honor thy father.

I interrupt your normal blog programming to bring you this...

Can I geek out for a second? I adore musical theater. Like, A-D-O-R-E it. My heart beats faster, I get irrationally excited, I weep...and that's just from watching it. Don't get me started on actually performing.

So I just finished watching the 25th Anniversary of the Phantom of the Opera on Netflix, and all of these symptoms of my adoration were in full effect, especially the weeping. I know, freakish. But hear me out--what got me emotional was not the show itself, but what came after.

After the performance, they brought out Andrew Lloyd Weber, who wrote the music, as well as the original London cast from 25 years ago, and they honored them. Then came the original Christine (Sara Brightman, anyone?). Michael Crawford, the most famous Phantom, was there too, honored and included though he sadly no longer sings.

And then, as a surprise, they brought out Colm Wilkinson, the original Jean Val Jean from Les Miserables. This guy has been an icon of musical theater and vocal excellence for over 30 years. I was about to jump out of my pajamas from excitement. He, along with some other men who have played the part of the Phantom in previous runs, performed a few key numbers from the show. Of course, the audience went nuts. Including me. In my living room.

So you've got these powerhouses on the stage, basking in the glory from people who remember, people who know their contribution to theater as a whole. And what does Colm Wilkinson, the best of them all, do? He pulls out the new Phantom lead, and makes sure that guy gets another standing ovation. He literally pushes the new guy out in front of him and gives him the spotlight that he enjoyed for so long.

What I saw during this whole spectacle was an example of legacy and honor. The legacy passed down by the blood, sweat and tears of great and talented people who gave the world their level best and made an impact their generation--and all the ones following. The honoring of those who came before, and the passing of that same honor to the ones following after.

A culture of honor...isn't that what God's Kingdom looks like? Honoring those who went before in faith. Passing the torch and honoring those who come up behind through our investment, our love, our cheering them on.

To see this exemplified in a culture that can so easily be all about the applause and the fame made my heart want to burst. It inspires me to make honor my goal when interacting with others, and espeically behind their backs. May honor be what marks us. May we honor those who look like us, those who don't, those we agree with, and those we definitely don't. May we honor others whether we are being watched or not. May we give up the fame so many seek and hand the glory to God and others, so that we may receive recognition from God Himself.

Ok. You can go back to what you were doing now.