Scripture Through the Arts
Scripture Through the Arts (STA) is a Wycliffe NZ performing arts initiative designed to promote and educate about the worldwide Bible translation mission.
STA creates and presents solo performance pieces which tell real life missionary stories through song and drama whilst reminding audiences of God’s faithfulness and their part in His story.
STA is available to bring these challenging and encouraging pieces to your church or event.
Below are our current pieces. These pieces can be done individually, pieced together, or paired with a talk.
Email sta_ministries@wycliffenz.org to get in touch – we would love to hear from you and talk through possibilities.
Scars of Light
This piece tells the story of Vivienne Forseburg who was a Bible translator to the Tboli people in the Philippines. It depicts the day when she observed a young boy who was the first of his people to refuse scars on his arms. This was a very unusual and brave choice as it was believed that light emitting from scars was to be the way people could confront the “keeper of the dark” after death. This boy had discovered salvation comes from a much surer source. He and his family had been reading the scriptures which Vivienne and her team had been translating and had discovered that Jesus’ scars were truly the only ones which could save.
Related themes: Salvation, Jesus is the light, scars of Christ, freedom from lies, the power of Scripture to transform individuals and cultures.
Gates of Heaven
Rob and Leanne Lovatt had a miraculous plane crash survival story early in their missionary life, over 30 years ago. They were relatively new to Vanuatu and were one day flying back from a visit on a remote island. The plane they were in was diverted to an island for a medical emergency but as they came in to land a freak gust of wind caught the small ten-seater and thrust them toward the atoll mountainside. They knew there was no way out when they saw the pilot switch off the fuel. The next events were truly miraculous. The pilot managed to crash land through a stand of trees and slowed their impact by allowing the trees to shear off the wings of the plane. They came to a stop with nose against the mountain and perched in the trees. All survived. They found out later that several people had been prompted by the Lord to put down what they were doing and to pray at that time. This piece depicts Leanne wrestling with the emotions of the experience as she writes about it to her friends and family back home.
Related themes: fear, the power of prayer, miracles, the constancy of Christ regardless of our responses in fear.
CrossRoads
“Crossroads are another chance to choose the road of the cross…” This recurring line in the piece is fitting for many situations in which Mark and Jo Penny found themselves. It tells of three crossroads the couple had to face in their time serving in India. They were all situations where there was real potential danger to themselves and their family. They were faced with frightening questions and had to choose who to trust.
Related themes: self-sacrifice, trust in God, death is not the end, carrying your cross.
The Question
This piece depicts the deep struggle of Rob Lovatt after hearing an old woman ask the question, “Why, why, why did it take so long for us to hear what Jesus has done?” He was at a dedication of the newly translated Easter story into the North Tanna language and was powerfully confronted with the desperate need for workers in Bible translation. After this moment, he and his wife Leanne knew that they could no longer be short term workers but needed to dedicate their whole lives to this essential work.
Related themes: Bible poverty, need for overseas missions, the hunger of the unreached, the great commission, hearing the call of God.
