By the fire, I sat and watched the entire funeral service for Whitney Houston. It was slated for two hours and instead went almost four. It was hard to turn it off. In tenth grade, I saw Whitney Houston in concert at the Philadelphia Spectrum. Dazzled, and mesmerized by her strong and steady voice, rising higher than us and seemingly effortless, we were all hoping it would never end. As I took in every story, every memory, and every song lifted in her honor, I wished I could recall that night in the Spectrum. My mind hasn’t retained any details except just this: that emotions were high and excitement was thrilling around me as I was watching and hearing one of my all-time favorite pop-stars, Whitney Houston! This was dreamlike for my young life, as I had splurged many times on magazines about her, went to every movie she starred in and of course owned all her CDs. Alone, in my car, and still to this day, I will sing along with that voice at the top of my lungs and depending upon the length of the road trip, have even lost my voice on a few occasions. Her songs never get old and somehow each one links back to memories and emotions from my days of high school, college and on...
There was no question, I had to watch this funeral. If for no other reason, I wanted to know more of her. The personal stories would be a window into the life of this woman who had been a part of so many lives and who has suffered so much with her own darkness. Frankly, I was hoping beyond hope for some evidence that her faith, starting in New Hope Baptist Church, in Newark, NJ, had been real, that her body and soul were genuinely free, in the presence of Jesus. Her post-Bobby Brown days left all of her admirers sad and discouraged with how he seemed to be the catalyst for a downward spiral. The top stories regarding Whitney were no longer about the next top hit that followed the last top hit, but instead rumors of abuse in her marriage and the war raging within her between wholeness and drug addiction. She seemed to be hijacked into a dark reservoir, and in some ways she drifted into the backs of our minds, distant. The life of this star became a mystery to us, but to those who knew her and loved her she was well known. These were the words coming from the pulpit of her childhood church. Such words remain, and even dispel the question marks regarding her war-torn soul.
In reflection, I am reminded again of the gospel. What a celebration it is that sinners have hope! Humbled, we all stand before the throne of Heaven and find mercy, forgiveness and salvation, undeserved. So we don’t hail Whitney Houston as an example of success, we can hail her as an example of brokenness. In the midst of all her money, all her fame, all her record-breaking, grammy-award winning take-aways, there is ONLY one meaningful piece of this sad story: the state of a soul. We will remember her accolades, but that one split second after death tells the true story.
There is only One who knows Whitney. He took the hit for all of her sin and He took the hit for mine. But more than just stepping in the way of a death blow to our souls, Jesus actually met the measurement of justice. This was a legal act. And as Paul says in Romans 3:19-21, “...every mouth [will] be stopped, and the whole world accountable before God. For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes the knowledge of sin. BUT NOW the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law...” That’s it. We are guilty and will have not one word to speak in our own defense. Silent before Him. And this is why we celebrate verse 21, “But now...” A way has been made where there was no way. It is a theme throughout all of Scripture. What is impossible for us to accomplish, is made possible by God, through Christ. It is clear that Whitney had no way to fix her life. There is nothing she brings to the cross of salvation. I can say the same for myself. Our silence will turn into utter worship before the King of Kings.
So we can celebrate Whitney only because we celebrate Jesus. We can celebrate her life, because we celebrate His death. We are utterly without hope and without ultimate healing unless He raised from the dead. This was what she was taught all her days. This is what her mom preached to her all her life. And as some who knew her well said of her, that though she felt shadowed by her own darkness, she knew well that the Lord was by her side, that He would be her help. Tyler Perry spoke of her well-worn Bible, marked with her words and highlights. These statements give us pause. They remind us of One who is higher, who forgives, who sustains, and who redeems us from the lowest place. Praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ.
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