All in this Together

Last night we watched East Point Academy’s production of ‘High School Musical’: Students in predictable stereotypes – the basketball team, the studious geeks, the singing, dancing performers… divided by their differences… finally brought together by a common purpose… summed up in the final song:

Everyone is special in their own way
We make each other strong
We’re not the same, we’re different in a good way
Together’s where we belong

We’re all in this together
Once we know that we are, we’re all stars
And we see that
We’re all in this together
And it shows when we stand, hand in hand
Make our dreams come true.

‘All in this together’ was a picture of the production itself – staff, students and volunteers rehearsing, preparing over many months – drama, music, choreography, costumes, scenery, sound, lighting. All in it together.

It’s a picture I’ve seen throughout my life… when I was working in school, in my theatre involvement, in all sorts of projects and community groups – working together with others makes things happen – differences become strengths, common purpose brings unity.

I’ve seen it in church life. We often use the Bible-picture of the human body – many different parts, all vital to the life and best functioning of the body – but they have to work together.

This morning… reading ‘Numbers’. Twelve spies spy the ‘Promised Land’ and come back with their report… It’s a wonderful country ‘flowing with milk and honey’; the people there are powerful and strong.

Some said it’s the great land of opportunity that our God promised us… we should go and take it. Others said it’s an impossible task that will result in defeat and death… let’s go back to be slaves in Egypt.

They weren’t ‘all in this together’. They took neither course of action. They wandered in the desert for the next forty years…

Musing… What happens in our schools, churches, communities (and nations?) when by design or default… We don’t respect our differences… We’re not ‘all in this together’… Our dreams don’t come true.