Every part is important

I saw The Book of Will last night. This play is the dramatized story of the friends of William Shakespeare who came together and, at great labor and cost, created what is termed the First Folio, a beautiful gathering in one place of all of his plays. If you know me at all then you understand the depth of emotion that I felt as I watched this show. I am grateful to Laura Gunderson for her efforts in writing such a work. I even agree with the liberties she took! I couldn't sleep last night for the thoughts that were dancing through my brain and I fear that I will be restless tonight if I don't get some of these thoughts down in black and white.


Many of my current Bible study students are beginning to grow weary of my constant referring back to my most favourite chapter of scripture but I just cannot help myself. I know that there will be eyes rolling out there as they read that last line because I am forever claiming verses and whole chapters as "favourites" but this one has been my consistent go-to chapter since I was a fairly young person. In chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians, Paul outlines the importance of spiritual gifts and then goes on to describe the way we need to use these gifts in a way that causes them all to work together as one, therefore enhancing our own gifts as well as the gifts of everyone around us. He uses the analogy of a body, that every part of the body has an important part to play and that if any part is lost then the entire body struggles.


Okay, The Book of Will and the story it tells illustrates exactly what Paul is begging us to recognize. Yes, Shakespeare was the genius but he was not clever enough to bring his works together for posterity and he was able to continue writing plays because of the powerful performances of Richard Burbage that drew in audiences. And without the scrivening talent of men like Ralph Crane to put the words down for the actors there would have been nothing to pull from to publish. Then you have John Heminges and Henry Condell. Without John's financial management the King's Men would not have enjoyed the success they knew and the friendship of both of these men is what led to the intense labor of gathering the scattered remnants of Shakespeare's works and editing them to give us the cleanest copies possible of his plays. If any one of these people had chosen not to follow through with his mission and not utilized his spiritual gifts then we would not have the works of Shakespeare and I cannot even imagine what we would be missing in the culture of the entire world really and I don't even want to consider the loss in my personal life if I did not have the richness that Shakespeare has given me and continues to give me every day.


Some of us are a Shakespeare, some a effulgent Burbage, and some of us are an OCD Ralph Crane and every one of us is as necessary to creating wonder in the world. I will refer back to the words of Paul since, like Shakespeare, he says things so perfectly. "There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification." (1 Corinthians 14:10). Go and get busy creating wonder in your realm and with your gifts!