This past Monday at Eastern Michigan University’s Student Center, the student body was treated to a passionate and enthusiastic performance from the Christian group Kingdom Come.
Kingdom Come is based out of the Ypsilanti Community Church located at 333 S. Prospect St. The group, which hosts a weekly Bible study in room 352 of the Student Center every Monday from 6:45-9 p.m., added a new wrinkle to their festivities this week by presenting a skit titled “Ready or Not.”
The skit, written by poets Ezekiel and Janette Ikz, centers around a bride and groom pondering their commitment and relationship to God, as well as to each other.
“Ready or Not” was performed to an awe-filled audience with grace and heartfelt emotion by Diondre Garner and Chenise Smith. “Ready or Not” was at its best when its two characters were bantering back and forth using language with ocean-like depth.
One particularly well-written piece of dialogue that stuck out and got a rowdy reaction from the crowd stemmed from the bride confessing her need for a makeover. The groom riposted with the witty remark that “I am your cover…girl.” Within the context of the play, he was basically saying he was much more concerned with her soul than her outer appearance.
The skit used a lot of biblical imagery to great effect. A great example of this occurred when the groom was describing his martyrdom for their marriage, explaining how he had “taken lashes for her lashes” and “nails for her nails.” It was a powerful verbal sequence that had much of the audience turning to one another with expressions of incredulity.
The skit ended with a flourish, the couple ultimately falling for each other and God.
The second part of the event took place upstairs and served as equal parts Bible study and lecture about the skit.
The Bible study was fronted by Tiffany King and EMU student Kimani Jeffrey. King’s main responsibilities were leading the group in prayer and song. Her soothing voice coaxed smiles out of much of the crowd, by floating about the room like rose petals. After her musical introduction, Jeffrey’s voice took over and he preached about the meaning of the skit and how it related to different portions of the Bible.
Regardless of one’s religious affiliation, many of Jeffrey’s words were true. He made a strong analogy that connected dating relationships and faithful relationships with God. He emphasized again and again how too often, people consider relationships “over” or “complete” when they aren’t.
He explained how you shouldn’t consider yourself “done” because relationships take effort and perseverance, and you should never stop striving to love or show appreciation towards someone you’re building a relationship with.
“Dating isn’t a phone number,” Jeffrey said. “Likewise, Christianity shouldn’t be about settling for a phone number.”
Jeffrey continued to deliver messages that transcended beyond the Christian world, explaining how we reap what we sow, need to take the time to honor our families and put aside our desire for material possessions, should not linger on evils and wrongs that we’ve done and, above all, to continue building loving relationships with our fellow women and men.
“Enough talk,” Jeffrey said. “It’s time to start demonstrating our loving capabilities.”
While many people might be leery about joining or attending a religious function without much interest in said religion, the Kingdom Come group would urge you to reconsider. Their overall aura of unity and warmth is contagious.
Hugs and sincere greetings are the norm with these people. They ooze positivity and want nothing more than for you to help them build loving and peaceful relationships with your fellow students. The event was a rousing success full of uplifting energy.
