A New Thing
Beginnings are wonderful things. The future seems laden with untold possibilities. The canvas is blank. The pages are bare. That feeling of anticipation is nearly overwhelming, like when you're watching an exciting movie or reading a page-turning novel. What's going to happen next?
And yet, beginnings are inextricably tied to endings. You can't have one without the other. Something must end in order for another to begin. And endings, while sweet in some ways (for beginnings always come after), can also be difficult and sad.
This tension has never been more present in my heart than I have found it of late. I am filled with excitement and anticipation as I prepare for my time at Sight & Sound Conservatory. And yet, there is an inescapable sensation of melancholy each time I remember that we have concluded the first season of STAGE Productions. I felt it quite heavily on the weekend of our final show.
On November 18 & 19, 2016, STAGE Productions took a closing bow before being put on hold for the coming year. Our first season (referring to our first three years, not our show season) ended with three stunning performances of A Dickens Christmas Carol. For the first time ever, we had a packed house. Over 250 audience members came to each performance.
The story of A Christmas Carol couldn't have been a more perfect finale for STAGE. The "E" in the acronym "STAGE" stands for Emmanuel: one of the most intimate names of Christ Jesus, for it means "God with us." From the very beginning, STAGE has existed to exalt this truth through the performing arts. Through word or deed, we have sought to draw attention the the God-man, the most baffling, incredible, and unfathomable miracle of the Christian faith. Indeed, the miracle upon which our faith rests.
A Dickens Christmas Carol was filled to bursting with worship of Emmanuel. The hymns and carols that were sung, the concepts of redemption and second chances that were displayed, the love that people show one another because of the love we have in Christ...the list goes on and on. That is what makes the story so beautiful. And that is one of the reasons that my heart swelled with gratitude as the cast gathered before the stage during the show's finale on Saturday evening. Skirts swished, tea lights flickered, capes fluttered and faces beamed as the 53 cast members sang out Hark The Herald Angels Sing with all of their might. I couldn't have been more proud of them or more touched by the good news their story was telling.
I will forever treasure the memories of that evening. It was filled with work and responsibilities of course (that building doesn't clean itself!) But it was also filled with celebration of what the Lord had done: both through our show that weekend and through STAGE Productions for the past three years.
I could not have felt more loved. People were constantly asking how they could be of service, I received many notes and words of encouragement as well as a signed picture of the cast, and to top it all off, was treated to a lovely slideshow including pictures from all 11 of our productions and heartfelt songs to go along with it. (A special thanks to the Davis family for putting that together!)
Yes, I was a bit misty eyed that evening. We celebrated with cookies after we finished our massive strike (theatre-speak for "clean-up"). But eventually, one-by-one students came forward, with sorrow in their voices as they said it was time for them to leave. Many hugs, many tears, much smeared stage makeup. As I looked into the faces of each of my cast and crew members, they represented not only the hard-working, talented performers of A Dickens Christmas Carol, but also the hearts and souls of every student who has been involved in our shows; of everyone who has been touched by the ministry of STAGE Productions. And, praise be to Christ, it has indeed been glorious. More so than I ever dreamed when I sent out my announcement email on December 9, 2013.
“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
— Isaiah 43:19
In Prince Caspian, the second installment of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, (or the fourth, depending on how you count) Lucy is confused as she finds that her return to Narnia has been nothing like it was when she first walked through the Wardrobe. She tells Aslan of her disappointment. "I thought you'd come roaring in and frighten all my enemies away, like last time. And now everything is going to be horrid." The all-knowing, and ever-patient Great Lion acknowledges her feelings, and then He gives her what she truly needs: a bigger vision for the coming adventure.
““It is hard for you, Little One,” said Aslan. “Things never happen the same way twice...but anyone can find out will happen!”
I'm no theologian, but I don't think that verse in Isaiah means to literally forget about what God has done in the past. Rather, to rejoice in it and allow the memories of His faithfulness to strengthen us for what is coming next. It is hard, as Aslan agrees with Lucy, to let go of experiences that brought us great joy. We liked the way it happened the first time. But what we find in the remainder of Prince Caspian is a tale of such epic scale and thrilling triumph that the Pevensie children could never have dreamed it up on their own. Different from their first adventure, but no less wonderful.
The word "bittersweet", though rather cliché, perfectly describes this transition into the next season. It is sorrowful to leave home and relationships I have formed here. It his hard to leave the students who, though I have been their teacher, have taught me more than they probably will ever realize. I love STAGE Productions and all that it stands for, and it is difficult to set it aside for the coming year.
"But anyone can find out what will happen!"
In the months ahead my prayer is that the memories of His faithfulness will strengthen me. That my trust in Him will grow ever more constant as I remember that He has always shown Himself trustworthy. That I, like little Lucy in this scene from Prince Caspian, will choose obedience to the Great Lion; will choose to watch with anticipation and delight as His "New Thing" unfolds.
In the words of the Charles Dickens, and one of the last lines of A Dickens Christmas Carol:
“May that truly be said of all of us.