BAGGAGE CLAIM

Dear People,

I am very excited about what’s coming in the week before Easter Sunday: BAGGAGE CLAIM! I love this well-written play! We have such a wonderful opportunity to present the message of salvation through this dramatic production that will entertain and deeply move everyone who sees it. I hope you will take the opportunity to invite friends and neighbors to watch it with you.

Getting out the message of God’s love, grace, mercy, and salvation is as important as ever, and BAGGAGE CLAIM is a perfect vehicle for doing that. Our world is filled with visual images from television, computers, video games, and now cellular phones, so a live dramatic presentation of the Good News cannot be underestimated. People not only need to hear God’s Word, they want to see it!

For those who doubt the power and importance of drama in a church, we would do well to remember the implicit honor given to drama in the Bible. In the Old Testament, God presented dramas through His prophets. In the cases of Ezekiel and Jeremiah, the prophets actually acted out their messages. God uses actual events in the lives of real people to teach others His Gospel truths, such as Abraham's offering of Isaac or the life of Joseph, both of which illustrate John 3:16. Also consider the fact that whole Old Testament Sanctuary Service with its supplies, furniture, and rituals was an illustration of the entire plan of salvation that was fulfilled at the cross. Our Lord Himself taught with parables and dynamic life-lessons such as the withering of the fig tree. In keep with the Old Testament and New Testament, the early Christian Church under the Holy Spirit’s direction employed the use of drama to pass on the story of Jesus, a method that transcends the barriers of language and social class standings. In short, while people obviously appreciate some good drama, most importantly so does God!

So…I’m excited about this play, and I can tell you that our director Brian McMinn and his cast have been working extremely hard for well over a month now. Several others will be faithfully helping with the set design and construction. So I hope that at the very least you will make plans to come and see. More than that, I hope you will also encourage someone else to come and see with you. Do not underestimate this opportunity.

Peace,

Ernest