Skip to main content

A Most Unlikely Reminder

By October 3, 2013August 30th, 2022Devotional

It’s been years since Janet and I have attended the Broadway in Indianapolis theatre series. In fact, I don’t think we have ever been season subscribers although from time to time we have attended a show here and there. Janet really loves the theatre, especially musicals. So as hectic as our lives are, we chose to subscribe. Admittedly, I am a little self conscious about my lack of knowledge regarding the arts. I enjoy certain things, but Janet is a fanatic. So for the four decades we have been married, I have reluctantly attended a number of shows – many of which I have fallen asleep while watching.

We have even been to several Broadway performances in New York and for the life of me, I can’t remember the names of the shows we have seen. But I did love seeing “Wicked” – and we have even seen that one twice. A third time is on the horizon for this fall and I am really looking forward to it. Last night was the first performance of the new season – the show was “Flashdance” and I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to it. But I was wrong – it was terrific. And yes, I ranked it up there with “Wicked”. I didn’t want it to end – and I would probably even go and see it again. Janet will tell you how rare that is for me.

Normally, I have something of a ritual when I go to the theatre. For example, I read the ads in the playbill and see if I know any of the advertisers. Then I go to the donor pages and read the list of organizations and people who have made the production possible. Finally, and only after I have read everything else, I go to the pages that list the cast members and list their accomplishments and career experiences. Most of the time, these are pretty campy – a listing of roles followed by some small talk, thanks to people and shout outs to others. Unless you know the performers personally, which I don’t, most of the narrative is perfunctory and virtually meaningless. I know, I sound cynical…

Last evening, while I was starting to review the cast narratives, something quite unexpected happened. Rather than the usual banter about all the accomplishments of the performer I was reading about, the final line simply read, “1 John 4:9-12”. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that this person used her forum to proclaim something about the Bible. And while I know the content and meaning of 1 John (it was the first book I translated from the Greek to English during seminary), I was curious about the actual wording of the verses and what was so important to this actress.

Of course, our verse for the evening is the one I read last evening. We are told by the Apostle John in his first epistle, 1 John 4:9-12, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

This is a great verse for all of us to learn and live by. God sent His son and demonstrated His love for us by sacrificing Jesus for our sins. We are to love one another as God loved us. Simple message – tough to live out. My encouragement this evening is that you can also use your daily life and the things that are important to you for proclaiming the Good news of Jesus Christ. My prayer is that you will be surprised when God unexpectedly smiles on you when you least expect it – just like happened to me last night. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…

Leave a Reply