{"id":30158,"date":"2022-10-19T13:00:33","date_gmt":"2022-10-19T17:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=30158"},"modified":"2022-12-27T11:29:10","modified_gmt":"2022-12-27T16:29:10","slug":"pumc-organizes-bus-trip-to-see-david-at-sight-and-sound-10-19-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=30158","title":{"rendered":"Sight & Sound Shows God’s Own Heart (10\/19\/22)"},"content":{"rendered":"

A group of 51 PUMC’ers, family, and friends arrived in the parking lot and boarded a coach at 8AM.\u00a0 For the next 1:45, we were treated to the sights of the fall foliage and rolling Amish farmland.\u00a0 For most of us, it’s a treat to be able to look out of a vehicle’s side window instead of having to concentrate on the view through the windshield as we navigate through the traffic.\u00a0 The trip was a break from the normal, and we were able to spend the day seeing things from new perspectives.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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An Unexpected Heart….<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Sight & Sound Theater in Lancaster, PA<\/p><\/div>\n

Throughout the presentation, the sights and sounds kept reminding us that God’s perspective is different from ours.\u00a0 We were constantly challenged to see things from God’s view.\u00a0 The king wasn’t a big strong man.\u00a0 In fact, the actor who played King David was noticeably shorter than the brothers and soldiers who surrounded him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

David’s mother was played by a black woman, and his father was played by a white man.\u00a0 Joab (David’s military commander) was a black man.\u00a0 In our perspective of race, we may have expected David to be a big strong white guy with middle eastern toned skin and curly hair, and his friends and parents would have looked similar.\u00a0 But from God’s perspective, things are different.\u00a0 The actors who portrayed all of the characters challenged the prejudices that form most of our human perceptions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Israel wanted a king who would lead them to military victory.\u00a0 Goliath was taunting them, and they wanted someone big and strong who would stand up to all of their “goliaths.”\u00a0 David was just a kid.\u00a0 He couldn’t even fit into the armor or carry a big sword.\u00a0 He wasn’t what the people expected or wanted.<\/p>\n

The biblical David was a shepherd and a musician.\u00a0 He defended his flock, but he wasn’t a soldier.\u00a0 Instead of carrying a sword, David played a harp, calmed king Saul’s rants, and wrote songs.\u00a0 Many of the praise choruses that we sing in church today capture the words and heart of David.\u00a0 The music throughout the presentation was based on David’s writings as recorded in the book of Psalms.\u00a0 The tunes have been lost and replaced by modern compositions, but the meanings have been preserved and re-presented to our 21st century ears.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Just as the disciples expected a Messiah who would defeat Rome, the Israelites of David’s time expected a soldier who would drive out their enemies.<\/p>\n

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A Struggling Heart…<\/span><\/h3>\n

David remained loyal to King Saul, but the king became jealous and wanted to kill David.\u00a0 For much of his life, David was on the run.\u00a0 As he ran from city to city and hid in caves, David assembled a rag-tag group of friends who became his\"\" defenders and eventual army.\u00a0 But more than military training, David trained this group of men to commit themselves to God.\u00a0 He taught them to trust God (“the battle is the LORD’s”).\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

David remained loyal to Lord and to the Lord’s anointed.\u00a0 But he was misunderstood and mis-treated.\u00a0 King Saul chose to pursue David instead of defending David’s hometown (Bethlehem) from the attacking enemy.\u00a0 As a result, all that David knew was destroyed or taken away.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Life wasn’t fair to David, but he continued to trust God.\u00a0 Many of the Psalms in today’s Bible capture the anguish of his mistreatment and of God’s apparent absence. One example is Psalm\u00a022<\/a>, <\/span>which is motivated by David’s loneliness but also foreshadows Jesus’s crucifixion.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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A Forgiven Heart…<\/span><\/h3>\n

Even though this is an “Old Testament Story,” we were reminded that Jesus was present throughout.\u00a0 Immediately after the intermission (the<\/span><\/em> first<\/span> intermission… more on that later…<\/span><\/em>), the entire theater was surrounded by images of stars and lights in the heavens.\u00a0 Amid the swirling lights, David was sitting on a rock playing his harp and singing of the majesty of God and thanking Him for His love and protection as our Good Shepherd.\u00a0 At one point, the stars over his left shoulder disappeared and the image faded into an image of Jesus.\u00a0 Our Good Shepherd<\/a><\/span>, the King of Kings<\/a><\/span>, was holding his\"\" shepherd’s crock and lovingly watching over the shoulder of the boy-shepherd who had become king.<\/p>\n

But the crown that David wore began to weigh him down.\u00a0 His heart remained steadfast<\/a><\/span>, but his deeds faltered.\u00a0 He became overwhelmed with the people’s needs and he simply wanted a break.\u00a0 His constant duty to leave his family to fulfill his duty as a leader in battle took a toll on his energy.\u00a0 During one attack, he told his military commander that he needed to sit this one out.\u00a0 Surprised and reluctant, Joab led the victory as David remained in the palace.\u00a0 A map of the conquered territories was projected in the background, and it gradually expanded until the whole of the land was claimed by the Hebrews.\u00a0 As each victory was reported, David’s mind was elsewhere.\u00a0 We know the story (if not, see 2 Samuel chapter\u00a011<\/a><\/span>)…\u00a0 David was captured by the beauty of his neighbor bathing on her roof.\u00a0 In a moment of weakness, he sent for her, they both got drunk, and Bathsheba ended up pregnant.\u00a0 To protect himself and to keep his kingdom, he began to behave just as Saul did.\u00a0 David sent for Bathsheba’s husband Uriah, and when his plan didn’t work out, he had Uriah killed and then married Bathsheba.\u00a0 The shepherd stole someone else’s lamb.<\/p>\n

