Lessons from "Hello, Dolly!"

Our local high school has undertaken some great musicals and some not so great musicals. Last year we walked out of Anything Goes which was pretty disgusting after only 15 minutes.

This year we rented the Barbara Striesand movie, "Hello, Dolly!" The movie was good, I would recommend it. The kids did a fantastic job with the play. Good as Broadway according to our friend who has seen a lot of shows on Broadway.

Towards the end of the movie/musical there is a great scene, where 14th Street is a buzz with Dolly is supposed to be coming to the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant at 8 pm. The staff of the restaurant is all excited. Dolly enters and comes down the stairs all decked out and they sing "Hello, Dolly. It's good to have you back where you belong."

Dolly lost her husband, and she has been avoiding life including all the places she went with her husband when he was alive. She had lived life and then given it up. She was a wounded individual.

Here's the lesson: Does the church wait in anticipation for that long lost soul to come back and then party because they have? Generally, we don't, we ostracize and criticize and hold them at arm's length ready to condemn if they slip. We should be like the father from the prodigal son story who ran to meet his wayward son, better yet, he was watching!

The whole restaurant was full of excitement Here was someone they knew and loved had come "home." Who have you welcomed home, lately?