Following are some of Marti’s notes on C. McNair Wilson’s performance of The Fifth Gospel at Isaiah House last night. Bundled up in the patio on a cold night, Wilson warmed the 60 women of Isaiah House and some 25 Women of Vision volunteers with his humorous and poignant retelling of the gospel story. What if God became a man and walked among us, what would that look like and feel like? We found out last night.

Tonight we entered more fully into the mystery that is God.

Tonight we stood together — the homeless and the housed — on the foundation of hope that proclaimed that the “What If’s” were “Of Course.” Not the kind of hope that would necessarily make our life better but the hope that makes us want to make life better for those around us.

Tonight we stood together — the homeless and the housed — on the hope that God did come to earth and walked among us; He does want life to continue in one form or another; that God does want us to return to Him, and that our life will change in death, but it will not be taken away.

Tonight we stood together — the homeless and the housed — and God did become visible as we evidenced in his interweaving of our lives, connecting us one to another.

Tonight we stood together — the homeless and the housed — on the hope that any act by one of us on behalf of all the rest of us — be it to move on an ideal, or to improve the lot of others, or to strike out against injustice — would cross each other from a million different ripples to crash down on and turn against the mightiest of currents of oppression and resistance.

Tonight we understood that in creating life, God wanted us; He wanted us to return to him … and, connected, we did.

Applause to C. McNair Wilson for his touching and engaging retelling of the gospel story.

Before McNair’s performance this evening it was nearly impossible to predict the Women of Vision and the Isaiah House Guest’s reactions.  If we were looking for change, The Fifth Gospel worked for most of us. If all we required was entertainment, clearly The Fifth Gospel came through. But for those of us who had to know the answer to “What if God really came to earth and walked among us?” the power of the Lord Jesus Christ worked on behalf of us all…

He did.