Haec Credam a Deo Pio, a Deo Justo, a Deo Scito?

I have previously mentioned how I have been reduced to watching Joan of Arcadia. But, as much as I make fun of it, it really seems to reflect a lot of what I believe. First of all, the conceit of the show is that God talks to Joan (a high schooler) through the image of people she meets throughout her life. That is to say, Joan may be walking down the street and the guy painting the wall might talk to her. Only it’s not the guy. It’s God, inhabiting the guy. It’s not explained, as near as I can tell, whether the owners of the body remember their conversations, or black out or what – I don’t think it’s necessary to the understanding of the show.

I like the way this clearly illustrates that we/Christians/believers/people of faith/people not of faith/humanity are the way that God communicates. The Old Testament God had burning bushes and still small voices, but pretty much Christ is what we have now. And while Paul tells us that we have to be hands and feet for Christ, we have to be – in addition to the doers – the forgivers and the finders and the hug-givers and the hug-receivers. Christ is only here through us. And anyone can and should be that conduit. Not just preachers or deacons or Jesus freaks –everyone in their own shows God and acts for him somehow, often without realizing it. And we need to remember to listen for God’s voice. It speaks to us 100 times a day from at least as many people.

That was also reflected in an episode a watched last night. God tells Joan to go to a dance with an outcast and listen to him. She does, thinking that she’s doing this great thing for the guy by assuming that there is some untapped potential in him that she will get to release. But things go badly at the school dance (as they so often do on networks), and Joan winds up with the guy and a gun in a vacant lot. No one gets hurt, but the outcast will go to jail and Joan’s parents are mad. Then, God appears to Joan at the school. She asks why everything turned out so terrible. God says that it wasn’t (really) about the outcast. If Joan hadn’t played her role, he would have returned to school the next day and opened fire. God enumerates the names of people who would have died, including some who would die protecting their friends. Joan’s acts didn’t seem to help much of anyone, but they saved the school. I love that illustration of how we can’t know what effect our acts have or will have. We just have to trust that we are doing the right thing, acting as we are called, and that God will take the basic water of our lives and turn it into wine for someone we encounter.

Also, I’m sure I was particularly moved by that scene because God was inhabiting a teacher played by Kathryn Joosten, who played the delightful Mrs. Landingham on The West Wing.