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15 Moments I Yelled “Preach” during the Michael Jackson Memorial

In a moment reminiscent of the death of the Princess Diana and John F Kennedy, Jr. the world paused on Tuesday to mourn the loss of famed entertainer Michael Jackson. The memorial, which dominated nearly every television station and monopolized the web and Twitterverse, was heavily religious in tone. While expressions of spirituality are not unusual for a funeral, given the vast audience of attendees and viewers, the messaging was shockingly Christian-centric.

Here are the top 15 moments from the memorial that made me want to scream “you better preach!” at the television screen:

1. The entrance of Michael Jackson’s body as the Sandra Crouch-led choir sang the sharp lines of “We Are Going to See the King.” In a moment, the Staples Center was instantly transformed from the Lakers’ playground into a house of worship.

2. Pastor Lucious Smith’s opening speech that reminded us of Michael’s humanity. A close friend of the Jackson family, Smith said, “We remember this man by celebrating his life and all of the love that he brought to our own lives for half a century.”

3. Mariah closing out her oft-celebrated rendition of “I’ll Be There” (featuring Trey Lorenz) with a grateful “Thank you Jesus.” Her vocals aren’t what they used to be back in the day, but her faith might be stronger.

4. Queen Latifah’s recitation of Dr. Maya Angelou’s eulogy “We Had Him.” Angelou’s words always wrench the heart and stroke the soul. Yet again she left goosebumps on the packed crowd.

5. Lionel Richie taking a stadium full of people to church by singing Commodore’s classic “Jesus is Love.” The moving lyrics call on the name of the LORD saying, “And I know the Truth and His words will be our salvation. Lift up our hearts to be thankful and glad that Jesus is love.” (FYI – Gospel favorite Smokie Norful and Heather Headley recently remade this song on Norful’s recent Live album.

6. Barry Gordy delivering the best tribute to Michael Jackson to date. The music legend recounted Motown memories to the crowd making us feel like we were all right there with Michael when he signed to the label at 10 years old.

7. Stevie Wonder saying “I do know that God is good” before singing a stirring medley of 1971′s “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer” and 1974′s “They Won’t Go When I Go.” He’s just good, all day everyday.

8. Acting as the unofficial mayor of the Staple Center, Magic Johnson laughing over eating Kentucky Fried Chicken with Michael Jackson. After his KFC promo, he spoke directly to the family saying, “May God continue to bless this incredible family. We want to say that we’re praying for you. Remain strong.”

9. A very pregnant Jennifer Hudson commanding the stage with her powerful voice. Hudson was so good she made us momentarily forget about the controversy over her pregnancy. She brought the gospel into every note of Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There.”

10. Reverend Al Sharpton honoring Michael’s ability to connect people around the world and push through boundaries with the power of his dream. In a moment that made the church say Amen–complete with a tambourine shaking in the background–Sharpton brought the crowd to its feet, saying, “I want his three children to know, wasn’t nothin’ strange about yo’ daddy. It was strange what yo’ daddy had to deal with.”

11. The children of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. empathizing with the Jackson family’s public loss, as only they could do. Martin Luther King III intoned his father, saying “The heavens must be proud of how Michael entertained the world. Then King’s daughter Bernice echoed the truth of Scripture, preaching, “My prayer is that no one and nothing, public or private, fact or fiction, true or rumored, will separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. [...] It is only God’s love that will anchor you, sustain you, and move you to a higher ground above the noise of life.”

12. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas sharing the story of the Good Samaritan before an international audience. She said Michael Jackson called us all into public service with his record-breaking humanitarianism.

13. Smoky Robinson summing up our peace for today and hope for tomorrow. The Motown crooner said, “I believe so much in God. I believe that this is not it. We have life after this is done.”

14. Newcomer Judith Hill leading a stage full of children and celebrities in a performance of Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World.” Aside from our excitement over Hill being a strong Christian (and Biola University alumna), the moment was fitting in that more than any other, it seemed to be exactly what Michael Jackson would have wanted.

15. Little Paris bursting into tears as she spoke about her father. The famous daughter touched the world’s heart and finally humanized Michael Jackson when she tearfully shared her feelings on her dad’s passing: “I just want to say, ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just want to say, I love him so much.”

It was a beautiful memorial, full of music, laughter, and fond farewells. Who knows what Michael Jackson’s spirituality was like at his death? But this celebration of his life certainly honored God. We are thankful for the blessing he was to the world of entertainment.

July 8, 2009 - Posted by cocoa chanel | celebrities, faith, music, religion | "Heal the World", Barry Gordy, Bernice King, Commodores, Dr. Maya Angelou, Heather Headley, I'll Be There, Jennifer Hudson, Jesus Is Love, John F Kennedy, Jr., Judith Hill, Lionel Richie, Lucious Smith, Magic Johnson, Mariah Carey, Martin Luther King, Michael Jackson, Paris Jackson, Princess Diana, Queen Latifah, Rev Al Sharpton, Sandra Crouch, Sheila Jackson Lee, Smokie Norful, Smoky Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Trey Lorenz, We Are Going to See the King, We Had Him, Will You Be There