Seeing In The Dark
You go to a movie theater.
You stand in line, buy a ticket, purchase some snacks, and then…
You walk through the door into a black room.
And take your seats in the dark.
You whisper to your friends, munch some popcorn…
And watch the glow of the movie screen as a story rises before you.
Your eyes focus on the light, the pictures, the music, the faces, the artistry…
And for awhile, you forget the life outside…
For a time, everything under that veil is your reality.
In that space, the writer and director can tell a story about anything…
And if it’s done well, it’ll make you laugh, cry, white knuckle your armrests, or breakout in cheers.
And, when the pictures fade and the credits role, though you must return to our old life…
If it’s a really good movie, it’s a really effective story, and if it’s really saying something true and real…
It stays with us.
It stirs us.
It makes us want to be different.
It makes us believe.
We’ve seen something in the dark that changes what we see in the light (Matthew 13:13-17).
We inherently know that good stories are meant to change us.
And we go in wanting to be changed….
On Sunday we will be diving into “The Greatest Showman,” a contemporary musical that is asking us to consider, through a fictional account of the life of entertainment pioneer, PT Barnum, what is driving our desire to be entertained? What drives us to a theater? What are we wanting?
Behind the scenes, this postmodern movie-musical, is a tender and joyful family culture, that carries echoes of the Kingdom.
And I think we’ll see, as we see the repentance and restoration of PT Barnum, both a critique of Hollywood idealism, and a surprisingly Christian view of what it means to make mistakes, dream-with-God, take big risks, and struggle to break through the boxes that are limiting his work in this world.
So let’s lean in this Sunday, and see what our Father might teach us, as the Original Greatest Showman ;)
Pastor Dave
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
Watch Hugh Jackman’s moving performance during the first full- cast Sing-Through Pitch of The Greatest Showman to Hollywood Executives.
Glimpse the insecure first audition of “This is Me” when Keala Settle was so nervous that she could scarcely come out from behind the music stand, weighed down with shame, and Hugh Jackman champions her confidence and the room erupts!
Read about Gospel Roots of Justin Paul, songwriter for The Greatest Showman who is 1/2 of the golden-globe winning musical duo, who wrote all the music for The Greatest Showman, La La Land and more!
Create a Watch party for The Greatest Showman
Gather with friends in your home or online to watch The Greatest Showman. Have fun. Ask questions. Converse afterwards. But begin with a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to speak to you specifically during the film, and be prepared to noticed HIs nudges.
1 BONUS POINT: If you ask someone from a different generation what they think about The Greatest Showman.
2 BONUS POINTS: if you invite someone from a different generation to your Watch Party with you!