This week I finally got the chance to see Les Mis at the theater. It’s such a weight of glory that I didn’t want to blog about it until I’d had time to savor the experience. I love this story for many reasons, but largely because it showcases the beauty of God’s grace to show up in the least expected places. In the slums of France, in prisons, in pursuit, in student-led revolutions, in love, and in death, graces flows through the storyline, touching the lives of everyone with life-altering consequences. The backdrop of the story is full of desperation and darkness; watching the characters struggle against these circumstances is difficult and heartbreaking because it feels that their sacrifices are in vain, but little glimmers of hope are seen in the love that is expressed throughout the story. They remind me that to have fully lived, I need to fight to the end like they did – fight for joy, for hope, for the end of suffering and oppression, for the defeat of evil. That is my role as a child of God – to work every day to bring heaven a bit closer to earth.
Those drops of hope surge until the end they become a flowing river. As Valjean crosses from this life to the next, we catch a glimpse of how life is viewed from the eternal perspective. The gates of heaven open and all those that had died in the story are there to greet us and they sing these words of encouragement and hope.
Do you hear the people sing? Lost in the valley of the night It is the music of a people Who are moving toward the light For the wretched of the earth There is a flame that never dies Even the darkest night will end And the sun will rise They will live again in freedom In the garden of the Lord. They will walk behind the plowshare They will put away the sword. Their chains shall be broken And all men will have their reward. Who will join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Somewhere beyond the barricade Is there a world you long to see Do you hear the people sing? Say do you hear those distant drums? It is the music that they bring when tomorrow comes.The words are reminiscent of the biblical promise in the book of Isaiah that fortell the coming day when a new heaven and earth, cleansed of sin, will be restored to us. The garden of the Lord will be renewed and God will make His home with us and will wipe all tears from our eyes. A new world is coming, and tomorrow brings us one day closer.
Blessings to you,
Sarah
