2004-10-05

The Virtues of Opera

Dong Opera is one of the favorite media of traditional entertainment in many areas. It can be a telling of a Dong folk tale, a Chinese story, or modern works by Dong musicians. It is technically opera (singing and acting in combination), but most likely does not fit the word "opera" as you think of it. It closely resembles Chinese Opera (within which, the famous Beijing Opera is one style), but is used in a Dong context.

In one village, where a cluster of Dong Christians live, there is a Dong man who both loves to write and perform Dong Opera and also is a Christian. He was a part of the opera troupe long before he became a Christian, and now that he is a believer, has a desire to use Dong Opera as a medium for communicating the gospel.

Father, we ask that you would particularly bless this brother of ours that desires to use an already existing musical joy of the Dong people to share your gospel. He is often discouraged because he does not share his faith in the same way as some other believers, but we pray that you would give him joy as he thinks up possibilities of what stories the Dong people would love, as he considers how to turn sections of the Bible into pieces of opera for the Dong. Father, through him, work creatively to reach the people of his home village and Dong people all around that love to hear a good story through singing.

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