Rev. Dr. Errol E. Leslie
In the gospel of John, the writer ends the story by stating the purpose of writing the Gospel. This purpose is recorded in verses 30 and 31 of chapter 20.Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.Based on this ending, it stands to reason that for even the other Bible stories which are included in scripture, many details have been left out because the respective writers can say so much and no more. Have you ever wondered what details might have been left out of the Christmas narrative as we know them? It is that kind of curiosity which sparked the imaginative thoughts that brought these two Christmas musicals together.The characters were normal human beings with emotions. If you think of it, Joseph would have been jealous and angry when he thought that Mary was unfaithful to him. That kind of emotion might have led to a verbal showdown between the two until the angel appeared to Joseph directly. In turn, Mary must have been pretty distraught that Joseph kept accusing her wrongly and that he continued to question her integrity. Why was he going to break off the engagement? Did he not trust and have confidence in the innocent virgin? Both Mary and Joseph would have had parents too, so how did they come into the picture? What were their immediate thoughts when news of the miracle pregnancy unfolded? There might have been uncertainty and confusion, even among the people of God. One may even assume that there may have been gossips in that society who, like some persons in this day and age, just enjoyed embellishing stories which sounded juicy.At the other end of the spectrum, one wonders what the atmosphere may have been like in the palace of Herod. Was it all anger and jealousy which prevailed, or did the raw human emotions of nervousness and anxiety come to the fore?A Dream Come True and Believe Me, I Believe depicts the Christmas narrative fully as described in the Bible. However, some of these thoughts and questions come out very clearly during the plot. In a combination of poetry and drama, music and dance, the story with the added imaginative scenes unfolds with all these elements interwoven into one continuous narrative. The overall Christian message comes out clearly and very strongly toward the end of each musical, and while the plots may differ, they both carry the underlying theme of evangelism as persons are encouraged to believe in this Jesus and give their lives to Him.
