My bride and I had the joy of attending a musical, “Smoke on the Mountain” at the Strand Theater Friday night. I imagine there may be a future article published, so I will not go into the details of the show, but let me write that if you missed it, you missed a great time of laughter, singing, and fun.
It had been a long time since we had attended a production that involved people we knew “up close and personally.” Although we are celebrating our sixth year in Atmore, our deepest roots are in Gadsden, Anniston, Oxford, Jacksonville, and Ashland, Alabama. After a lifetime of growing up, going to school, attending college, getting married, and having babies in one region, our relationships were, and continue to be, longstanding, time-tested, and proven.
While watching Friday’s show, I realized why it was so enjoyable. If it had been a movie, it would not have been as fun. If we had attended the show in another town, it would have been less entertaining. Friday night on Main Street in Atmore, Alabama, we enjoyed “Smoke on the Mountain” because of the people involved in the production and the people in the audience.
My bride and I have the joy of having memories with a few of the cast members and many of the audience members. Everyone involved onstage did a wonderful job, but there are a few of them with whom we have traveled, eaten, fished, and experienced a little bit of life together. We have had several of those playing, acting, and watching the show in our home and even worshipped and served together in Atmore and beyond. We laughed during the show because of our familiarity with their personalities, their strengths, their talents, and even their fears. (Friday night, I wondered if that script was written for the actors of if the actors were made for that particular script!)
Relationships are the glue that holds individuals, families, and even communities together. I am reminded of this in times of isolation while traveling for ministry. Oftentimes, when on the road for one reason or another, I will call friends with whom I have not spoken in a while just to catch up on how their lives are going. Sometimes it is good to just hear how God is blessing them or how He has brought them through a struggle.
We were not made to live alone. I recall the narrative concerning Adam, the first man, longing for someone of his own kind. God gave him the privilege of naming each animal, but they were just different than Adam. He was looking for someone with whom he could relate. Then came Eve. Adam’s answer: “At last…” (I often hear the old Etta James tune and wonder if Adam sang something similar.)
We were made to live in community with other people. What we experienced in the theater over the weekend was a sense of community – of familiarity with one another. The word “familiarity” is amazingly related to the word, “family,” is it not? We have our immediate families, our extended families, our church families, and even some friends we may call our chosen families.
We were made to love. We are to love God and love others. Love builds bonds. Jesus said we are to love God above all else and love our neighbors as ourselves. I believe that means to seek God’s best for them, just as we would seek His best for ourselves.
In my thinking, our Friday night experience displayed family, community, and love. We sat with friends, several other friends attended the same night, we laughed and smiled with friends who were both offstage and onstage, and we even met some new friends. There was a warmth of joy and community that permeated the theater. It was good.
The moral of this short celebrative article is this: We need one another. As Thanksgiving approaches, remember this. Think about the family and friends who spend too much time alone. Reach out. Call them. Find time for coffee or a meal with someone. Invite a lonesome friend to your Thanksgiving celebration. Be a friend. Be family. Live in true community. Love God with all you are and love others as you love yourself. Thank you, Atmore.
kevingarrett.org 