Even a man after God’s own heart can make mistakes.\u00a0 \u00a0Saul’s heart caused him to dig in his heals and to fight for his innocence.\u00a0 David’s heart moved him to tears and to beg for forgiveness.\u00a0 He recorded his anguish in what we now know as Psalm 51<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 He had to live with the results of his sin, but God restored His relationship with David.<\/p>\n

Radical forgiveness is God’s perspective… way different from ours!<\/p>\n

At the end of the show, David was on his deathbed, singing words similar to Psalm 32<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 \u00a0As the earthly king exalts the powerful forgiveness of our Good Shepherd, an image of the Lamb of God appears in the sky and is nailed to a cross.\u00a0 The earthly king who tended to sheep is forgiven because of the sacrifice of our Heavenly Lamb.<\/p>\n

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This is not normal!<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

In the middle of the second act, the lights flickered and the video display behind the actors showed technical jargon instead of Biblical scenes.\u00a0 The curtain closed, the house lights were brought up, and a Sight and Sound representative stood in front of the stage to report that “this is not normal!”\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The computers had to be “reset”, and we were “treated” to a second intermission before the show could resume.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lesson:\u00a0 Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, but do we trust God to take us through them???<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

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What About Our Hearts???<\/span><\/h3>\n

David is described as a “man after God’s own heart.”\u00a0 (see 1 Samuel 13:13-14<\/a><\/span>) and Acts 13:16-22<\/a><\/span>).\u00a0 The word “after” can mean several things.\u00a0 It can mean that something comes later than something else, or that it looks like something else.\u00a0 David’s heart “looked like” God’s heart.\u00a0 But it can also mean that somebody is perusing something.\u00a0 They want to own it.\u00a0 They’re “coming after” it. The writers of the show used this twist in meaning to demonstrate that God wants our heart.\u00a0 God is “after” our heart.\u00a0 \u00a0God not only sees our heart, but he loves us so much that He wants us to give Him our whole hearts.\u00a0 He wants us to love Him as our all in all, because He gave us His All in All!<\/p>\n

~~~~~~<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After the presentation, we boarded the bus and drove next door- to the Hershey Farms restaurant.\u00a0 Seated at a couple of “family style” tables, we enjoyed a dinner of Amish cooking:\u00a0 ham, chicken, coleslaw, fresh green beans, apple butter, and- of course- shoe fly pie!\u00a0 After some free time wandering through the farm’s gift shops (and enjoying the flocks of ducks outside), we re-boarded the bus and headed home (while several used their phones to track the Phillies’ playoff game and kept us all updated on the score).<\/p>\n

It was an enjoyable day.\u00a0 It left us with great memories, but it also challenged us to look into our own hearts and to worship the One who is “after” them.<\/p>\n

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Plans are already being lined up for a return trip to Sight and Sound which will probably take place in the Spring of 2024.\u00a0 For more about Sight and Sound, check out their website:\u00a0<\/span> Sight and Sound<\/span><\/span><\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

For more about our trip to Sight and Sound, check out the post that announced the event…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Announcement Post<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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PUMC Organizes Bus Trip to See David at Sight and Sound (10\/19\/22)<\/h2>\n

King Saul had kind of gone off the tracks.\u00a0 His power went to his head, and he was no longer in tune with God.\u00a0 So God wanted to replace Saul with a “man after my own heart.”\u00a0 So God chose a little boy.\u00a0 A shepherd.\u00a0 David went down as the greatest of the Israelite kings… until Jesus.\u00a0 And Jesus is the “seed” who God promised to David.\u00a0 Through Jesus, David’s throne will continue throughout eternity.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Who was this David?\u00a0 Why did God pick him?\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

David was far from perfect.\u00a0 He was a warrior and he committed adultery.\u00a0 He even had his mistress’ husband killed so he could marry her himself.\u00a0 And yet, he asked for forgiveness and never lost sight of God.\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

What can we learn from David’s life that can help us in our walk with God?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

David: Sight and Sound<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sight and Sound is a special theater located in Lancaster County, PA.\u00a0 It employs a huge cast, amazing special effects, and even live animals.\u00a0 It’s a unique experience.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We have organized a bus trip to Sight and Sound for October 19, 2022<\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 It will be a morning to be inspired by the story of David, and then it will be an afternoon of fellowship as we enjoy a family style dinner at the nearby Hershey Farm Restaurant.<\/p>\n

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Details…<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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WHO<\/span><\/strong>:\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Anyone!<\/span><\/p>\n

WHAT<\/span><\/strong>: \u00a0 \u00a0 Sight and Sound\u00a0Theater<\/a> and Hershey Farms\u00a0Restaurant<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

WHEN<\/span><\/strong>: \u00a0\u00a0 Wednesday October 19, 2022<\/span><\/p>\n

WHERE<\/span><\/strong>:\u00a0 Sight and\u00a0 Sound is located in Ronks, PA, and the Hershey Farm Restaurant is \u201cnext door.”\u00a0 <\/span>Click\u00a0Here<\/a><\/span> to see a Google Map.<\/span><\/p>\n

HOW<\/span><\/strong>:\u00a0 Depart and return from the church parking lot.\u00a0 We have chartered a coach.<\/span><\/p>\n

TIMES<\/span><\/strong>:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n