Continuing the dialogue.....
The Secret Garden
Dear Friend,
As a theater ministry, Acacia seeks to offer high quality theater, which affords the opportunity to view one's life in relationship to the fullness of God's truth. We pray that our shows offer an occasion for thanksgiving, growth, enjoyment and understanding. Without detracting from the theater experience, which we hope you enjoyed, and obviously without foreknowledge of topics dealt with in the "Talk Back," we would like to continue the dialogue by sharing some of the thoughts that the board of directors discussed after reading this play.
The Secret Garden is a play that is so very appropriate for this time of year. It bridges the doubt and insecurities of man with the hope that God’s promises will be fulfilled. It is a very human fear, that we have been forgotten by our Lord, in our insignificance. Yet as Mary Lennox learns, as the Garden becomes wick, God does not forget. Again and again He renews His covenant with us and renews our hearts and souls with His unending and unerring love.
Mary echoes a common theme of man. Her repeated question in her sorrow and fear is “Why does no one come? Why am I forgotten?” From the beginning of time man has let fear separate him from God.
The Psalmists cried: Come back, Father, rescue my soul. Psalm 6:3
How much longer will you forget me, Lord? Forever? How much longer will you hide your face from me? Psalm 13:1
Even Christ, as human as one can be, facing the death of His body while hanging on a cross at Golgotha, lifted his eyes to heaven and cried “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?” Mark 15:34
But it is not the Father who has abandoned us. It is us who separate ourselves from Him. In our fear, in our sorrow, in our selfishness we turn our faces from Him who offers us strength and solace. We in our humanness and hubris deny that we cannot have strength without Him, who is strength.
God is our shelter, our strength, ever ready to help in times of trouble, so we shall not be afraid when the earth gives way, when the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, and its waters roar and seethe, the mountains tottering as it heaves. (Yahweh Sabaoth is on our side, our citadel, the God of Jacob!)
Psalm 46: 1-3
In the world in which we live today, as in the world of the play, there have been events that have shaken us all to the core. As a nation, we watched as our world was shaken; as the life we had known, and the innocence of a people were forever impacted. How easy is it to feel blessed when all is well and we feel safe, and secure…. pretty easy. When that security is violated, and our sense of safety and comfort are threatened, how easy is it to feel abandoned and alone? Pretty easy.
We as a nation have come through a time of fear and a time of uncertainty. But God was there. He took note of all. And again, as always, He has loved us through it all. He sent to the world His only Son, as a new covenant with man. He will never abandon us.
In the play, Mary finds that her former self, that of a selfish child, must pass away for her to be reborn in the light of love. She comes to new life through that love just as the garden is reborn through her care and love. So we through the love of Christ are reborn from our sinful selves into children of God.
You have been taught that when we were baptized in Christ Jesus we were baptized in his death; in other words, when we were baptized we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might have a new life. If in union with Christ we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in his resurrection. We must realize that our former selves have been crucified with him to destroy this sinful body and to free us from the slavery of sin. Romans 6:2-6
But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him: Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him anymore. When he died, he died, once for all, to sin, so his life now is life with God; and in that way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive for God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:8-11
Sincerely,
Board of Directors
Acacia Theatre Company
