Bible: Numbers 22:22-35, Genesis 22:1-18, Luke 2:3-7, Matthew 21:1-11 Replacing Country Bear Jamboree (Frontierland at the Magic Kingdom and Westernland at Tokyo Disneyland) in Bible World is Bible Donkey Jamboree. Universal isn’t the only one that can showcase a talking donkey! Inspired by Balaam’s she-donkey (named “Dawdler” in the show) in the Bible who speaks, the show also features the donkeys that journeyed with Abraham (“Trusty”), Mary and Joseph (“Meekly”), and Jesus (“Palmy”). Like the Country Bears, the Bible Donkeys stand on their back legs. The songs are generally upbeat country songs, but Trusty’s first song is slow and sad. The show opens with all of the donkeys (and the other animals) singing about life as a donkey. Next, Dawdler sings about the time she spoke in the Bible. As described in the Book of Numbers, Balaam was a prophet who was asked twice by King Balak to curse the Israelites. He apparently agrees to do it out of greed even though God had told him not to. As he sets out on Dawdler with the king’s men, God sends an angel (with sword drawn) to redirect Balaam three times. Each time, Dawdler sees the angel and stops forward progress. As a result, Balaam beats Dawdler three times. God then gave Dawdler the ability to speak, “Why did you beat me three times?! You have ridden me for several years and I’ve never behaved like this.” And the angel said to Balaam, “If your donkey had not turned from me I would have killed you.” And then Balaam realized he had sinned. Trusty’s first song describes how the elderly father Abraham leads his only son Isaac up a mountain to sacrifice him as recounted in Genesis 22. Trusty bears the wood for the sacrifice until they get near the altar (and then Isaac bears it). Just as Abraham is about to strike Isaac, they all heard a voice from Heaven say, “Stop! Do not lay a finger on the child!” Abraham discovers a ram caught in the thickets that he sacrifices instead of his son. Trusty’s second, more cheerful song is a celebration of being there when God gave a special blessing to Abraham and his descendants because of his obedience. Meekly’s song is one of expectation. She is the donkey that the pregnant Mary sat on (according to tradition, as the transportation mode is not mentioned in the Bible) as she and Joseph journey to the town of David (Bethlehem) for the census. Meekly sings of their tenderness and gentleness as they made the journey. In her second song, she describes how there was no room at any of the places that Mary and Joseph tried to get lodging at. In the end, they find a cave with a manger. It is there that Jesus is born. Other animals--including oxen, sheep, and cows--join in on the singing, too. Palmy sings a ballad about how Jesus rode on him into Jerusalem for Passover, what would be His Last Passover. Everyone gave them a royal welcome--even laying their cloaks and palm branches at his hooves. Palmy’s second song is about how the world was changed that Holy Week--with Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection. All of the donkeys give a reprise of their opening number.
As you can see, this would be a fun, family-focused show that is in keeping with the spirit of Country Bears Jamboree.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
May 2023
Categories
All
|