Defying Gravity!

This past weekend has been a busy and eventful one. It started with my first experience which “defying gravity” can be applied to!
Friday night I was out at dinner and the last activity which formed part of the evening was an exercise in “Connecting with the Head”. Very quickly, “Connecting with the Head” is about all about us, as believers in Christ, connecting with God and the God-head. Everything we do as believers should be centred in, motivated by and for the glory of God. Friday 23 May was actually the culmination of a journey God has taken me through, each time progressing more and more.

Experience #1: Sunday 13 April (Palm Sunday)

I have actually previously documented this experience in my post Easter #1: Devotion & Fasting. At the time, I had simply written up on the experience as part of worship and general time with God. The main take-away of that experience was being overwhelmed by being in the presence of God/Jesus. God had also manifested himself in the form of exceedingly bright light. No – it wasn’t the actual room lighting – it was only there when I closed by eyes and focused intently on God. It was in the distance, about 15 metres away. I was in the crowd of people who were pushing and bumping up against the Disciples and Jesus.

Experience #2: Wednesday 16 April (Cell Group)

This experience was also recorded as part of Easter #1: Devotion & Fasting. Similar to Experience #1, the light emitting from the presence of God was there again. It was this presence that I recognised from God. The light was closer this time and the environment was more misty. At the time, one cell group member had pointed out that focusing on God would help unveil my eyes to His presence and help remove the misty-ness.

Experience #3: Tuesday 6 May (Prayer Hub)

After a fortnight gap, I found myself at the monthly corporate prayer session at church. This was also a day or so after the 4-day Discipleship Conference hosted by my church. During a brief session of prayer and meditation I sensed the same Godly presence of brilliant white light – hovering close by me. Pastor Phil, in facilitating Prayer Hub had called us to individually meditate on God for a few minutes while he read out scripture. Whilst I do not fully recall now the passage, the memory of God manifesting as the recurring brilliant light was indelibly imprinted onto my mind. Even though it had been a bit of a gap in between, the nature of the light reminded me immediately of the previous experiences. Unfortunately, I did not pursue the encounter with God fully, although He guided me in my prayers over the people around me that night.

Experience #4: Sunday 18 May

The sermon delivered by Pastor Phil on this Sunday was the first of his two messages reflecting on the Discipleship Conference. I was fully in-tune with the learnings that were shared, having attended or listened to the key messages of the conference. At the end of the message, Ps Phil again led us through a time where he created space for God to move and allow us to connect with the head. He also requested that cell groups who were sitting together to gather and pray over each other. The encounter with God carried the same signature brilliant white light. This time, I felt God lead me to gather my scattered cell group and encourage a time of cell bonding. So, although I had a brief individual encounter, I quickly acted on His command and was able to gather the few members who were available. Only half the group were there, but we united in prayer and were able to spend some quality time together. We also ended up agreeing to have fellowship together over the church lunch – Indian curry – which was something I had only participated in eating one other time this year at church (we usually go out as a group to eat).

Experience #5: Friday 23 May

I was asked to pick a passage in the bible to help us connect with God – I picked Luke 11, which is where The Lord’s Prayer is found. Unlike the previous experiences, this session was completely unlimited (yes – the double meaning from Wicked also applies here!) in that we had the complete freedom to press into God and allow Him to work in His time. With prompting and guidance from my brother in Christ, I fully embraced the opportunity and recognised the same light of God emitting all around. My brother-in-Christ asked me to describe what I could see and, my eyes now finally unveiled, saw the previous misty-ness that had obscured my vision as the clouds of heaven. Initially, for a split second I did wonder how/whether/why I was in heaven, but I quickly accepted it since the light of God confirmed it. I actually find it difficult to describe heaven because there are no words for it. You just know in your heart, mind and soul that it is heaven. God was there – the complete trinity. God the Holy Spirit within me, God the Father and Jesus, God the Son. For a moment there, I had this completeness and fullness of knowledge and understanding of God being a wholly singular yet triune Being. I didn’t see the face of God – but He was just there, the object of all worship.

My brother in Christ (back on earth) prompted me in that God had a message for me. The strong overwhelming conviction from God was seared on me – “Feed my sheep”. Although I was physically sitting and bowed down here on earth, I was kneeling in heaven and worshiping God, thanking Him for His mercy, love and grace. As my soul was trembling, I had an Isaiah moment, where an angel touched my lips with coal and cleansed me of my sin. I asked in my heart whether I could see my mum, but God’s reply was that it was not yet my time to be in heaven to see her. I was commanded to let go of the past and focus on the present and future. The message was clear to me; the call to action was irrefutable – to continue loving and equipping my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, both within the cell group, church and beyond.

