The Talent Show

Last Sunday morning one of the kids came up to me after my sermon and handed me a prayer request card and a sheet of paper he had been working on throughout the whole service. Nathan has a couple of disabilities and challenges, but he had done as good a job as he could on the folded papers he placed in my hand. I thanked him, hugged him, and went on, not knowing what I'd been given but appreciating it all the same. My wife came up to me a few minutes later and told me Nathan's mother had explained it to her. The papers were a handwritten invitation to his elementary school's talent day. Nathan, she said, knew I loved humor and he and a buddy -- also from our church -- were going to do a comedy routine.

I know what you're thinking. "An elementary school talent day? Why wasn't I invited, too?" Yes, yes, I know, the odds of finding talent in an elementary school talent show are roughly similar to those of finding vows of poverty and chastity among TV evangelists.

I moved some things around and went to the show. You might wonder why the senior minister for a church of 1200 or so, and one which is sending out new Orders of people (see last post) as well as moving to multi-site work would spend his time at an elementary school to watch a talent show. Isn't there something more important for him to do?

Uh.... no.

Some of the acts were predictably bad. Some lip synched to popular songs off CDs they'd brought from home. Two eleven year old white girls danced to an urban hip-hop tune, copying the moves they'd learned from MTV or BET including the crossed arms scowling bits. Others trilled their way -- Mariah Carey-like, if Mariah hadn't been feeling well recently -- through American Idol style pop tunes.

I missed one act, though. Evidently one of our young girls was supposed to dance to a tune with a couple of her friends but she was troubled by the words and movements and asked her parents if she could not do the act, but sing instead. She sang a Watershed song about her Lord instead of doing the dance. Wow. What a girl.

The show stopper was another one of our young girls. Amber had a backup band who did a "School of Rock" style version of Sweet Home Alabama. She was terrific and blew the room away.

And Nathan and Will came out and did their comedy bit. (Sample joke: "What did the alien say to the tabby cat? Take me to your litter") They came out in obnoxiously loud Hawaiian shirts with a Harpo Marx style horn and a tambourine (I know, I know. How did they get in my closet???) and told their jokes with an infectious joy. THEY found this stuff hilarious and, therefore, so did we.

Afterwards I found out that Nathan was so thrilled I had shown up that he kept telling everyone that his preacher was out there. When the show was done he came over to give me a high five and get his picture taken with me.

Yesterday, some people went to an NBA final game. Others went to five star restaurants. I hear tell that Las Vegas was quite busy yesterday, too. And a Tony Bennett concert in Chicago was sold out.

Losers! I got the best ticket in town. I got to see a young girl's faith in action, another girl shine with the talent and personality God gave her, and I got to laugh along with Nathan and Will. I can assure you -- no doubt -- that there was no ticket in town better than this one. And there was no work this minister could have done that day that could have been more important.

Kids? Moms and dads? Very, very well done. You raised good, sweet, and joyful kids. THAT is talent.