I was personally touched by the movie "Godspell". Many brand it as blasphemous. I call it a clever way of reaching people with God's Word.

This particular song reached me at the time I was a young Christian -- not only for it's folk style, for the beautiful singing and passion in the voices, but especially for the lyrics. What do the lyrics mean?

Well, these are my own ideas... no research into what the song writer intended, just what I read, what I feel and how I believe the Lord touched me with these words -- and why I can't finish singing this song without weeping.

Simon Peter said, "Lord, were are you going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I go, you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow me afterwards." (John 13:36) This is possibly the movie sequence.

In the song the person is asking Jesus, "Where are you going?" She is in need. She is challenged by Him in her heart. "Can you take me with you? For my hand is cold and needs warmth..." There is something missing in her. She knows that she needs help to find it. Perhaps Jesus is the one who can help. Where is He going?

"Far beyond where the horizon lies and the land sinks into mellow blueness." is where the Jesus is headed, to heaven, to bring salvation to the world. "Oh please, take me with you."

But Jesus can't take her. She has to come on her own. He can't take her hand, not yet.

Like a child who is determined to learn to walk, "I can dare myself!" She can dare herself to take the first step toward Jesus.

"I'll put a pebble in my shoe... I shall call the pebble dare." The pebble my two-fold symbolic reminder.

• Not that her walk would be painful, but that her walk would remind her that she is on a search, on a mission of discovery. Hey Jesus, "watch me walk, watch me walk, I can walk, I can walk!" Like a child who wants her parent to see her accomplishment, she dared herself to take the first step toward following Jesus. Elated, she wants Him to see that she has gathered Dare to stand and walk.

  And they will "talk together about walking". Along the way, she will listen and learn about the way, the truth and the life.

• "Dare shall be carried." Daring yourself to take the first step toward Jesus can be hard, but equally difficult can be the road to your decision. A child staggers, sometimes falls, then walks and eventually runs. The pebble would perhaps, remind her of her past, or the reason why she is following. But more importantly, would remind her of her present purpose, that on this walk she must focus and not be swayed by the temptations along the way that may lead her away from getting to her destination.

Her destination: "... and when we both have had enough, I will take him (Dare) from my shoe, singing, 'Meet your new road!" She will show Dare that she has arrived at her faith. She no longer needs to be dared to follow the Lord. Salvation has come. She is now on her new road, and instead of merely following Jesus, she will take His hand, "finally glad" that she now understands the way, the truth and the life, and that He will always be there, By her Side.

~ Pastor Maria