How Act 5

How Act  5 
How to Save the World

Narrator reads stage right:

It was December in Alberta.  By this time of year a blanket of snow usually covers the ground.  From then on, any weather can come through, and usually does.  The most challenging is the week of -30 degrees below zero, where everything creaks through the hand numbing, piercing, even painfull cold.  It isn’t much fun.  In this weather, the beauty of Alberta’s snow covered forests, under crystal clear blue skys, can best be appreciated from indoors; where its warmer.

Fortunately the deep freeze doesn’t stay very long and average winter temperatures, of about -10, usually return in a few days.  Then it is much more fun to be outside, especially for the kids, enjoying tobogganing, sking or hockey.  (By the way, did you know, Calgary, Alberta’s more southerly city, has fewer outdoor hockey rinks than Edmonton.)  Sometimes, even warm chinook-type winds come through, turning a perfectly good winter day into a slushy mess everywhere.

The weather this night was great.  It was a warm winter evening and the clouds hung very low in the sky.  There was no wind, everything was quiet.  A few inches of new snow lay everywhere.  And the light from the street lights reflected from the ground to the sky and back again giving everything a glow, like in a dream - a Canadian dream.

It was Christmas in Alberta and here as  everywhere the message of glad tidings of great joy is told, the beautiful music of Christmas, filled the air.  We are on the campus of the University of Alberta where first semester final exams are on.  We’re at a coffee shop in the Students Union building, not too far from the Butterdome ... as we continue with Act 5, the final and concluding act of our play, “How to save the World”.

End of narration.

Mary and Richard enter stage right and walk to a small round table carrying their backpacks and a coffee each. And sitting down Mary says:

“Thanks for the coffee Richard.” “Oh your welcome” says Rrichard.  “So Richard, what time to do have to leave for your exam?” asks Mary.  Richard, looking at his watch says, “Well taking account of walking time to the lecture theatre, in about fiveteen minutes.”

Mary says, “Just enough time for coffee.  I’ve got some exciting news, well for me it’s exciting, I’ve finally finished my essay “How to save the world.  I know its crazy but I’ve been working on it for the last few years and finally, I finished it.  Now I figure I can post it on the internet somewhere and just go on and get a life. 

“That’s great” says Richard, “how about after my exam I take you out for pizza and you let me read your essay?”

“Sure” says Mary and adds “You know something else Richard, I finally finished reading the entire Bible.”

“Wow, you have been busy.” says Richard.

Mary: “Yup, I figure I’ve come a long way since the first positive note I ever had of what happened two thousand years ago was when I saw on TV “A Charlie Brown’s Christmas”
.

Richard: O ya I remember that, It’s a great show.

Mary: Ya, I can still see Linus up on the stage, you say it for me Richard, the quote from Matthew.

Richard: “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people, for unto you is born in the City of David a savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Mary: Ya that was great, and you know Richard I really loved it when you were telling me that most of your theology was from the Bible verses from Kids Sunday school songs.  I love those songs, How does this one go?

Mary sings:
Be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven you, doot do, do do do do, Ephesians 4:32

Richard: Ya you got it!

Mary: Richard, do that other one for me, 1 John 5 vs 3.

Ricard: OK

Richard sings:
And this is love for God
That you do his commands
and His commands are not burdensome
In fact the Lord teaches you what is best for you
Shows you the way you should go
Teaches us what is best for us
Shows us the way we should go
Look in the Bible and see, 1 john 5 vs 3 Isaiah 48 vs. 17.
 
Mary: Very good, you know, If I have kids some day I would want to teach them those songs.  

OK Richard,  I’ll walk over with you to the exam hall now.

Richard: OK lets go.

Richard and Mary start walking to the exam hall (stage left).

Richard:  I guess writing an exam is like driving a car, you’ve just got to respond to the exam agenda, and there isn’t a lot of flexibility.
Mary: Well you’ve just got to think laterally Richard.
Richard: Ya but you can’t drive laterally.
Mary: Well for us women its called peripheral vision.
Richard: No kidding.

They arrive stage left.

Richard: Where can I meet you Mary after my exam, It shouldn’t take long, they are giving us 45 minutes but say it will probably take half an hour.

Mary: Hey I’ve got some books to read, Mary opens a door to a lecture hall (center stage) and finds it is empty.  I’m just going to sit in this empty lecture hall and you can come and get me when you are finished.

Richard: OK sure Mary, see you later.

Mary sat down on the floor in the front of the lecture hall and unloaded her backpack.

Mary:
Well it’s done.  I’ve written my essay on How to save the World.  I’ve done what I could. I’ll post it on the internet and maybe somebody will even read it. It’s done, at least revision#38 - but I think this is it - so maybe I can go on and get a life - maybe even get married - maybe even have kids.  That cowboy out there is a likely candidate, although he doesn't know it yet. Perhaps I shouldn’t tell him though, perhaps he should figure this one out on his own. Ah, the vagaries of life.

Well, let me do it from start to finish, just once. I can even pretend that it will receive an enthusiastic reception.

