Going to See Jesus

Before you get anxious and believe that I plan to cross over the Jordan River to the Promised Land, I need to share I was on a bus trip to the Stroudsburg/ Lancaster area to the Sight and Sound Theater to see the play called Jesus. The coolest thing was that I reconnected with a few old friends and made a few new ones. Out and about early Tuesday morning to catch the bus at 8 am, I was early and the bus was on time.

The ride out was uneventful. We stopped at Sideling Hill on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Toll Road for restroom, stretch the legs, and grab a bite or something to nibble break. We boarded the bus again and were off, to make Lancaster and eat lunch at the Good and Plenty Restaurant. The food was plenteous and served family style. After a sumptuous and varied fare, I ate my first piece of shoo fly pie and ate seconds on the homemade ice cream.

Then we were off to the Sight and Sound Theater. Our tickets were in peanut heaven where the air is rarified and nose bleeds were a danger. The actual presentation was beautiful with the drama interspaced with singing and animals moving across the stage. The side wings of the theater were staged as villages and used as part of the play. I’ve said before, the human voice is the most versatile and lovely instrument created by God. The music and singing were wonderful

One idea I’d long held was that Lazarus was an older man, that he died and Jesus called him from the tomb, but in this rendition, Lazarus was a young man and Mary and Martha were older sisters. This was as easily plausible as my thoughts and that thought gave me pause.

During the intermission, a young man traveling on the bus with his grandmother said that I couldn’t get the passengers in the bus to sing a song together. I don’t like to be challenged and just let it lay, so I began to ponder the dilemma as we left the theater.

On the return trip, just before we stopped at Sideling Hill, a diabolical idea popped into my head. As the bus parked, I stood and announced that it was the young man’s birthday and asked everyone wish him a happy birthday. It wasn’t of course, but everyone obliged, much to his embarrassment, and I won the wager. The reward? I earned the satisfaction of winning. No money was ever mentioned. Several other passengers even wished him a happy birthday as he exited the bus.