Impersonating “The King”
By Karen D’Amore
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
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:
[3] telegraph UK blog - link no longer active
Married to Dan,
Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns
Salon and a Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility.