Mary got up off the floor and slowly walked to the podium (center stage) of the empty lecture hall and placing her notes on the lectern, she began: 


How to Save the World, by Mary Stewart.

How far can a few ideas about how to save the world go. Well, maybe not very far.  But for what its worth, here they are anyway.   I know all of us have been deeply impacted by seeing the pictures on television of starving children in Africa.  What’s going on?  Why all the problems?  I know all groups have some good ideas to help out and I wanted to look at them all to see which ones I wanted to support more or emphasize more.  Perhaps then all of the good ideas working together could actually change things.

There is a phrase somewhere “that the poor will always be with us”, but those pictures we see on television of the starving children; that’s not poor, that’s crises, that shouldn’t be always with us, but it is, after all these years; its still there and that hurts me, it hurts all of us - deeply.  And so in this situation, finding and supporting a few good ideas for how to make things better is the least I can do.  And for any of us individually, in a practical way, I know, its  probably the most we can do to.

It says somewhere that the poor will always be with us; and so part of the nature of the battle we are up against to save the world involves arguing that values are more important than wealth.

If we mean by the poor, and I think we do, that by working hard every day, we can provide a safe and plentiful home for ourselves and our families - then that’s OK.  We all know there are a lot more important things in life than wealth.  We  know that’s true, that that’s for sure.  All the world’s greatest poets, painters and composers tell us that.  ASWS, as Shakespeare would say, “Here’s flowers for you, hot lavender, mints, savory, marjoram, the marigold that goes to bed wi’ the sun and with him rises weeping: these are flowers of middle summer.” 
To be able to appreciate the beauty of nature, music and friendships is an endowment all of us are given beyond compare; that costs us so little and gives us, so much.  And these values, even though we are poor, and most of us are poor, are more important to us, than wealth.

So here it is, my essay on How to save the world.

First, lets look more closely at the nature of the battle we are up against.

Most of us have probably seen the famous sketch by Leonardo de Vinci of a man standing inside a circle with his feet placed at 8 o’clock and 4 o’clock and his arms stretched out at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock- like this. The caption that has usually been ascribed to the sketch is “Man is the measure of all things.”  But what is the measure of a man?  Is it not the ideals he will commit his life too?

There is a famous quote from the philosopher Jean Jacque Rosseau that goes something like “Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains?”  But isn’t it true that man is born into the chains of selfishness, bullying, sexual predation and abandonment, trapped in a cycle of greed,  revenge and violence? And that it is only by the highest ideals; ideals such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self control, that he has ever been set free? (Colossians 4:15).   I think so.


So lets make no mistake about it.  The nature of the battle we are up against, to save the world, is not just a battle against the forces of nature, but rather it is a battle to win the human heart to the highest ideals; to recognize that the beauty of life and truth is more important than wealth.   And how do we accomplish that? Especially considering, as my friend Paul would say,  that the equations of quantum electrodynamics, notwithstanding how wonderful they are, won’t ever output for us, justice and happiness.

Well, we could start by taking our highest ideals off the bookshelf and reading them, responding to them and celebrating them, because, and this may shock you as it has me,  maybe God did reveal Himself in the Bible. And besides, the ideals there are great and good.  Ideals such as Matthew Ch. 7, vs. 12 “Always act towards others the way you would want others to act towards you.”  and Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ, has forgiven you.”

The violence and cruelty of world history are evidence of a great battle going on.  And in this war against humanity there was one battle that was a turning point.  It was when Christ lay down His life for his friends, defeating the evil one, paying off the debts we owe each other and God, redeeming us, and teaching us high ideals... to set us free. And you know, I’m honored to live in a country that at least tries to celebrate this at Christmas and Easter and still measures its time by His birth.

I have read now the books about the Son of God showing up today in dreams and visions; Joel Rosenberg, One For Israel etc. But perhaps, you like I have wondered why, especially when life appears so hard, why God doesn't show up more often.  Well, for what it's worth, here is what I've thought.

If God exists why does he not make himself more readily known?
The Freedom Principle
With Thanksgiving for our freedom, for all those who love freedom, for the sake of our freedom, perhaps God needs to be sought, to be found. And perhaps God made it this way, for the sake of our freedom.

Perhaps the designer, who gives us awesome hints from the coordinated complexity of life and nature, as to his existence, intentionally keeps us guessing, for the sake of our freedom.

Although the kind and dear writers of the Old Testament and the New Testament actually teach what is really good, such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, (Galatians 5:22), perhaps God knows that we can not actually prove their accounts, except for the corroborating evidence from world history. Perhaps then faith is a choice based on reasonable evidence and based on what is good. And perhaps God not only knows that it is this way but also wants it this way, for the sake of our freedom.

With Thanksgiving for our freedom and with great respect for the freedom of others, we are happy to share with gentleness, " In God, whose word we praise, In God we trust. "


Notwithstanding what you believe, we need in Canada and the world, a new ideals agenda, freedom informed by ideals.  We need freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of religion;  the wellspring and source of our highest ideals. We need to win again the great principles of denominational freedom and voluntary self support.  We need to win for all the world, the freedom of the church, within the state.

