Bringing The New Testament to Life

Bringing The New Testament to Life

After a short period of time of sobriety and finding myself reading more than I have ever read in my life it became quiet clear that I really liked to read. I loved how the stories would paint pictures in my minds eye and take me places that I will probably never see. Because of the nature of some of what I was reading the stories would take me to places I pray I never see or experience.

What happened is it became clear the founding members of AA did not have the book Alcoholics Anonymous and this set me on a quest to learn how they became sober and find God in the process. Well, come to find out, a lot of “oral history” helped and a lot of one-on-one contact with people that were sober. Stories, books, prayer and “quiet time” were the most common tools in their toolbox they would carry around and attempt to help others.

We learn about people through the spoken word. We can read about people and the adventures in their lives but most people would prefer to hear someone they can sit down with to hear their story. We go to movies for this reason. In the theater we are “sitting” with the characters and listening to their story. Look at the popularity of the original Star Wars movie. Not really a great movie but a fascinating story. Apparently, George Lucas spent a lot of time with Joseph Campbell to better understand how myths worked and the power of oral history. Mr Lucas used these tools he had fashioned from the conversations with Mr Campbell and the story of Luke Skywalker was born.

We are beginning a new project in which we will bring the New Testament to life by delivering the parables of Jesus Christ in a dramatic reading of our own making. We are going to begin with one of the most well known and well loved stories, the Prodigal Son.

Luke 15 NKJV

11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons.
12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.
13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.
14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.
15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,
19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’
20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’