Yesterday, Christina and I had the privilege of going to see Les Misérables in Detroit’s Fisher Theatre. Some people in our church gave the tickets (and even provided babysitting) as a Christmas gift to us. Since Christina loves musicals, this was probably one of the best Christmas gifts she has received.
It was a powerful show. No wonder this musical has been playing for close to 20 years and it is still going strong. In fact, it just reaffirmed the importance of music and visual presentations as avenues to communicate a message.
One of the main themes of this musical is the message of grace. It was powerfully represented by a pair of silver candlestick holders. Jean Valjean (the main character) encounters grace when he stole the bishop’s silver. When Valjean was caught and brought back to the bishop’s house, the bishop not only says that the silver was a gift but he gives him two silver candlestick holders as well. This experience of getting something that he did not deserve transformed his life.
I could not help but to notice all throughout the musical the candlestick holders were a constant reminder of the grace that he received. He packed it in his suitcase as he was getting ready to leave the city. He had it on a table towards the end of his life.
For Valjean, the candlestick holders had a powerful meaning. It was a testimony of grace. It was a constant reminder of grace. As the musical was coming to a close, I was thinking, “What is my candlestick holder?” “What reminds me of this amazing grace that I have experienced (again and again)?”