Last week, we went to see the musical, The Prom. While the story is fundamentally about inclusion, there are important messages woven throughout about life and meaning. In one scene, the high school principal tells the Broadway star that he loves theatre because it is an escape, a means of healing and hope. He then sings, because this is musical theatre, so all the important messages are sung, ‘we look to you’.
“We look to you”. The message of the song is quite simple. He acknowledges that life can suck. He knows this well because he is a high principal. For him, theatre takes him away from all the struggles and frustrations of life and offers moments of wonder and grace. “We look to you,” he sings, “In good times and in bad. The worlds you create make the real world seem less sad.” For him, theatre transforms life into something more, where breaking into song, and dancing in unison can be taken for granted and simply enjoyed. We look to you, he sings, “and every now and then it feels as if we are coming home again.”
We look to you. That was the role of the bridesmaids in the time of Jesus. They led the groom and the community to the wedding feast, an event that could last days. This procession could happen at any time. So, bridesmaids needed to have lamps available in case they had to lead the procession at night. There was no way to know when they would be fulfilling their duty. No phones to offer a heads up. The group simply had to watch, wait and be ready to fulfill their vital role. Bridesmaids needed to be prepared to shine their lights, to help people come together as community to celebrate with joy and hope.
We look to you. Churches can serve as beacons of light leading the way to hope and grace today. It is an important role. Some people look to the church in good times and in bad, wanting to know there is more, that there is a way for the world to seem less sad. Our music and dancing may not be as well choreographed as a Broadway play or even a musical theatre. But that doesn’t change the fact that who we are can be light that transforms hearts.
We look to you. And yet, we know that sometimes churches and people of faith are not as well prepared as we should be. It is easy to get distracted by the world, allowing our lamps, our energy, our gifts, to get used up engaging in things the world tells us should be priorities. We live in a world where power and privilege are associated with money, ownership, and the arbitrary characteristics of a few. When churches get too caught up in the status quo, there isn’t enough energy, resources, and light to shine for those who fall outside the norm and live on the margins. There are ways in which the light of the church grows dim because it hasn’t been properly focused, cared for and nurtured by the people. This can leave people of faith feeling unprepared when the groom, Jesus Christ, returns.
We look to you. Even though the Church may not always get it right. Even though there may not always be enough oil in our lamps. Even though we may get distracted and allow our lights to dim. We can look to Jesus for the light, hope, and transformation we need.
Christ is our light, shining in the darkness. He points the way to what the world needs. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus teach us about what it means to be light for the world. Jesus is the One whom we can all look to in order to find that wonder, grace, and hope that makes the world seem less sad. Jesus is the One whose light is always bright. Jesus is always ready for us to look to him and feel as if we are coming home again.
We look to you. Guided by the light of Christ, in baptism we are given a candle as a symbol of the light God plants in us along with the challenge to keep that light nurtured and shining. We have an important role to fulfill, using our light to point the way to the One True Light of the World, Jesus Christ. The clothing cupboard, the upcoming Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil, and the Legacy of Heroes are some of the ways in which we seek to embody this challenge. What more can we do to nurture our light? How do we nurture and support one another? How else can our light point to the light of Christ?
Knowing and trusting that we can look to Jesus. May we, nurtured by the light of Christ, seek to be light for those who look to us, this we pray as we sing: (VT) 715 Longing for Light.