A Night at the Theatre - James Earley

I asked James if I could share portions of his reflection after we went to a musical (Jekyll & Hyde) at the TUTS theatre. I think that this shows how much we are wrestling with as we all have grown up with privilege & unique opportunities. Honestly, if it wasn't for these past couple of months of experience in our communities as Mission Year interns, we would not have been quick to recognize the vast difference in our society between rich and poor. We all have growing convictions as individuals as we spend the year discovering God's heart for the poor. Below, you'll find the last portions of James' reflection to give you a sense of what he's processing through. I hope it gives you a glimpse of how our hearts are all being stretched.

In “Façade” the singers discuss the way in which their appearance is used to cover up the ugliness they hold inside of themselves. If they appear to be influential, they are. If they appear to be wealthy, they are seen as such. We have this interesting nature about us where the things (such as clothes, cars, etc.) we buy are chosen in a very specific way to wield power, and to be seen as “better” than others. Usually, this is a very subconscious thing. There was a young man at the theater telling his friend that had he worn “this outfit”—a bowtie, collared shirt, and nicely fitting khakis—in Austin, he would have been judged. Little did he know that had many of my neighbors worn their Sunday best to this show, they would have been judged. I even found myself, while riding the bus, avoiding eye contact with a dirty looking man; why? Because I was wearing a tie. My status was seen as different than his, and even though this is the very thing that hurt me the most at the musical—being less than the other people there—I found myself fulfilling the same position to those I could see as “less” than me. What a sad day when we realize that the rich man Jesus was talking to in Matthew 19 is in fact the reader.  Jesus, won’t you save us from our shallowness?

My heart hurts for the sake of the state of the “high society” of the city. Is it possible that the reason it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to heaven is because when we are rich, we can convince ourselves that we don’t need God? Who needs God when you can just buy everything for yourself? Who needs God when you can buy a needle with a bigger eye to fit through? Who needs to be saved from having everything they could ever need? Past that, as a rich man, I can pretend like the people similar to my neighbors truly don’t exist. The “Façade” of our existence is structured in such a way that a need to feel compassionate towards my fellow man can be totally avoided.

Lord, won’t you teach us more that the last will be first? Give us a desire to break down the walls of division that we’re aware of and make us aware of the ones we cannot see. Give us eyes that see our own wickedness and hearts that love you, and our neighbors so much that we cannot possibly view them as any less worthy of love than ourselves.