I like a comfortable pair of shoes, but I don’t get very excited about shoes. My one shoe memory was more about boots. I got a new pair of Doc Martins in December 1980. I think that it might have been my first pair. For the first few days, they hurt my feet so much that I had to take a day off work. As it happened, it was the day after John Lennon got shot. So, I was able to listen to the radio all day while my feet recovered. And they played his music and a very recent interview. I was a huge fan of John Lennon in the mid-seventies. I even dreamt that he got shot in New York a few years before it actually happened.
By December 1980, I had spent a few months attending evangelical churches. Some disapproved of pop music, and my interest in it diminished somewhat. In time, I regained my interest, but I no longer idolized rock stars in the way that I did in my teens. I have mixed feelings about John Lennon these days. When I listen to or read his interviews, he sometimes come across as a little silly. Still, I love his music. His death hit me very hard. I did like some of his post-Beatles music, but nothing was as magical as when the Beatles were together. They whole was greater than the parts. And they did influence my spiritual life.
I can understand why they took little interest in the nominal Christianity of the UK and looked East. I was a little like that myself about Ireland. I do remember taking an interest in the Hare Krishna folk. But then I came to Jesus, and tried to focus on him rather than on religion. And since 1980, I’ve attended evangelical churches. They have their faults, like all human institutions do, but I’ve always found it helpful to my faith to be among enthusiastic believers.
And in recent times, I’m taking a greater interest in contemporary Christian worship music. There was a time when secular music was a passion, and I attempted to develop a taste for Christian music out of a sense of duty. But now, I probably enjoy Christian music more. It’s been the soundtrack of my life over the last 46 years. And even before that, I was aware of some hymns, such as Amazing Grace, The Lord’s My Shepherd, and all the Christmas carols.
I read that Lennon had a short-lived “born‑again Christian” period in 1977. I really do hope that it was the real thing. Conversions can sometimes be sudden and long-lasting. But for many, it doesn’t follow such a neat pattern. They might profess faith and get distracted. For example, Lennon might have aligned himself to particular preachers or a movement and hoped that it would solve all his earthly problems. Then, he might have found fault with whatever movement he was excited about, and found his earthly problems didn’t instantly go away.
But my hope is that if someone genuinely repents and trusts in Jesus, there place in heaven is secured. They’re adopted into God’s family. Let’s say that you adopt a troublesome teenager. If they prove to be troublesome at times, do you just send them back to the orphanage? Surely, you’d be patient with them. They might be completely transformed in a few months, or they might always be flawed. As Christians, we emphasize holy living, as does the New Testament, but in practice, New Testament Christians weren’t all perfect.
The Parable of the Sower is a good means of understanding how God’s word has different effects on different people. I’d even think that it can have different effects at different stages of our lives. Worries, temptations, and the pursuit of other priorities can crowd out faith, preventing it from maturing. But my hope is that Lennon had a genuine faith. If you don’t consider yourself a model Christian, you’d probably want to keep your faith very private. And if you’re not in close fellowship with other believers, you can get distracted.
Anyway, let’s close with a couple of songs from December 1980. These two were my favourites. Sadly, Terry Hall of The Specials is no longer with us either.
And here’s a couple of songs that I remember from church at that time:
Hibernia Gospel 