They Also Serve

Seven years ago, I wrote a blog about the author, John Milton,  writing one of my favorite hymns, Let Us With A Gladsome Mind, when he was only fifteen! FIFTEEN! But he also penned one of my favorite quotations ever, words that are oft quoted: 
They also serve who only stand and wait.
(from Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent)
Milton wrote this particular work after he had gone blind which I did not realize until I did research. I always tell my students a little about baseball great Lou Gehrig, who they've never heard of except in recognition of the disease bearing his name. I tell them how Gehrig was unknown until New York Yankee first baseman Wally Pipp had a headache, sat out a game, and never was heard from again, although there are discrepancies in that legend! The point is that the player with the longest consecutive game streak in baseball history (until Cal Ripken) was ready when he came out of the dugout. And I tell the youngsters, you never know when that time is at hand.

Last week, our WCS Fine Arts Department put on a musical I had never heard of, The Great Gilly Hopkins. A quick check of youtube told me it was a well received 2015 movie based on a 1978 childrens' novel. The title character is a young lady in the foster care system who is shuffled around, always dreaming her birth mom would come and rescue her. I always go on Saturday night, the final performance, and I followed my tradition six days ago. As all our presentations, it was first class in every way. (It actually was supposed to debut right before Thanksgiving and made it to the final week before COVID reared its ugly head.) I loved it! I think I am correct in saying every student on stage and in the crew is either a current student of mine, a former student of mine, or will be my student in the coming two years. I can't overstate how good it was; I actually was hoping there was an additional scene or two!

But this isn't really about the performance I attended. You see, earlier that afternoon, there was another showing of The Great Gilly Hopkins. I didn't go but I wish now that I had. You see, the matinee was performed by the understudies. Director Ronnie Blaine told me that it's not a common practice at the high school level. In all my years of being there when the curtain goes up, I had never had heard of anything like this. My first thought was it's kind of like a JV game before the varsity contest but it isn't really. When I was a high school coach and we had an injury or illness or something that caused a player to be absent, we just shuffled the kids around- we didn't pull up someone else. I thought about what it would be like, knowing the only way people might know my role is if misfortune happened to another. And yet, the understudies have to attend the same practices, memorize the same dialogue, and I would guess have fewer opportunities to say their lines moving to predetermined spots and practicing costume changes. Plus, these actors/actresses may also have other lesser roles that they have to know or maybe they are part of the stage crew. I heard our understudies put on a marvelous show! Like I said, I wasn't there but you can bet I would have been if it had been my son or daughter or niece or nephew or player. Next year's resolution!

One thing I like about Paul's epistles is that he gave credit to lots of people who are never spoken of anywhere else in Scripture. These men and women played key roles in the early church. They supported Paul, they supported each other, they supported the spreading of the Gospel. In Romans 16, for example, he mentions 26 brothers and sisters by name as well as a number of others by implication. Their names would be known to none of us if Paul had not taken the time to give the blessings they deserved. I doubt they knew their names would endure and be translated into countless tongues but here we are today, still trying to correctly pronounce, 
Asyncritus, Phlegon,Patrobas, Philologus, Nereus
Paul gave them their moment in the sun. They would know without a doubt they were appreciated and noticed. That's a pretty good curtain call, even without the curtain. They also serve who only stand and wait. Milton was right-we all have our role. We all have our gift. We may not all get the chance we want under the bright lights but I'm not sure it matters. It matters if we are ready. I know some teenagers who were. Bravo to them.

Applicable quote of the day:
“An understudy, it's like a fancy word for disappointment.”
Julie Kessler

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
E-mail me at shawley@westburychristian.org