The story-line takes place in the south back in the late 1930’s when the Sanders Family Singers appear at the Mt Pleasant Baptist church to present a concert; after which evening neither the pastor, the congregation or this family will ever be the same again. For, as the family sings and dances its way through the musical, some of their conduct is openly questioned. You see, often in those days, strict adherence to certain rules of behavior was expected of church-going people. And when the breaking of such rules was discovered among the family, it appeared the performance would quickly be derailed. But in the end, all was well when even the pastor realized the the joy that comes from praising the Lord with freedom in new and innovative ways, and as those who had been hurt by the criticism, freely forgave.
As I sat there thoroughly enjoying myself, I couldn’t help but let my mind wander back to my childhood when I lived what was being portrayed on stage. For even then, Christians were expected to live by strict rules, most of which were nowhere to be found in the Bible. And, as a young girl, I remember thinking something was wrong because we were told salvation was by grace. It was the free gift of God, yet all the rules I had to follow made it seem like a relationship with God could only be attained by works, that is, by what I did or didn’t do.
So yesterday, as I watched the actors sing and act—and even dance—their way through the performance, I realized afresh the joy of putting first things first. For you see, receiving God's free gift of grace must come first. That occurs when we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior. But once we've received that gift, the way we live it out is up to us, as long as we live lives that bring honor and glory to our God.
Grace comes first, you see, then the works. It's never the other way around.
Love and blessings,
Judy Grubaugh
P.S. By the way, the handsome young man in these photos is none other than our actor grandson, Beau Brians. Keep your eyes open. You’ll be seeing and hearing more of him!