The Play That Goes Wrong

There is actually a play named, “The Play That Goes Wrong.” I was hesitant at first to go see it, but Allen wanted to see in while we were in NY, and so I obliged. It was hysterical. The play is supposed to be a murder mystery, but the whole point of the production is well…everything goes wrong. Before the play starts the stage hand walks onto stage all in a panic. She begins asking the audience if they have seen a dog. Apparently the dog that is in the play has gone missing. She walks around the audience in search, and another stage hand begins to assist. Things really don’t get better from there. At one point the lead actress is knocked out and is taken off stage. The next act you see the same stage hand who was looking for the dog come on to stage dressed as the lead actress with a book in her hand – trying to act normal while reading the script to the play. Throughout the play, the set falls apart, the audience is sprayed with water, just about anything that can go wrong does.

It was perhaps the best play I have ever seen. It was hysterically funny. Al and I had a great time. Afterwards it made me think. We normally don’t notice mistakes in performances we watch. Actors do their best to cover them up, but talk to the actor and they are mortified that they messed up. A little bobble is something they will remember for years. Even if no one notices. This play made fun of this. And in so doing it was truly enjoyable. Today’s sermon is entitled, “The Play That Goes Wrong.” Our life is really a giant production, and at the end of it, nothing we do really matters. No amount of mistakes matter. We may think that we have to live a perfect life, but the director has already seen our work, and He knows we have flaws, but I guarantee you that he is there to support you – and at the end of the day, if you but accept his invitation, you can come to the after production party and enjoy a celebration in His palace.

Point 1: The Director Sees It All – And Still Casts You

Even when the lights come up and the audience gasps at the unexpected, there is one who isn’t surprised—the Director. God doesn’t cast us because we’re flawless. He casts us because He loves us.

In a real play, directors know their actors will make mistakes. They train, they rehearse, but even still, something will go wrong. Life is no different. God, our Director, knows your flaws—yet He still chose you.

We read in Romans 5:1-8 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

You probably already know, but this is my favorite passage in the Bible. The KJV says we experience tribulation. The NIV is sufferings. Tough times produce perseverance or patience. Patience results in experience or character and this character leads to hope. How beautiful is that. If life was a boring easy endeavor, how could we really truly enjoy and appreciate the good times. The most powerful verse in Romans 5:1-8 is verse 8. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Even though we are not perfect and we must endure may trials and tribulations, Christ still gave his life for us – because he loves us that much.

In 1 Samuel 16:7 God declares, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

You are not on the stage of life by accident. You are not a background character in someone else’s story. God sees every line you flub, every time you miss your cue—and He still calls you beloved.

We find in Luke Chapter 22, that Even Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, denied Him three times. Yet Jesus restored him and used him as the rock on which He built His Church Our mistakes don’t disqualify us from our role; they often prepare us for it.