Jesus Christ Superstar

This iconic musical from 1973 is in town for a limited engagement. As soon as I found out I shopped for tickets, but nothing worked with our schedule. I am sad to admit I have never seen a production of this work by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice. I must go in search of the movie. That will be better than nothing; the live play however, is a bucket list item.

I was in junior high and high school during the run of the stage production. Not able to attend such events I never gave it much thought. What I do remember coming from this era is the phrase “Jesus freak.” This term originated in the late 1960s through early 1970s as a derogatory term for people involved in the Jesus movement of the time. The movement had its roots in Jesus’ message of peace and love embraced by the so called hippie movement. They recognized its radical message in the face of war, violence in the streets, racial inequality, and the struggle against the power brokers in politics. Peace and love was their mantra.

Jesus was a radical in his time. He challenged the religious norms and took power hungry leaders to task all while helping, healing and loving those that society had discarded.

Today, the streets of most major cities are dangerous. It feels as if violence is everywhere from the inner city to the suburbs; homelessness plagues cities often to the point of crippling tourism and business; people are in pain and clearly our methods aren’t working.

What is the solution? Call me a skeptic, but I don’t think more government is the answer. The problem isn’t superficial and throwing money at it will not solve anything. Maybe, just maybe it is time to take Jesus to the streets. Not preaching and quoting scripture to make people feel worse about their circumstances. No, we must BE Jesus. Love people. Accept them where they are but not enable them to stay there. Kindness. Love. Compassion. Dignity. Those are the things the world needs. Each of us has a sphere of influence. When there is an opportunity to influence…influence with love. Influence with action. Everything else will fall into place.

Until tomorrow choose love,

Sheryl