I can't lie--I've only nominally checked out Oprah throughout the years. Still, being 3 years old when her first season aired means that I grew up with her and always have known who she is. So, despite being ambivalent enough about her for most of my life to not be able to apply the term "fan" to myself, something in me was moved as I watched the intro. Seeing her grow from so unpolished in her first show in 1986 into the domestic and national powerhouse of influence that she is today is pretty incredible. I could understand, then, why grown women were crying in the audience, simply amazed to be there and getting to meet her.
It was fun to see John Travolta--from all accounts he is a loving, kind-hearted, generous man who has never allowed fame to turn him into a jerk. What a blessing, and how wonderful to see him smiling after knowing the massive heartache he endured losing his son. I hope him and his beautiful wife, Kelly Preston, the best, that they are blessed by Jesus with a healthy baby that outlives them. I pray that they will meet Jesus and find true healing from the heartache they have endured, and know the joy of relationship with Jesus over the emptiness of Scientology.
I was torn with the next segment, Linda from Alberta, Canada, the woman who has watched Oprah her entire life. It's beautiful to see the common grace of God move in people's hearts to not simply be selfish with their lives and give back. John Travolta's encouragement to Oprah that the world is a better place because she's in it inspired Linda want to be a hero. She and her daughter went to Africa and fell in love with the children in an orphanage, eventually raising the money to buy land and build a house for them. Simply heart wrenchingly beautiful stuff.
However, my heart was equally wrenched with sorrow to hear Linda describe how she simply "feel[s] like a better person now". The Bible says that any works we do apart from flowing out of our worship of Jesus eventually prove empty and vain. It seems harsh, but Linda has received her reward in full by feeling good about herself. This just rips my heart out--imagine the insurpassable joy she would have if she were glorifying the Father through her helping others. I know many would argue that it's better that she find her fulfillment through helping others and not, say, a collection of Manolo's and Coach purses, and I would agree. Still, these are always going to be the things that kill me because the peace and joy of your good works being for the Father's glory is just added bonus to knowing that He is getting glory and your serving is not in vain.
Seeing Oprah surprised by Don Johnson, the man she tried to get on her first show that couldn't make it? That was just cool. Love seeing her be the one surprised! And the rhinestone sunglasses were perfection :)
Also, the Boston ladies pulling right onto Oprah's stage and getting the shock of their lives? This is another piece that doesn't have much to do with Jesus, but hello amazing sauce that they pulled that off! And it was sweet to see the "man" fan who loves his garage, his wife, his kids... and Oprah. Just good stuff :) I also appreciated Oprah's humility in telling Crystal, who in 1993 wanted to be a talk show host, that she improved on her profession by becoming a school teacher. How sweet for Ms. Brooks.
At this point my HD over the air antenna was tripping out so I can't lie, I was missing every other word and having a hard time focusing while being frustrated as heck at trying to hear the original audience members talking!
Oprah teasing her audience with where she was going to take them was fun. However, what is it about crazy humans that some free trip somewhere makes people scream like hyenas before they even know what it is? I mean, even the older men were jumping up and down, and I sure thought people were going to pass out. And then they rolled out the jet replica, Oprah said, "We're going to Australia!" and women and men young and old jumped and hugged and cried and danced in the falling confetti. John Travolta coming out in a pilot's uniform couldn't even raise the decibel level because it was utter ecstasy already by that point. Props to Qantas for sneaking in their, "We have great comfy seats," promo via Sr. Travolta.
Here's the thing: how awesome for these 300 people to be able to travel to on a dream trip and experience God's amazing creation in the land down under. So cool! But realizing that those of us know who know the redemption and joy of salvation from sin and freedom from condemnation spend so much of our time in our heads and, particularly, picking apart what's wrong with everyone else while something so simple as a free vacation turns 300 people into bastions of excitement and joy that probably will stick with them in some capacity for a lifetime is disturbing.
My vote? Redeem, redeem, redeem. I pray that God's grace would blast our hearts out of the land of "meh" and that we could make those audience members' excitement over a vacation to Australia look about as happy as the team that just lost the Superbowl in the game's final two seconds in comparison!
Lastly, it was so fun to once again see Oprah be surprised. Paul Simon's tribute was moving and beautiful. Oprah has worked hard for 25 years and I fully believe that she wants to make the world a better place. I'm glad she is getting some love and joy out of saying good-bye to the show that has literally impacted the world. Still, my prayer is that when she cries hearing Paul Simon sing about the "grace of God" it means saving grace from the God of the Bible, given through the shed blood of His son Jesus Christ on the the cross, and that she is in tears because she has intimately and personally received this free gift of grace, the amazement of knowing her sin is forgiven. I pray that the millions watching her show would each know that truth intimately and deeply as well. God is not a force or the good inside of us or the combination of all positive things in the universe--He is a person, the great I Am, powerful, willing to die, and He goes so much deeper than simply a "best life" or feeling good and like we have purpose. This the God I pray Oprah would know and love and tell others about!
Episode one is now ready for the books! Looking forward to tomorrow.
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