"Cotton Patch Gospel"

Last night, Tasha and I watched a video of the play “Cotton Patch Gospel.” It’s a very interesting take on the Gospel story, which updates the story of Jesus by placing it in the context of the South. At times funny, and at times very thought provoking, it is a wonderful testament to the lasting message of the Gospel.

Throughout this version of Jesus’ life, we are shown what it might have been like for Jesus to have been born in a time very different from his own. One scene has a televangelist describing Jesus’ healing coming from demonic influences, which he knows for sure because “Jesus didn’t charge anything for it.” The retelling of the parable of the Good Samaritan features the head of a large church organization and a Gospel quartet who pass by, with the role of the Samaritan being taken by a black truck driver. (The story is set during the time segregation was still in place).

This retelling of the Gospel story forces us to think about how Jesus’ ministry might have played out in the culture of the American South during the middle of the 20^th Century. It also invites us to think about how it might play out now. How would we receive Jesus if he came into our congregation? Who might the Samaritan be now? The story of Jesus is not limited to the historical period some 2000 years ago. It is still alive and working with in our midst even now. I’d invite you to ponder how we might retell the story of Jesus in our cultural context today, much as it was re-imagined in the stories of the musical “Cotton Patch Gospel.”