I have always been a fan of Dolly Parton; I love her music and her way of living. I love her compassion and generosity. I love that she kept her husband out of the limelight so they could live a semi-normal life. Dolly understood what mattered, and she treated everyone with respect and a sense of joy. And she received joy and respect in return – one story that has been circulating is this: she asked the lead singer of Led Zeppelin – Robert Plant – if she could cover one of that band’s songs, and his response was, “Of course – you’re Dolly Parton.” Love of Dolly transcends musical genre, age, religion, and race. Everybody loved Dolly Parton, even if they weren’t country music fans. Well – almost everybody.
Over the decades, Dolly got a lot of hate from ultra-conservative Christians. Dolly was herself a person of faith, and she wrote some of the most iconic songs in modern times about love and compassion. And yet, because she accepted LGBTQ people without restrictions, she was condemned by a lot of hateful so-called followers of Jesus. Even in death, the criticisms have risen, showing the true nature of those doing the deeds. Our performer last night spoke at length about how Dolly helped him to accept himself, a true gift to any person. Not loving Dolly is like not loving Mr. Rogers; if you couldn’t see the beauty in their souls, I would venture to say that you don’t have a soul yourself.
While I strive to be as much like Jesus as I can, I really want to be more like Dolly. I want to be able to be as generous as she was – I want to be as humble as her – I want to do good works in secret, just like she did. Those are the stories that have impressed me the most; the ways she used her incredible wealth to make the world a better place. Meanwhile, the haters keep taking for themselves, cutting programs that feed children in body, mind, and spirit. Dolly’s incredible books for children program – Imagination Library – has provided over 300 million books for free. It is a partnership with many states, but Republicans in Missouri and Indiana have cut their state’s funding. Don’t be like them – be more like Dolly. She came from nothing, yet she never forgot what that felt like. It may feel like too far a bridge to be like Jesus, but all of us can be more like Dolly. And right now, the world needs all of us to be more like Dolly.
Prayer – Holy God, we thank You for people like Dolly Parton, and we know that she will fit right in with You in heaven. Amen.