The Big Picture

I saw an amazing play this afternoon.  It was called "The Big Picture."  This play tells the gospel story - from creation to Revelations.  It was done beautifully - truly showing God's amazing love, faithfulness, and forgiveness.  If there was a DVD of the play, I would have bought it as it would be amazing to watch again.


Throughout the play, several lines were repeated many times.  Simple yet powerful lines and reminders.  


1)  Are we there?  Not yet.  Quite the statement for our lives.  Are we there?  Not yet.  But we'll get there.  During the play, I thought that the line would change at the end of the play - during Revelations.  Are we there?  YES!  But that was not the case.  And, in retrospect, that makes sense.  We aren't there yet.  But we will get there.


2)  Trust me.  God spoke those words many times during the play.  Reminding us that we can trust Him.  Unfortunately there were also times during the play that the words were uttered by those we cannot trust.  Reminding us that we need to be discerning and listen carefully to the voices so that we know who is speaking to us.


3) I cannot help but love you.  How powerful to see the actor portraying God speaking these words to people from the Biblical story.  And then to realize that He speaks the words to me as well.  Wow.


4) Abba will provide.  God, our Father, will always provide.  Seeing that again through the stories from the Old Testament was powerful.  


5) Go. The people in the Bible were repeatedly commissioned to do the work God had for them.  He sent them out.  He sends us out.  The words were also used when the people were banished (albeit temporarily).  At one point during the play, the disciples were being sent out, told to go, to teach and heal.  The words teach and heal were repeated several times.  That got me thinking that those words are a great summary of what our job as disciples is.  To teach and to heal.  Pretty simple.  And pretty difficult!


6) With me, nothing is impossible.  A reminder that God is all-powerful and that we must not let our doubts limit possibilities.  


There were a couple of other aspects of the play that touched me.  When God spoke to people, He physically breathed His spirit into them.  Powerful to see.  When the prophets spoke, the actor portraying the prophet and the actor portraying God both spoke in synchronization, symbolizing how God speaks through the prophets.  Again, powerful to see this done visually.  


Throughout the play a stone was used as a symbol of the covenant God has made with His people.  It was passed from person to person.  It was amazing to see that kind of physical representation of God's covenant.  Made it all the more real and powerful, that's for sure.  At the end, the actors all stood at the front of the stage, reaching out towards the people, each with a smaller stone in their hands.  The covenant goes on with us.  What a gift!


If I had the opportunity to see this play again, I would go in a heartbeat!


And now it's time to update the list of 1000 gifts.  


854) the way my new coat feels, wrapping me gently nd richly
855) spontaneous dinner out and trip to the fabric store
856) curling up under a fleece blanket
857 - 860) - Saturday mornings, chai tea, reading the paper, listening to Stuart McLean and the Vinyl Cafe
861) opportunity to chat and encourage a friend after church
862) laughing with my students
863) opportunity to connect with individual students
864) a bright full moon rising
865) bright planets in the night sky
866) the constellation Orion (well, knowing a specific constellation and recognizing it in the night sky)
867) visiting a dear colleague
868) chatting with two of my siblings in one night
869) marvelling with my brother over the possibilities for vision - miracles in the making
870) observing students as they organize themselves and discuss a novel together
871) soup lunch at school - yum!
872) freshly cut hair
873) sewing time with friends
874) hearing that a book I gave a friend is blessing her
875) church dinner and fellowship around the table
876) gentle chiming wind chimes
877) lunch and a play with a friend
878) creative gifts of playwrights and actors
879) a play which tells the story of God and His love for His people (see post above)
880 - 885) repeated lines in the play - Trust me.  I cannot help but love you.  Abba, forgive me.  With me, nothing is impossible.  Abba will provide.  Are we there?  Not yet.
886) the symbolism of a stone and God's faithful promise throughout generations