This past weekend Spirit Force, a drama ministry from Messiah College, shared a musical drama at all three of our worship services at Friendship Community Church. It was something to not only watch it but to see and hear the responses of people who were in the audience.

The drama was all about grace. Of course grace only means something if you have lived without it, as the husband/father/alcoholic did. The stresses he put on his family were so real that the rawness of it was felt by many, and had been experienced by at least some present. To say the least, the presentation was a grabber that reached in and pulled out emotion from the viewer even if you hadn't experienced all that family trauma yourself. I'm thinking that's because all of us have experienced some distance from God and difficulties with people at some time in our lives, or at least known others who would admit to that.

At each of the performaces I put visual images from the computer onto the screen and ran the lights for the various blackouts for scene changes. But even though I was "busy," I was still moved by the drama. It drew me in.

Still, it was nice tonight to hook the camcorder up to the TV and watch the complete presentation and just be able to concentrate on it. Once again I saw how meaningful drama and music can touch me in a way that a sermon cannot. Sermons are important, there is much to learn, but story and song get past our defenses and make us feel even when we weren't planning on it. Of course a total worship service usually involves story, song, and message...but sometimes it is good to be touched by a different method.

I'm thankful for the wonderful college students who make up Spirit Force (and yes I am a proud parent of one of them, my daughter Rosie) and most of all the grace of God that gives us a reason to live even if life takes a difficult turn.