“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” -Ephesians 4:3-6
One of the more interesting characters on Broadway is Tracy Turnblad. Tracy is the main character in the hit Broadway show, Hairspray. She is a high school aged girl in 1962 Baltimore. The show highlights the many differences that exist in the community in which Tracy lives. Like most communities, Baltimore is full of people of different religious beliefs, different skin color, different economic backgrounds, and so much more. In the midst of the tension and struggles between these groups, there is a bright light of hope beaming from young Tracy Turnblad.
Like most high school students, Tracy spends her time and energy thinking about her hobbies and the boy she likes. Her hobby is dance. The boy she is hyper-focused on is Link Larkin. Link is the coolest boy in town and the feature dancer on the Corny Collins show, a variety show for teens. Tracy’s dream is to dance on T.V. and hopefully dance with Link. Tracy is denied that opportunity to see her dream come true because she too is different. Tracy is a great dancer, but unlike the other girls on the Corny Collins show, Tracy is overweight.
Hairspray follows Tracy, her family, and her friends, as they work to overcome stereotypes, prejudice, and intentional cruelty. Tracy helps to lead by being a positive example of kindness and respect to all people. No matter who she meets, throughout the show, Tracy is kind and takes time to get to know all people. She works to find out who they are as a person and does not define each person she meets by their appearance. Tracy’s positive determination helps to unite so many different people along the way.
Tracy is young but she is relentless in her pursuit of acceptance and caring for all her friends. She is an example to all of us that we should allow respect and kindness to guide our interactions with all people. Each person we meet is a child of God. We have all been created in the image of God. As God’s family, we should care for one another as God cares for us. Each of us carry within us the Spirit of God and, knowing that, we must realize that we have more in common than we can possibly imagine.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
