“OUR GOD IS YOUR GOD” – Wednesday June 14, 2014

RECOLLECTIONS BY A CONTINENTAL DIRECTOR

(By Bram Floria, toured and directed with Continentals 1982-1995, 14 tours, 

currently President and Host of “Compassion Radio”)

OUR GOD IS YOUR GOD                                       

Sandi and Bram Floria

1983 was a relatively calm year in the Middle East, and I was touring Israel as a vocalist on Bob Feller’s tour “I”.  It was the first year of “DREAMER”  and we wondered how this stylized American re-telling of the old Genesis story would go over.  The reception to the program had been very warm as people instantly recognized the characters and themes. From secular theaters to Evangelical churches, we’d performed all over the country.

Our director had done his homework, and brought the history of Israel alive for the tour.  Standing on the ancient ruins of Megiddo, we surveyed the valley of Armageddon below us where the blood of many nations has been spilled-and will be spilled again according to prophesy.  The awesome weight of history and purpose was seared on my mind.  The experience has never left me.

A concert in Nazareth and a tour of the miracle sites along the Sea of Galilee brought us back to Jerusalem and the kibbutz where we would perform our last concert.  Expecting some sort of hostel or compound we were stunned to find ourselves in expansive gardens, patios, galleries, museums and concert halls.  This kibbutz focused on the arts, and we were to be the highlight of week.

During set up we could see people coming and going from various classes and lessons and performing in small instrumental ensembles.  Some, I noticed, had small tattoos on their forearms.  From the mix of generations, and the zeal for the arts, it seemed that these people were perhaps defining modern Jewish culture.

It was in this context that we worried most about how our program would be received.  There were rabbis and experts in Jewish literature that would be attending that night.

And then, it began…

From the downbeat the audience was at full attention.  It was not a large concert hall and hundreds were packed into it.  I’ve rarely felt such energy and enthusiasm from a crowd.  They laughed along at the antics of Joseph’s brothers.  They howled as Mae East pouted her way to vengeance.  Then they sucked in their breath as Joseph was thrown into prison.  Tears were already flowing.

By now the whole tour was beginning to get it- these people were fully invested in the story.  It was their story.  Personally and collectively, they seemed to be watching their own family movies.  Through their eyes, we began to see the lives of Jacob and his sons.  The brokenness, the desperation, the hope, the forgiveness, the reconciliation – all of it took on a whole new reality for us.  By the time Joseph embraced his long-lost brothers, we were weeping.  A surge of new energy came through us on the reprise of “Praise His Name and See It Happen.”  The response was huge!  Even with half the audience over the age of sixty.

When things settled down, Bob wrapped up the theme and explained how we were the “new shoot” that had been grafted into the old “roots.”  He deftly introduced Jesus into the presentation, showing how this Messiah had been our wellspring of hope and joy.  He led in a prayer that bridged the two faiths.  After he finished, the audience was silent for a long moment.  Finally an elder gentleman rose to greet us and then turned to speak to the audience in Hebrew.  There was vocal responses, nodding and affirmation from the crowd. 

When this gentleman finally turned to us, he explained in a rich Eastern European accent, “When I came here this evening, I was not sure what to expect.  What could American Christians tell us of our forefathers?  How could you understand the depths of our struggle as a people and as a nation?  Many of us are survivors of the Concentration Camps of World War 11.  I was nervous of what my friends might think.”

Here, the gentleman swept his arm back toward the crowd, taking a moment to look at them before turning back to us.  He continued.  

“As I have watched you all this evening, I have become convinced of this:  The God you worship is the God we worship.  OUR GOD IS YOUR GOD.  This story is as much your story as ours.  Thank you for sharing with us tonight.  We will never be the same.”

When it was all over, most of us had no words.  We just stood at the wall, looking over the lights of Jerusalem.  I imagined the day when Jews and Gentiles would worship together in “Spirit and in Truth,” in the courts of the Jerusalem to come.

Bram and his wife Sandi currently live in Texas with their 4 children. With his work at “Compassion Radio” Bram continues pursuing stories of the Great Commission as it’s happening. This year, his travels will take him to Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.