Grace Community Christian Church

 

Archived Things Above

Goodbye, Larry (3/9/08)


"Wowie Zowie he saved my soul, he's the rock that doesn't roll." This song lyric likely means nothing to most of you reading this, but yesterday I found myself sitting at my desk with tears running down my cheeks listening to it. I'd just learned that Larry Norman died at the age of 60. A pioneer of Christian Rock music, his was some of the first Christian music I listened to after I gave my life to Christ in 1979. I've still got one of his cassettes somewhere. I remember playing his music for our youth all nighter at the skating rink in Baltimore back around 1981, when Kim & I were youth ministers at the Boulevard Christian Church in Essex. It was called the January Jubilee, & I was proud to showcase the most cutting edge in Christian music. His song, "I Am a Servant" was a huge hit, & his song about UFO's settled a theological question for me that a lot of people still wrestle with: "If there's life on other planets, then I'm sure that he must know, & he's been there once already, & he's died to save their soul." There ya go!

But why the sudden onrush of tears? Poor Paula came in to hear the audio clip on my computer & had the presence of mind to just leave me alone. It's like I was mugged by some emotion I didn't even suspect existed. This has happened before, but it's been quite a while.

I think maybe a couple of things were going on. First, hearing of his death, & then listening to a song that once really meant a lot to me, I just missed him. This gentle singer of love songs to Jesus now sings where human ears can't hear. Second, this experience took me back almost 30 years to a really good time in my life. I was still young, my best years were ahead of me. I was newly married, had no kids, was finishing up college, & anticipating what God would do with me. I was a blank slate. An unspoiled canvas. An empty page. Relatively innocent, terribly naive, & passionately determined to make a kingdom difference.

And it just hit me: My gosh, 30 years have gone by. Now I'm looking at my future in the rearview mirror. I've crested the mountain & I'm starting that slow descent with the signs warning trucks to use lower gears & test their brakes. And the people who were once significant in my life & growth are slowly dying off, one by one. I remember my dad telling me a long time ago that for him, the hardest part of getting older was watching your friends die. And while I'm certainly far from ancient, age is beginning to squeeze me with its grip. Yesterday it squeezed extra hard, & it hurt.

And finally, I've experienced some major estrangements in the last little while, once substantial relationships that are no more, & never will be again. Death isn't just something that happens to bodies- relationships & dreams die too, & letting go can be hard. I'm guessing being mugged by Larry's death allowed some other, deeper, griefs to hitch a ride & find some expression.

I got over it pretty quick. Only wasted one Kleenex. Paula never said a word- probably scared her to death! I've been checking Amazon to see if any of his music is still available- of course, the price just shot way up! I know I'll bite the bullet & get some of his stuff on cd's. I'll put it on my Ipod & force the teens to listen to "good" music. They'll roll their eyes & laugh at me. But maybe it'll give me a chance to remind them that they're only young once, & things change, so hang on to the good, & enjoy the moment, & do something that counts, & stay close to God, & appreciate what you have because one day you'll look back & realize it was really, really good, & you can't go back.

Wowie Zowie. Maybe I'm a lot closer to ancient than I thought.


Jim Dewar --


 

Grace Community Christian Church - 2100 Rosemont Avenue, Frederick MD, 21702 - 301-663-1240