The news that singer-songwriter Dan Fogleberg died earlier this week stirred something inside of me. Part of it had to do with some limited contact I had with Dan’s father, the “leader of the band,” during my high school days. Part of it had to do with the cause of his death. The exact same illness which took Dan’s life took my father’s life five years ago. But an even bigger part of the soul-stirring had to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ that you and I have the privilege of proclaiming week after week.
I grew up near Peoria, Illinois – the hometown of Dan Fogelberg. His father, Lawrence, was a high school band director. I remember Mr. Fogelberg directing the mass band at some of the county band festivals in which our high school band participated. A couple years later, Dan paid tribute to his father with his 1981 hit song “Leader of the Band.” One of the lines, “I’m just a living legacy to the leader of the band,” has always described how I feel about my own father.
In 2002, my father, Maynard Mathewson, died after battling an advanced case of prostate cancer. My dad was a wonderful pastor and a fine preacher. I’ll have to blog about him sometime. But two years after my father’s death, my mom sent me an article from the Peoria Journal Star about Dan Fogleberg being diagnosed with an advanced case of prostate cancer. That’s another reason why the news earlier this week stirred something inside me.
But there’s more. The title track to Dan’s Christmas album, “The First Christmas Morning,” contains a rather striking summary of the gospel. Dan penned these words after nights of listening to Christmas carols:
The Lord in His wisdom, the Lord in His grace
Has given to man a redeemer
To save us from sin and to show us the light
That shines on this first Christmas morning
And will shine ever each Christmas morning
I wonder if the singer-songwriter who composed those words truly believed and received the Redeemer who saves us from sin? I wonder if Dan fully grasped the truth of the words he wrote? I don’t know the answer to those questions.
What I know is this . . . God’s gift of a Redeemer to save us from sin is the heart of the gospel. The gospel is really the only thing that I have to offer people at Christmas. It’s the compelling reason and the compelling content for preaching. It’s the motivator for growing in our preaching (hence blogs like this!) and persevering in our preaching. On this final Sunday before Christmas, preach the gospel with power, authority, awe, confidence, and joy! It is the power of God for salvation. Yes, God has given us a redeemer to save us from sin and to show us the light!
Posted by Steve Mathewson at 10:34 AM on December 21, 2007
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Steve, I was a large Dan Fogleberg fan as I was growing up. It saddened me for the same reasons. Good post. Thanks!
Posted by: Jon Clayton on December 21, 2007
Dan was a very private man. Despite his lyrics being sprinkled with Biblical references over the years, I have no reason to think that he ever became a believer. Still, I prayed for his salvation for many years, and it's entirely possible that grace was extended to him in one of those private moments. It would have been in keeping with his character to keep his faith to himself, perhaps only alluding to it in such a song as "The First Christmas Morning", but only he and the Giver of grace really know.
Posted by: Lance on December 21, 2007
Thank you for that brief and insightful piece. As I mourned Dan's passing this week, the one thing I could not answer is whether he is with the Lord. If he ever made a public proclamation of faith, I am unaware of it. And I'd like to believe he may have matured beyond his 1972 lyrics in "Part Of The Plan" that "there is no Eden or Heavenly Gate that you're gonna make it to someday." As private as he was during his illness, it may not be for us to know whether he accepted Jesus in his final years, months, days or not. Frankly, I've begun winnowing more and more of my vast CD collection due to the fact that more of my listening pleasure of late comes from artists who glorify our Savior, many of whom are in the same musical singer/songwriter vein as Dan. Still, Fogelberg's beautiful and often epic music will always hold a place near and dear to my heart. (Also, I lost my father to cancer 14 yrs ago on 12/26. My sympathies are with you.)
Posted by: James on December 22, 2007
Thanks, JAMES, LANCE, and JON for your thoughts. Our family spent Christmas at my Mom's place near Peoria. The drive to one family gathering took us by the convenience store where Fogelberg met his "old lover" (in his song "Same Old Lang Syne"). It made me think again about the 'inconsolable longing' described by C. S. Lewis. So much of Dan's music reaches out for and expresses that longing, but other than "The First Christmas Morning," it falls short of the One who is the fulfillment of that longing. I appreciate JAMES' reminder about finding listening pleasure in songs by artists who glorify our Savior.
Posted by: Steve Mathewson on December 27, 2007
I have always loved his music and it reached out to me and touched me. I just learned of his passing after sitting down to the web to look him up after wondering about him for many years. I too, often wondered about his faith. Maybe someone who knows could share it with us one day.
Posted by: Richard on January 3, 2008