25th June 2022
There’s a place for us
“You must not let yourselves be distressed—you must hold on to your faith in God and to your faith in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s House. If there were not, should I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?”
John 14:1-2 (Phillips)
The film The Wizard of Oz came out in 1939. Remember Judy Garland singing ‘Over the Rainbow’ in it? Well, maybe not when it first hit the screens. But Judy Garland sang the song over and over during her life, and it’s been sung over and over again by others. It must be one of the most well-known songs in the world:
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There’s a land that I’ve heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.
Someday I’ll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
High above the chimney tops,
That’s where you’ll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can’t I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can’t I?
Another film that made quite an impact when it came out in 1961 was West Side Story. It’s based on the story of Romeo and Juliet. Amid disaster in their lives Tony and Maria sing of their hope that:
There’s a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us
Somewhere
There’s a time for us,
Some day a time for us,
Time together with time spare,
Time to learn, time to care,
Some day!
Somewhere.
We’ll find a new way of living,
We’ll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere…
There’s a place for us,
A time and place for us.
Hold my hand and we’re halfway there.
Hold my hand and I’ll take you there
Somehow,
Some day,
Somewhere!
These are just two songs that are filled with heart-felt yearning. In the Wizard of Oz, before she sings ‘Over the rainbow’ Dorothy had just asked for: “some place where there isn’t any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It’s not a place you can get to by a boat, or a train. It’s far, far away. Behind the moon, beyond the rain…”.
The two doomed lovers in West Side Story dream of a place of peace and quiet, a place with a new way of living, a place of forgiving. You can probably think of other songs that reflect this desire, this hope, this longing for another world of beauty and peace that is just out of reach. But to repeat the words of West Side Story:
There’s a place for us…
Hold my hand and we’re halfway there
Hold my hand and I’ll take you there
Jesus will do just that. We have his word.
Prayer
Saviour, may we put our hands in yours, waiting for the day when our longings are fulfilled and we live in that place you have for us. Amen.
Study by Hilary Buck
About the writer:
Hilary Buck is a Minister and pastors the Lewes congregation of Grace Communion International.
Local congregation:
Grace Communion in Lewes
The House of Friendship
208 High Street
Lewes
BN7 2NS
Meeting time:
Sunday 11:00am
Local congregational contact:
Hilary Buck
Email: lewes@gracecom.church
Like us on www.facebook.com/GCLewes