated message "Elvis, The Ultimate Urban Legend", as part of our Urban Legends series. We attempted to answer the question, "Was Elvis a Christian"? We discovered Elvis had a solid Christian upbringing and really always wrestled with his spirituality. Of course, the truth is, only God knew the condition of Elvis' heart at his death; we must all examine ourselves to make sure we are in a right relationship with God.

Part of the message was the appearance of our pastoral staff in various Elvis costumes. Epic hiliarity. Big-time foolishness. We try to make church relevant, creative, fun, and meaningful. Our friend, Mark Batterson, talks about The Importance of Looking Foolish in his book IN A PIT WITH A LION ON A SNOWY DAY. He says, "...maturity does not equal conformity. In too many churches, holiness is equated with cultural conformity. A dress code or verbal code becomes the measuring stick of righteousness." So, we can Play The Fool and escape the version of Christlikeness that can be way too civilized and sanitized. In 2 Samuel 6, recently crowned and dancing fool King David proclaims, "I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this." By the way....the altar call for the Elvis message saw around 20 people give their hearts to Jesus!