Thoughts from Rob Gardner's The Lamb of God

Tonight, I had the opportunity to go and see a performance of Rob Gardner's The Lamb of God. Going into the program, I didn't really know what I was getting into, I had only heard that Chad loved the music and that it really meant a lot to him. 

Sitting in the performance, I was struck by the beauty of the music and the retelling of Christ's story. However, one of the most profound moments came during Mary, the mother f Jesus's, solo. As she sang her solo, I began to connect to Mary in a way that I never have- on the maternal level. Although I'm not a mother, I began thinking about how she must have felt watching the crucifixion of her son. I cannot even imagine watching the sacrifice of your son for the world. On our way home, I asked Chad if he thought that Mary understood exactly what would happen to her son before that moment of weeping at the foot of the cross. Did she ever expect that she would have to watch her son die in such a brutal way? Is there any way she could really comprehend what the angel Gabriel meant when he said that she would bear the Savior of the World? Chad and I discussed it and felt that she couldn't have fully comprehended what bearing the Messiah meant. How her heart must have broken as she witnessed the crucifixion of her son. I cannot even begin to comprehend her pain and sorrow. 

I also felt that Thomas's solo was incredibly moving. Especially these lines:

We’ll read the meaning of our tears,

And there, sometime, we’ll understand

Why what we long for most of all

Eludes our open, pleading hand.

I love the idea of understanding the meaning of our tears. I feel that often, I don't fully understand the meaning of my tears, but it is comforting knowing that God understands those tears and that sometime, he will help us to comprehend them. Through Christ's atonement, those tears are all accounted for. All of them. Above all, God knows what is best for us, and as those lines state, he will show us why not all of our prayers were answered. In the end, all will be made right, and I think that is an  important thing to understand about the atonement. 

I was incredibly impressed by the performance and would highly encourage any one who has the chance to go and see the production. Surely, you will walk away with a fuller understanding for the atonement of Christ. 

Love always,

Ems