My husband, Tim, is a pastor, and that makes me a pastor’s wife.
I’m nothing like the great pastors’ wives I’ve known, so I worried a bit about how church folks would receive me in that role. Fortunately, every church we have served has graciously loved and accepted me just as I am, although I’m sure that has not always been easy.
Larger than life
We once took a group of couples from our church to Atlanta to see a production of “The Young Messiah.” It was a popular stage production at the time and enthusiastic patrons, excited to see the show and hear the music, had packed the theater.
For weeks before the event, Tim and I had been watching a set of videos about the New Testament Gospels. The actors in the videos quoted straight from Scripture. Bruce Marchiano was the actor who portrayed Jesus, and his character portrayal was exactly what you want Jesus to be. He was handsome, strong and bold, with a beautiful smile and caring eyes. Those videos had made quite an impact on our lives.
About midway through the performance in Atlanta that night, the four-sided jumbotron descended from the ceiling. Tim and I were delighted to see that they were showing the Gospels video we loved on the screens. But suddenly, the jumbotron raised back into the ceiling and live onstage was none other than the actor, Bruce Marchiano himself, quoting the words of Jesus straight from the Bible.
‘Mesmerized’
I gasped. I was mesmerized. I spoke much louder than I planned, and I said, “It’s him! It’s really him. Look Tim, it’s him.”
Tim looked horrified. Then I noticed that many of the people sitting around us were staring at me and the church friends with us seemed to be hiding their faces. I had no idea what had caused such a reaction.
Tim said, “Debbie, sit down and hush. They think you think it is really Jesus!”
Suddenly, all the looks made sense. I returned to my seat and remained quiet for the rest of the evening. But that group never let me forget the night I saw Jesus.
I’m so thankful for church families who have loved me despite all my mistakes and messes!
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