My church recently celebrated our pastor’s 75th birthday with a trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to view the musical “Noah.” We boarded a chartered bus from Columbus, Ohio, for a six-hour trip of fun and fellowship through the country’s heartland.

It had been several years since I had been on a bus, and I have fond memories of my chartered church outings as a child, with trips from Georgia to Florida and Kentucky. Sitting next to my mother, I took a window seat and enjoyed viewing the verdant, rustic landscape along Interstates 70 and 76 East, passing dairy farms with cows grazing and subcompact tractors parked next to stacks of firewood.

This was my first time visiting Lancaster, one of the nation’s oldest inland cities, and Sight & Sound Theatres was also commemorating the 30th anniversary of “Noah.”

The production was riveting, with an outstanding score and vibrant acting, and it was evident that Sight & Sound Theatres is diligently devoted to its ministry of bringing God’s Word to life.

It was definitely a “spectacular” sight to behold, as live animals, including camels, horses, donkeys, llamas, goats and Maine Coon cats, were featured among the numerous creatures carried on Noah’s enormous boat. In Act 2, doves were released in reference to Genesis 8, when Noah used them to find signs of life on Earth after the floodwaters began to recede. I was in awe of the animals just as much as the children in the audience were, and I paid close attention to the animal movements as they were paired with robotic, lifelike creations of other species. I noticed that the llamas had a casual and composed temperament, almost as if they were critiquing the performance. One camel, on the other hand, was a bit fidgety, pacing side to side in the spot where it was stationed.

While the animals were capable of almost stealing the show, my treasured experience from attending “Noah” was being reminded of God’s judgment as well as His covenant relationship with us through faith. Judgment is a topic many people don’t like to address in the Bible, but Genesis 6:5 explains that the punishment of the flood was brought due to “the wickedness of man (being) great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart (being) evil continually.” God gave people time to repent while Noah was building the ark, and some Bible scholars speculate that it took between 40 and 50 years to construct this vessel of “gopher wood.” While gathering materials for the ark, Noah preached, imploring people to change their ways.

The play took some creative license in its depiction of the opposition Noah and his family faced, making their enemies the people of Nod. Nod, whose Hebrew translation is “vagrancy,” is the land where Cain dwelt after murdering his brother Abel, and the territory his descendants established, according to Genesis 4:16-17. We don’t know the specific number of years Noah preached, but in Matthew 24:37-39, Jesus explains how, in Noah’s day, people did not heed the warning of the flood and continued with their normal activities. When the rains came bearing God’s judgment, it was too late. Jesus prophesied that His coming would be in the same manner, with people ignoring God’s voice and invitation of salvation.

Just like Noah, we live in a period today where evil and wickedness abound, and people reject the compassionate and loving call of God. Many are callous and coldhearted, driven by selfish ambition with no empathy for others. I know that I do not want to get caught up in the tempting lure of worldly self-gratification, where I push myself away from God’s presence.

One of the songs in “Noah” that especially touched my heart is titled “The Way We’re Meant to Live,” and it beautifully summed up one of the major themes in the play. The song illustrated how God wants to walk with us intimately and how we should enjoy daily communion with Him. This is the message that Sight & Sound Theatres has been sharing in “Noah” with audiences for years, a message of hope that is truly needed in our present time.