Steve pointed out this NPR read to me this morning. We both smiled, as he forwarded it to me and to Shannon (we were sure it would make her smile, too).
I didn’t have time to read it right away, but thoughts came to mind about writing a blog about it. Something in the line of my “Listening for God on Broadway” or “Listening for God in the Movies” themes.
And to be honest, didn’t you start humming “Rainbow Connection,” hearing banjos and Kermit’s nasally voice?
When I eventually read the article, I thought it was brilliant. Click HERE if you want to read (or listen) to it. So many memories came flooding back, and yes, I continued to smile. I even joined Steve in some laughter.
I think that’s part of the point of the movie. Keep smiling. Keep laughing. Keep living. As the first line of Rainbow Connection asks: “Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what’s on the other side?”
Indeed.
Why are we waiting for “the other side?” Why do we find it so hard to really live, each and every day? We talk about that a lot in theology. The Kingdom of God is a “here and not yet” discussion to me. Yes, there is the promise of eternal life, and the promise of something so much better than where we are now.
But that doesn’t mean we are just sitting around, waiting for that day or time or season. My faith in God – in that promise – helps me to live a better life, here and now, because I have faith that the promise has been, is, and will always be fulfilled. And part of that is not just living for myself, but living for others, helping in whatever way lifts them out of their struggles. Living, to me, means knowing joy and pain, and knowing that God is in the midst of each, and of everything in between those two extremes.
It’s because of my faith that I can respond to God’s call to act now, with confidence and without fear. As we hear Kermit sing:
“Have you been fast asleep? And have you heard voices? I’ve heard them calling my name. Is this the sweet sound that calls The young sailors? The voice might be one and the same. I’ve heard it too many times to ignore it It’s something that i’m supposed to be
Someday, we’ll find it,
The Rainbow Connection
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.”
That, my friends, is God calling your name. And God is calling, asking that you be all you are supposed to be, as children of Light. As you celebrate The Muppet Movie turning 40, remember the important lesson found in the last lines of the movie:
Don’t be afraid to live your life, to hear and respond to God calling you to do something new. Someday, you’ll find it: The Rainbow Connection.