The Greatest Showman is a new musical film about P.T. Barnum and his famous circus. Barnum starts the enterprise as a way to give his previously wealthy wife the life she deserves. To do this, he recruits outcasts of all races and walks of life. The circus becomes not only a place to be themselves but a sort of family. Barnum brings them all together for something spectacular they could never accomplish alone.
Like P.T. Barnum, God recruits people of all races and walks of life. A Samaritan woman leads her village to Christ after He appears to her at a well. A Roman centurion has faith to believe, and his daughter is healed. A tax collector is chosen to be an Apostle. A Pharisee writes much of the New Testament. None of these people are accepted into their society. They are ostracized for their nationality, their sin, their political affiliations, etc. Without divine intervention, they would never have ended up in the same circles.
God loved these people and gave them a purpose: leave their lives of sin and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. People were not always welcoming. Acts 9:6 tells us, "When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer!" Paul proved himself by devoting his life to Christ, but sometimes things are not that simple.
In The Greatest Showman, the misfits prove themselves worthy of attention and admiration by showcasing their talents, but mobs of people still try to run them out of town. Instead of giving up, they band together to make the show even more spectacular. One of the critics even calls the circus "a celebration of humanity." This is what God asks of us. He never says being different will be simple. On the contrary, Jesus says, "You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers" (Matt. 24:9b).
Like P.T. Barnum, God recruits people of all races and walks of life. A Samaritan woman leads her village to Christ after He appears to her at a well. A Roman centurion has faith to believe, and his daughter is healed. A tax collector is chosen to be an Apostle. A Pharisee writes much of the New Testament. None of these people are accepted into their society. They are ostracized for their nationality, their sin, their political affiliations, etc. Without divine intervention, they would never have ended up in the same circles.
God loved these people and gave them a purpose: leave their lives of sin and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. People were not always welcoming. Acts 9:6 tells us, "When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer!" Paul proved himself by devoting his life to Christ, but sometimes things are not that simple.
In The Greatest Showman, the misfits prove themselves worthy of attention and admiration by showcasing their talents, but mobs of people still try to run them out of town. Instead of giving up, they band together to make the show even more spectacular. One of the critics even calls the circus "a celebration of humanity." This is what God asks of us. He never says being different will be simple. On the contrary, Jesus says, "You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers" (Matt. 24:9b).
They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy.
They can say, they can say I've lost my mind.
I don't care, I don't care if they call us crazy.
Run away to a world that we design.
- A Million Dreams, The Greatest Showman
They can say, they can say I've lost my mind.
I don't care, I don't care if they call us crazy.
Run away to a world that we design.
- A Million Dreams, The Greatest Showman
People thought Jesus was crazy to call the people He did, but God needs everyone to accomplish His purposes. He has a plan for everyone, not just white people or males or saints. Everyone is included in His purpose. "Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other" (Rom. 12:4-5). Each person has a calling in God's Kingdom, and we cannot be exclusive about who is allowed to join. We are all working for the same cause, and those various backgrounds and gifts allow each of us to work in different ways. We are all made in God's image. We are all glorious.