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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion February 1, 2008 A New Thing for You to Hear! |
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Frontline Devotion for Friday, February 1, 2008 by Mike
Martine
Reprinted from November 20, 2003
Matthew 10: 17-20
17"Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils
and flog you in their synagogues. 18On my account you will be brought before
governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19But when they
arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you
will be given what to say, 20for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of
your Father speaking through you.
I am currently playing guitar for a high school production of “Godspell.” A show that’s near and dear to my heart and one of the first Broadway productions I can remember from my youth.
The show is, in many ways, deceptively simple. It begins with John the Baptist hailing the coming of Christ to a group of seemingly disconnected people. Then, Jesus comes, and through the telling of parables and playing of games, he begins to mold the group into a community.
A large part of the show invites improvisation, and so, in many respects, “Godspell” grows as time goes on. For example, in the telling of the parable of the good seed, one of the plants proclaims, “Feed me, Seymour!” A line from the musical, “Little Shop of Horrors,” which premiered years after “Godspell.” At another point, the “Church Lady” from Saturday Night Live becomes the voice of Abraham in the retelling of Lazarus and Dives. During the parable of the sheep and the goats, one of the goats assures Jesus that, had they realized he was sick, hungry, in prison, etc., they would have taken him to the “Country Table” (a famous local restaurant) for “lamb pot pie.” In other words, as time marches on, “Godspell” invites the use of present day material to tell the gospel story.
This really struck me one night at rehearsal as I watched the young woman who sings “Turn Back, O Man.” She was doing, as the song requires, an imitation of Mae West. She did beautifully, but as she sang, I realized that she probably has never heard of Mae West. Still, because this show “grows” with time, it includes plenty of material from the present “young” generation. In fact, the show now features elements from every generation from the age of vaudeville to today.
I think that we can learn something about our faith from watching the growth of “Godspell.” Jesus promised that, through the Holy Spirit, he would continue to speak to us. This sense of presence was absolutely integral to the early church, and an incredible source of courage to those who were seeking to evangelize in often-hostile lands.
It seems to me that, when we get into trouble as the Christian Church, we can often link that trouble to a mindset that essentially says: “God has spoken; God is done speaking, and now it is time to fall in line.” In other words, I think our church gets into trouble when it fails to listen for God’s continued voice in our lives—to God’s speaking of “a new thing.” Look, for example, at Martin Luther. Luther sought to proclaim God’s grace to a church that thought it had it all figured out. The result, while rightly celebrated, was catastrophic for the church as it existed. More recently, look at the decline in attendance at churches which refuse to give any serious consideration to the inclusion of contemporary music in their worship services.
God might not pick up to phone and give us details as to “what we should do when,” but God doesn’t stop speaking. And, like the show “Godspell” grows with time, our understanding of God’s revelation to us in Christ should grow as well.
Listen! For you never know when God will have a new thing for you to hear!
Prayer: Gracious God, we thank you for your continued presence with us, and ask that you enable us to listen, so that we might follow where you guide us. In the name of Jesus, AMEN.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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