Movie Night: The Cotton Patch Gospel

Have you ever wondered what might have happened if Jesus had been born some time other than 2000 years ago or some place other than the Middle East? What if He had been born during the depression in the United States? What if he had been born somewhere in the South during the Civil Rights movement? Clarence Jordan took such “what ifs” and wrote a series of sermons that he delivered to sharecroppers in their own common language living on his farm, a commune he started in 1942 where everybody was welcome and named Koinonia Farm that became a small but influential religious community in southwest Georgia. In Acts 2:42 the Greek word “Koinonia” means communion or fellowship. Jordan got a degree in agriculture from the University of Georgia and graduated from seminary earning a PhD in the Greek New Testament. His goal was to intervene in the cycle of poverty by teaching modern farming methods, but he became convinced that the roots of poverty were both economic and religious. His sermons became a book named the Cotton Patch Gospel. It is based on the Gospels of Matthew and John in the Bible and remained true to those two Gospels.
The book became a play. The play became a musical that ran on off-Broadway for 193 performances and has been produced in churches and theaters across the country. The music was written by Harry Chapin and it is wonderful. I bet you’ve heard some of Harry Chapin’s music if you were growing up back in the 70’s. “Cat’s in the Cradle” is his most famous song.
We’re showing the video, “The Cotton Patch Gospel” here at Love UMC on Friday, July 17, at 6 PM. You are all invited to our Monthly Movie Night. Bring a comfortable chair if you wish and we will provide the popcorn and the movie. I guarantee you that you will walk out of here that night humming or even singing some of the songs. Make sure you don’t miss it. That’s July 17 at 6 PM.