Impersonating
“The King”
By Karen D’Amore
“Follow my example,
as I follow the example of Christ.”
1
Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)
Elvis
Aaron Presley died on August 16, 1977 at the young age of 42. An American
singer, musician and actor, “Elvis” was one of the most significant cultural
icons of the 20th century. Referred to as the “king of rock and roll,” many
called him…“the king.” Since his death, Elvis has remained one of the world’s
most popular music icons, as well as, one of the most popular celebrities
impersonated. [1]
During
my brief residency in Las Vegas, I quickly learned that “Elvis” was synonymous
with “Vegas!” The streets, The Strip and entertainment stages were saturated
with Elvis impersonators. Truly a one-of-a-kind with distinct attributes! His
curled lip, gyrating hips, jumpsuits, colorful collared shirts, long sideburns
and famous phrase: ”thank you, thank you very much” were (and still are) his commonly
mimicked characteristics. Some of the impersonators I witnessed were
ridiculously poor; others bore so close a resemblance, one would think “the
king” was still alive.
Thirty-six
years after his death, millions of devoted followers and thousands of
impersonators actively seek to keep “the king’s” memory alive. This, to me, is
a powerful testament to the multitude of lives touched by Elvis.
Researching
the life of Elvis Presley, I found some interesting parallels to the life of
Christ. Those close to Elvis tell of his passion for the Bible and fervent
pursuit of God. Later in life, he became a prisoner to success and appeared to
wander from The Truth. [2] In hindsight, one might conclude
that Elvis (in a convoluted way) was attempting to model his life around
spiritual truths and impersonate the Jesus he longed to know. It’s reported
that when fans acclaimed Elvis as “the king,” he would reply, “I’m not the
king. There is only one King.” [3]
Scripture
refers to Jesus as “THE King.” As Christ-followers, we are exhorted to
impersonate Jesus… “THE King!” With His distinct virtues and attributes
poignantly revealed throughout Scripture, we need to meditate on The Word to
learn how to imitate Him and follow in His footsteps.
Considering
the range of poor to excellent Elvis impersonators, I’m drawn to reflect on
myself as a “Jesus impersonator.” Do I walk like Him? (Colossians
2:6) Do I talk like Him? (Colossians
3:17) Do I think like Him? (1
Corinthians 2:16) Do I love like Him? (Matthew
22:37)
As
those impersonators who look nearly identical to Elvis draw people to believe
“the king” is still alive…we as Christ-followers should so closely impersonate
Jesus that we reflect to the world… “THE King” is alive in our lives!
GOING DEEPER:
1.
How well are you impersonating Jesus?
2.
Are there attributes being poorly imitated?
FURTHER READING:
Married
to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at
Craig Berns Salon and Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility. She’s
on the Oakwood Women’s Ministries Special Events Team.
