A Brief Discourse on Justin Timberlake
I enjoyed most of the Super Bowl by eating food I wasn't going to track and visiting with church friends that I haven't seen in ages (thanks to my current nursery sequester), but needless to say, all chatter and munching paused reverently when Justin Timberlake took the stage. After all, our entire crowd (sans our kids) has watched him since he wore mouse ears, so he is basically family. Or maybe our one cool friend....
He did not disappoint, and I'll go on record saying that Selfie Kid was my favorite part. But every part of the show demonstrated Timberlake's gift for performing, for smiling like he's having a blast, for seeing the people he's singing to, for laughing at himself and being totally committed to that stage. For making us all laugh at him and adore him all at once. But you guys must know I wasn't the one wearing the homemade Justin Timberlake concert t-shirt, and the Trolls anthem is the only tune I could honestly sing along with... my fandom consists primarily of watching Timberlake on SNL and Jimmy Fallon and then rocking out to his Amazon station whenever I have to mop the floors. (I think it helps me feel less housewife-y and old to hum "SexyBack" while scraping up crusty dried cereal.) Oh, and then there was the Mickey Mouse Club and that one *NSYNC album that everyone owns.
But this morning, I'm sitting in La Madeleine with headphones on so that I can hear Man of the Woods instead of that generic French classical stuff they pipe in, and it kind of makes me feel like a spy. What, kind old gentleman next to me? You believe me to be so refined and mature, with my plain coffee and bran muffin? HA HA! You should hear what I'm listening to!!
(Side Note: Maybe I should get out more...)
Anyway, here's the thing: when I watch Justin Timberlake perform, I feel that same sense of awe and adoration that I feel when I look at an original Van Gogh or finish reading Shakespeare - or watch a Meryl Streep movie, for that matter. It's beauty, in a purer form than most people offer - the best that art and music and theater and poetry can be, for now. I know that it's weird to say, but these people who share these great gifts of theirs, well, I think they show us a bit of Heaven, a bit of the beauty of God.
Sometimes it's hard to think that's possible - after all, most of Timberlake's songs are NSFW (and you better believe I'm not mopping the floors with the kids around) - how can that be anything akin to Heaven? Van Gogh had some questionable life choices, and Shakespeare practically invented potty language... but still, if I told you Madonna was a representation of the perfection we will find in Christ, you'd probably burn me at the stake, right? Why is it so scary to think that we can see the beauty of Christ in people who have demonstrated themselves to be so unlike Christ? Is it because we have trouble sifting the Light from the Dark - or perhaps because we do not know how to love someone without idolizing them?
I certainly don't know how to deal with all of those questions, but I'll tell you this: if watching Fallon and Timberlake do a History of Rap can fill me with such light and joy and admiration, then I can only think, "Wow - what will it be like to see Christ!?" Maybe I'll get struck by lightning for saying it, but I think this is just one more instance of jars of clay carrying the light of Christ. That worship we feel for our favorite singers or actors or writers is not entirely misplaced - it is the beauty of God shining through their art that we can justly adore and rejoice in - and make our homemade concert t-shirts and sit on the floor with friends in rapt attention as our stars do what God created them to do best. After all, the Heavens aren't the only ones who declare the glory of God in this world...
He did not disappoint, and I'll go on record saying that Selfie Kid was my favorite part. But every part of the show demonstrated Timberlake's gift for performing, for smiling like he's having a blast, for seeing the people he's singing to, for laughing at himself and being totally committed to that stage. For making us all laugh at him and adore him all at once. But you guys must know I wasn't the one wearing the homemade Justin Timberlake concert t-shirt, and the Trolls anthem is the only tune I could honestly sing along with... my fandom consists primarily of watching Timberlake on SNL and Jimmy Fallon and then rocking out to his Amazon station whenever I have to mop the floors. (I think it helps me feel less housewife-y and old to hum "SexyBack" while scraping up crusty dried cereal.) Oh, and then there was the Mickey Mouse Club and that one *NSYNC album that everyone owns.
But this morning, I'm sitting in La Madeleine with headphones on so that I can hear Man of the Woods instead of that generic French classical stuff they pipe in, and it kind of makes me feel like a spy. What, kind old gentleman next to me? You believe me to be so refined and mature, with my plain coffee and bran muffin? HA HA! You should hear what I'm listening to!!
(Side Note: Maybe I should get out more...)
Anyway, here's the thing: when I watch Justin Timberlake perform, I feel that same sense of awe and adoration that I feel when I look at an original Van Gogh or finish reading Shakespeare - or watch a Meryl Streep movie, for that matter. It's beauty, in a purer form than most people offer - the best that art and music and theater and poetry can be, for now. I know that it's weird to say, but these people who share these great gifts of theirs, well, I think they show us a bit of Heaven, a bit of the beauty of God.
Sometimes it's hard to think that's possible - after all, most of Timberlake's songs are NSFW (and you better believe I'm not mopping the floors with the kids around) - how can that be anything akin to Heaven? Van Gogh had some questionable life choices, and Shakespeare practically invented potty language... but still, if I told you Madonna was a representation of the perfection we will find in Christ, you'd probably burn me at the stake, right? Why is it so scary to think that we can see the beauty of Christ in people who have demonstrated themselves to be so unlike Christ? Is it because we have trouble sifting the Light from the Dark - or perhaps because we do not know how to love someone without idolizing them?
I certainly don't know how to deal with all of those questions, but I'll tell you this: if watching Fallon and Timberlake do a History of Rap can fill me with such light and joy and admiration, then I can only think, "Wow - what will it be like to see Christ!?" Maybe I'll get struck by lightning for saying it, but I think this is just one more instance of jars of clay carrying the light of Christ. That worship we feel for our favorite singers or actors or writers is not entirely misplaced - it is the beauty of God shining through their art that we can justly adore and rejoice in - and make our homemade concert t-shirts and sit on the floor with friends in rapt attention as our stars do what God created them to do best. After all, the Heavens aren't the only ones who declare the glory of God in this world...
What a refreshing concept! I like it. You are a beautiful young woman, but you have wisdom beyond your years.
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