The Bible on Broadway: Redefining Family

It feels like I’ve been working harder than usual this week. I’ve been poring over lyrics, listening to choruses, and watching film adaptations of musicals. Now, for those of you who are wondering if I’ve picked up a second job, the answer is “No.” I’ve been right here, in my office, preparing for our upcoming sermon series, The Bible on Broadway: Redefining Family.

Some of you might be thinking that it sounds like I haven’t been working at all! You’re wondering how you can find a gig that’ll pay you for immersing yourself in the best that Broadway has to offer. Others of you (and I do know who you are) are thinking there’s not enough money in the world to make Broadway appealing to you.

Without divulging the truth about where along that spectrum I lie, let me tell you what I think is important about this observation—that those of you from each extreme and every point in between will come to MCC Austin this month expecting to worship God in a way that offers renewal, rest, joy, forgiveness, and meaning to your life. Whether you can sing every word of Dreamgirls’ ballad “And I Am Telling You,” or you think Rent is only something due on the first of each month, you will come expecting that God will meet you here.

Take me at my word: God will.

And even though most of us would say that that’s enough, the truth is, most of us want more. We want God to meet us here in the manner in which we’re most comfortable, or in the manner we find most appealing. Some of us want God to meet us in jeans and t-shirt, smelling like Grandma’s kitchen, gathering us up in loving arms and assuring us everything is gonna be alright. Some of us prefer that our worship service be like an audience with royalty: we like to see our God as Christ the Victor, wearing robes and crown and ushering in God’s dominion. Some prefer to greet Jesus on a colt, entering triumphantly amidst our shouts of praise and waving arms. Some of us wouldn’t recognize God in any of these forms but can always find God in the swirl of baptismal water or the glow of a candle’s flame or the nuanced rhythm of silence…

As we worship together these next few weeks, I invite you to open yourself fully to the possibilities for meeting God in the words and music and messages of the musical stage. Remember, Broadway may not be your cup of tea, but to others, it’s music to their ears.

Always in Hope,