And as my friend Paul says, we need to realize that the great lesson from History is that no group or denomination is constantly good or constantly bad, the only constant is the high ideals in the scriptures.

In this equation, the high ideals from the scriptures are the constant and we; our generation, are the variables.  And as a generation, let’s not miss our chance to respond to these ideals and be as great and good as we can be.


The world needs a new agenda, because... well... with the secular agenda... there are problems. Humanity's knowledge of good and evil combined with selfishness and cruelty is s recipe for disaster.

To save the world we need “An Ideals Agenda”.  And so I would like to support two ideals as treasures with which the world can buy its freedom and prosperity.

The first ideal I would like to support is that of  homestead rights.

Oh to have my own homestead, where the value of my labour and hard work would produce the food and home my family needs.  Oh, this would be a great reward, that the value of my own labour and hard work would provide a safe and plentiful home for my family.  And Oh that all the world would recognize the value of our labour and hard work as the basis of our right to our homestead and home.

So the idea here is to promote for the poorest countries of the world a dominion land survey similar to the one we had in Canada.  So the people there could earn their own homesteads like the people in Canada and America had the opportunity to earn theirs. 

I know it won’t be as easy as that. And for the millions of orphaned African children it will take a lot more than that.  It will take orphanages with a title for a homestead to give to every child when they grow up.  And lots of missionaries and volunteers  to take care of the children until they can take care of themselves.  And they will all need honest governments administering an honest land titles system.

And then there is the problem, especially in Latin and South America, of a relatively few aristocrats owning huge tracts of land.  And what do you do about that? Well you don’t take someone else’s homestead no matter how big it is.  You have to fight for ideals with ideals, like Martin Luther King Jr. did.  Maybe some foundations could buy some homestead land from the aristocrats?  Even aristocrats could become great and good.  Or maybe some foundations could buy some land for homesteads in Canada for immigrants that can’t get homesteads in their own country.  And what would we have on new huge tracts of land for homesteads in Canada? Why we would have children growing up in a loving home environment - the greatest ideal ever - our dream - our Canadian dream.

And yet the reality is, that in many countries of the world today, including Canada, the population is declining; people are afraid to have children. And we have forgotten another great lesson from history; on a comparative economic basis worldwide, it is family values and not family size, that has produced prosperity.

Well, not surprisingly, the second ideal I want to support for saving the world is that we promote for ourselves, our children and the world the ideal of loyalty and friendship in a lifetime marriage.  Because it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know, that sex is for marriage,   to give children, a loving home environment. 

They say that love is eternal, friendship is forever, and there is no such thing as divorce.  However, we all know some marriages don’t work out.  However, I’m convinced, that most marriages can be saved and when we do, we are saving the world, one small part of it, at a time.

ASWS, as Shakespeare would say,
“Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments
Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds
or bends with the remover to remove
Oh no! it is an ever-fixed mark
that looks on tempests and is never shaken”

And promoting the ideals of loyalty and friendship in a lifetime marriage won’t embarrass anyone in their second marriage.  Ideals are all about the direction we are heading.  Ideals aren't about where we are or where we came from, but where we’re going.  And one of the greatest ideals is redemption and second chances; that’s what love does for us, that’s what the King does for us; the King, unlike any other;  the King worthy to be praised.

And actually, after reading it, the Bible is like a manual for how to save marriages.  There is a verse in Ephesians 5 that goes: “ Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that he might sanctify... her.”

I like that part.

And so, here is my conclusion.


As CS WS -  as Carl Swartz would say “ Ideals are like stars, if we choose to follow them, even though the way may be difficult, they will become our destiny”.

These ideals - a home for everyone and homestead rights, - loyalty and friendship in a lifetime marriage; children growing up in a loving home environment - this is our Canadian heritage of freedom informed by ideals.  This is Canada’s and the world’s -  do you see it?  - the bright and morning star!  This is the promise, of a new morning, of a better day, for us all.  And maybe, perhaps, probably, these are God's ideals too.

Just then, Richard opens the lecture hall door to see Mary finishing her speech.  And he calls out to her in surprise and affection:  “Hey Mary, there’s nobody there!”

Mary called out through her tears and relief and joy, “I know, I know ...   ASWS, as Shakespeare
 would say ... I’m just reaching out from the deep dark abysm of time -  ( Mary sweeps her hand over the “empty” auditorium and adds) -  ... to the future.”

“OK OK but boots and saddles Mary” says Richard “we gotta go”.

OK Richard, help me gather up these books and lets go.

Mary pauses to think and then says, Richard, hold my backpack for me will you, I just need to say one more thing.

Mary goes to center stage and looks out at the "empty" lecture hall.

As Thomas and Dr. David Menton would say, never forget that we can be encouraged that the designer of hearing, can hear, and the designer of sight, can see and the author of our highest ideals of true love, a love that is eternal, loves us, truly.

So come with me on this will you,
"in God, whose word we praise, in God we trust."

OK Richard, let's go.   How was your exam?”


EXIT