The out-of-body experience and journey back to earth was gradual, but I found myself still seated in the kitchen of my brother-in-Christ, some 30 minutes later. Time in heaven seemed like mere moments, yet 30 earth minutes had transpired.

Defying Gravity – Wicked Style

This blog title is purposely so. Only God could have timed it such that the phrase “Defying Gravity” could apply so uniquely, yet in two very different ways. Saturday 24 May, some 24 hours later, I was in the presence of a wonderfully talented local cast who were performing Wicked at Regent’s Theatre. Defying Gravity is the signature song that heralds Wicked. At home, there have been many a time when I have sung the lyrics and practice hitting the high Eb. I found myself lip syncing during the live performance, right from ” Elphaba – why couldn’t you have just stayed calm for once, instead of flying off the handle!” I can only imagine that I was not the only one in the audience lip-syncing along (singing outright would just have been plain rude and completely inappropriate…)

The song structurally is made up of three distinct couplets: “I hope you’re happy” intertwined with the main Defying Gravity verse and chorus, plus the “Unlimited” stanza, which forms a beautiful duet bridge. When you think of Wicked, the chances are you have Defying Gravity playing in your mind; such is the power and dominance of the song in characterising and epitomising the musical. When you think of musical productions, often there are signature songs that come to represent the brand. I make the case here that the dominance of Defying Gravity for Wicked is considerable, given that I struggle to name any other song within the musical. For comparison, I would argue that Memory from Cats plays a similar synonymous role for that production, whereas Phantom of the Opera provides multiple key songs that make it a much more prominent musical in a field of its own – The Phantom of the Opera, Angel of Music, The Music of the Night and All I Ask of You. Now, I realise that making this argument is highly subjective and really depends on an individual’s exposure to various musicals. However, I do ask for your indulgence as I make the case that when it comes to the dominance of a song and the musical it represents, that the songs we refer to here are all carry a high-level of “sing-ability”. This means that you can actually sing-a-long to the performance, that the lyrics are catchy and memorable.

Defying Gravity comes to represent Wicked because it ties up the concluding scenes of the storyline, demonstrating the dynamic between the two characters as they represent their “side” of the story. The tension and resolution present within the song itself allows the emotion of the song to enhance the performance. This post on Defying Gravity would not be complete without a faithful reproduction of the beautiful emotion-filled lyrics that make up the main song:

ELPHABA
Something has changed within me, something is not the same
I’m through with playing by the rules, of someone else’s game
Too late for second-guessing, too late to go back to sleep
It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap!

It’s time to try defying gravity
I think I’ll try defying gravity
And you can’t pull me down!

GALINDA
Can’t I make you understand?
You’re having delusions of grandeur:

ELPHABA
I’m through accepting limits, ’cause someone says they’re so
Some things I cannot change, but till I try, I’ll never know!
Too long I’ve been afraid of, losing love I guess I’ve lost
Well, if that’s love, it comes at much too high a cost!

I’d sooner buy defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye, I’m defying gravity
And you can’t pull me down:
(spoken) Glinda, come with me. Think of what we could do, together.

(sung) Unlimited, together we’re unlimited
Together we’ll be the greatest team, there’s ever been
Glinda – Dreams, the way we planned ’em

GALINDA
If we work in tandem:

BOTH
There’s no fight we cannot win
Just you and I, defying gravity
With you and I, defying gravity

ELPHABA
They’ll never bring us down!
(spoken) Well? Are you coming?

GALINDA
I hope you’re happy
Now that you’re choosing this

ELPHABA
(spoken) You too
(sung) I hope it brings you bliss

BOTH
I really hope you get it
And you don’t live to regret it
I hope you’re happy in the end
I hope you’re happy, my friend:

ELPHABA
So if you care to find me, look to the western sky!
As someone told me lately: “Ev’ryone deserves the chance to fly!”
And if I’m flying solo, At least I’m flying free
To those who’d ground me, take a message back from me

Tell them how I am defying gravity
I’m flying high defying gravity
And soon I’ll match them in renown!
And nobody in all of Oz
No Wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring me down!