View the first century ‘With These Eyes'

WANT TO GO

The dinner-drama “With These Eyes” will be presented at 6:30 p.m. March 26 and 27 and 5 p.m. March 28 at Grace Lutheran Church, 4325 Commons Drive West in Destin. Tickets are $12.50 and available only at Eagles’ Wings Books & Gifts, 14071 F Emerald Coast Parkway next to Office Max in Destin. No telephone reservations accepted. Store hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.

It’s first century Israel and people are confused following the crucifixion of the One they had followed — the Promised One, the One who was going to free them.

“With These Eyes,” a dinner-drama presented by the drama group 2nd Acts, looks at those times through the eyes of one family, the same family that came to know Mary and Joseph when Jesus was born in their town.

“The culture of community at that time shows us that they would have gotten to know the little family during their extended time in Bethlehem,” Karin Schmidt, writer/director of “With These Eyes”, told The Log. “That agrees with Gospel writings. Even though we do not read much about Jesus between His birth and His death, we need to remember that Jesus did not live in a vacuum. There were years of relationships between His birth and ministry. People that watched Him grow up, knowing what had been promised about Him. Their connection to Him was personal and full of expectation. Knowing Him changed them. And their knowledge of Him, even at a very early age, cost them dearly.”

Through a cast of strong characters, both on and off stage, the drama unfolds to reveal each of the family member’s reactions to the death of their Messiah, and news of His resurrection generates an examination of the challenging questions of belief, hope and trust.

Schmidt had completed most of the cultural research for the play while writing “Such a Night as This,” which the group presents during the Christmas season.

“The real lion's share of the work for this was in studying the Scriptures,” she said. “I knew I had a captivating story to write, and finding the proofs for what happened in the Gospels had to be explained by Old Testament prophecy. New Testament teachings had not been written yet. But every bit of needed proof was presented long before it ever happened, and that was what the first hearers of the Gospel had to understand and trust in.”

Although Jesus is present in and through every conversation and every thought of every character, Schmidt said she chose to go an unconventional route and prove His identity and resurrection without presenting Him in character form. So none of the nine scripted actors, 14 improvisational actors and 11 costumed support characters plays His role.

Between 30 and 40 people work behind the scenes, working on costumes, make-up and sets. Others volunteer do the less obvious jobs, such as sending out press releases, printing up scripts and programs and acting as photographers.

“And topping it all off is the prayer team,” said Schmidt. “They are the ones who really do top the list, because they are doing the priority work around here. These dedicated pray-ers are at their posts every day, praying for all of us, for the work being done, and for the guests who will eventually attend. They also provide a constant praying presence each night of each presentation. We do nothing on our own.”

From its beginning in 2001, the 2nd Acts group has been a mix of participants, with more than 24 area congregations represented over the years. When the people of 2nd Acts come together, all labels and distinctions fall away and one thing stands: They are united in Christ, and their mission is to create for the community an atmosphere in which God's Word can be experienced personally. The people are drawn together by a common desire to inspire believers and seekers alike.

“I think refining would be a good word to express the change that has been taking place over the years,” Schmidt said. “Refining our method of bringing each production from start to finish, and also refining our understanding of what our purpose is in this ministry. And of course, refining our faith. We've all seen God work in this, in countless ways, overcoming numerous obstacles, and providing solutions when humanly we were out of answers. Witnessing those things has strengthened us individually and as a group, and refined our ability to trust God for all the details.”

The dinner part of the evening uses recipes from a cookbook based on Biblical fare, using ingredients available in the first century.

“The menu has been derived from that, and then tweaked and updated some to accommodate our modernized palates,” Schmidt said. “So you won't be eating strange and unusual things that might be scary to you. We've got people in the kitchen who really know what they are doing, and you won't be disappointed.”

People attending the performance can expect something different as they come face to face with questions they may have had about faith.

“They should expect to come face to face with themselves, seeing something of themselves represented in the spectrum of characters,” Schmidt said. “They should expect to feel things they may have never felt and think things they've never given a thought to. They should expect to come near to the heart of Christ, and maybe feel joy and peace for the very first time. And if not for the first time, they will at the very least, feel some sense of renewal, because things that they thought they knew will become fresh again.”