I just finished watching this week's episode of Glee, "Grilled Cheesus". I'll admit it, I've been a Gleek since the very beginning. I'm a music person, it's in me and it's part of me, and that aspect of the show has always grabbed me. I'm one of those people who gets goosebumps when one of the cast hits "the big note" and makes the music "alive". I love it!
But this week, something about the episode touched me in a completely different way.
Yes, I cried.
Is this new to me while watching a Glee episode? Heaven's no!! :P But the reason behind it is.
It wasn't just my emotional being crying, not just those 'girly tears' for a heart-felt moment.
It was my soul.
A full-on, gut-wrenching, spiritual ache in the centre of my being.
The premise of the show this week was:
Finn thinks he sees Jesus in a grilled cheese sandwich, and begins to pray to it/him/??. Meanwhile, Kurt's father has a heart attack and is in pretty bad shape somewhere between the lines of life and death. Kurt stuns the club with his revelation of not believing in God. And though everyone tries to rally around their friend, he doesn't want them to pray for him and his dad, because he sees it as a waste of time.
Finn thinks he sees Jesus in a grilled cheese sandwich, and begins to pray to it/him/??. Meanwhile, Kurt's father has a heart attack and is in pretty bad shape somewhere between the lines of life and death. Kurt stuns the club with his revelation of not believing in God. And though everyone tries to rally around their friend, he doesn't want them to pray for him and his dad, because he sees it as a waste of time.
The whole thing hurt. Literally. My chest got tight. My sides ached. My eyes got sore from shedding tears. My stomach churned a little. I was rocked, and not in an upbeat Glee-ful way.
Things that bothered me:
-Finn caves to Rachel nearly instantly when she challenges his new "faith", because she's jewish and wants their (apparent) future babies to be jewish, too. And then thinks that God (or Cheesus) will grant him his "wish" the fool around with Rachel sexually because he's doing what God/Cheesus says.
WHAT THAT APPEARED TO SAY - Christians are weak minded and will cave to pressure at the first go. Also, God grants our every whim, even when it completely goes against the standards He's set for us (including being sexually promiscuous). Grr..... no!
-Mercedes takes Kurt to church, and before she and her choir sing, she says infront of everyone "Kurt, I know you don't believe, and that's ok... to each his own", with people in the congregation nodding their "amen"s in agreement.
WHAT!?!?!? So now Christians are supposed to idly stand by and say it's ok you haven't found Jesus. 'Cause that's what's good for you.
Um, no! Hate to break it to you but 1) we are specifically called to correct those wrongs and to help people to find the joy that Christ brings through His sacrifice and healing of salvation! and 2) Jesus tells us to "go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation" (Mark 16:15). What Mercedes said, and the people agreed to, in a direct disobedience to God's explicit command. There are NO loop holes, people!
- The songs they sang - Losing my Religion, Bridge over Troubled Water, Papa can You hear Me? etc. etc. etc.
These are songs they referred to as 'religious'.
To me, all these songs make faith seem like such a frivolous thing.
Ok, so you're having a rough go of things (bridge over "troubled water"). Well, just ask God to help and sure, He'll grant your every wish. But when He doesn't, He's just not listening (papa can you hear me), so go ahead and give that up (losing my religion) and try something else.
At the end, just before Kurt's dad starts to come out of his coma, Kurt tells him, "I don't believe in God, Dad, but I believe in you." I literally sat there, tears streaming down my face, shaking my head "no! no! no! no!" Kurt!! So lost! So many in the world just like him! Believing in sinful humans (all of us) and then being absolutely crushed when we're repeatedly let down.
Take a look at John 5: 43, 44 --
"For I (Jesus) have come to you in my Father's name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. No wonder you can't believe! For you gladly honour each other, but you don't care about the honour that comes from the one who alone is God!"
This was Kurt's trouble, as it is so many others. He believed in his dad, actually saying at one point he didn't want a heavenly Father, just his earthly one back. But therein lies the rub! For one, he wouldn't even HAVE an earthly father if it wasn't for the Heavenly One. Also, therein (hmm, enjoying that word :P) as Jesus says in these verses, he's ignoring the honour that comes from the one who created honour! Poor Kurt.... poor millions of "Kurts" around the world. :(
Ok, for all you fellow Gleeks out there (YES! I am still a self-professed Gleek), don't hate me! I still really like the show! You can't argue talent, and these kids have it! I will always enjoy the music, and even the hilarious Brittany ditz moments and occasional Sue one-liners. But this week, I just couldn't help myself.
I hurt.
There was one moment though.... I felt it was one 'redeeming moment' of the show.
Sue has a down's syndrome older sister, Jean, that we met in earlier episodes. She lives in a nursing home type facility. We learn that Sue doesn't believe in God because when they were little girls, she used to pray for God to make her sister "better" because all the kids teased her. And when God didn't answer her prayer, she gave up on Him.
Jean and Sue are playing Checkers, and Sue asks Jeannie if she believes in God, then telling her that she doesn't, and Jeannie asks why not, in that tone that makes you think she is sad about Sue's answer of 'no'. Sue tells her it's because when they were little, in her eyes, Jeannie was perfect, despite all the other kids' teasing and cruelty.
Jeannie looks directly at Sue with a smile, and speaks the truth in love - "God never makes mistakes! That's what I believe!" The she asks, and proceeds, to pray for Sue.
I'm writing this, sitting at my desk at work, crying! :P (Shhh... don't tell, yes I'm at work!)
I love Jeannie's answer!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE! I love that the love of Christ blatently shown in that answer!!! I want that answer to be proclaimed to the entire rest of the Glee club, the school, the country, the world! I wish the writers had taken that and expanded on it.
I'm not dilusional - I know this is a secular show, filmed in Hollywood, broadcasted in the USA.... yada yada yada. To proclaim the full and ultimate truth of Jesus Christ on this show, in all it's glory, would be the end of Glee. Let's face it. But despite the hurt that this episode caused me this week, PRAISE GOD for those 8 simple words of Jeannie, and the eternal promise that He reminds us of with them. And for the call He gives us because of them.
God doesn't make mistakes. (His promise)
That's what I believe. (Our calling)
Perhaps, because God doesn't make mistakes, this Glee episode was put together just the way He intended? Maybe it was meant to cause a soulful hurt in some of us (are you with me there?)... Was it meant to lift us up with those 8 words, and remind us of His promises again?
Or is it just a part of your regularily scheduled programming?
