Inside the New Theatre Royal

When You Walk With God – featuring Harun Kotch from the album The Season of Singing – recorded and produced by Ross Gill

First a plug for Risen!- The Musical at the New Theatre Royal , Portsmouth on Saturday April 9^th at 7.30 pm and Sunday April 10^th at 2.30 pm. Featuring the 18 strong professional London Touring Cast and filmed by Global Fire Creative for broadcast on cable TV. All details including ticket sales at r £5.00 for upper circle or £10.00 for stalls and dress circle from www.risenthemusical.com We also have a Twitter account giving you Risen! updates @risenthemusical.

Two weeks ago we showed the Risen! promo video and here is the link to view again https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnUHeqw9ROo

So last week I said that I want to consider the belief that God understands and has empathy with our suffering because He himself has experienced it. Again I turn to the book “It Makes Sense” written by Stephen Glaukroger who writes that God understands our suffering because He has experienced it. No one can accuse God of being an uninvolved deity just sitting back and watching us suffer. He sent His son to earth to check it out for Himself, to experience first- hand what life was all about for the human race…… Many find great comfort from the knowledge that God has endured human suffering and understands what we go through. He has been where we are- the Chief Executive has experience of life on the shop floor, the Chief of Police has walked the beat. God has been down here at the sharp end.

Glaukroger quotes Dorothy Sayers who writes in her book “The Man born to be King”

For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is – limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and death -He had the honesty and courage to take His own medicine .Whatever game He is playing with His creation He has kept His own rules and played fair. He has Himself gone through the whole of human experience, from the trivial irritations of family life and lack of money to the worst horrors, pain, humiliation, defeat, despair and death. He was born in poverty and died in disgrace and felt it well worthwhile.

So is that the last of the jigsaw pieces that may help us understand why there is suffering in the world? Oh no and I’ll share another next week!