Monday, December 8, 2003

8:21 PM Well, it was incredible. I’m not an expert on such things, but I am told that “Two From Galilee” was several levels of difficulty beyond anything our music ministry has attempted before. On one level, it felt as if you were watching a professional stage production. On a completely different level, it felt not like a play but as if we were watching the story of Joseph and Mary unfold before us in real time. So many highlights: The giggling girls pursuing Joseph, the eager young men (led by Ben Dodgson) lining up to win Mary’s hand, Mary’s parents played with gritty realism by Steve Boisse and ClarLyn Morris, strong performances by David Haas and Diane Ertner as Joseph’s father and mother, Ray Salva as the tough-minded innkeeper, Gwen Johnson as his merciful wife, Allan MacLeod-Smith as the angel Gabriel, and then there were the Magi—Tom, Reggie and Benjamin—all hilarious and well-done. Can’t forget the amazing dancing men of Calvary. I stood in the lobby and watched in amazement as members of the choir filed out, changed costumes, and filed back in, some of them making six or seven appearances. The orchestra played more or less non-stop for two hours, with only a ten-minute intermission to catch their breath. Adam Newton played Joseph with great passion and conviction. Andrea Spisiak infused Mary with a luminous combination of grace, humility, courage and deep inner strength. So many people worked hundreds of hours to make “Two From Galilee” possible. The tech crew worked tirelessly, as did the set-builders and painters, the directors, the choir, all led very ably by Pastor Andrew Irvin. We sold out all three performances—reaching approximately 1500 people. I saw it all three times and when it was on Sunday night, I wanted it to keep on going. No one who came could leave without being impacted by the message. Here’s a report from someone who invited a friend:

She said it was just awesome and way more than she expected, also she thought you were pretty cool. She told me to let her know when something else would be going on. She’s a devout Muslim, but she actually approached me about coming to the play, I think God is working on her.