As our son continues to grow, one of the ever-increasing responsibilities is considering what we decide to have him hear or see when it comes to music and shows. In our household, we have certain limits on “screen time” for the boy, and so we have to be judicious in what actually makes it into that relatively short time. It is a bit paralyzing to consider the wide variety of media that is available to him. I don’t mean to over think it, but I do know how formative these things are. What you hear and watch has the ability to shape what you become on the inside, especially for little ones. Thanks to an enormous network of on-demand music, television, film, and other media (which includes the liturgies of Saint Thomas Church, mind you!) our options are beyond fathoming. No pressure!
One of the aspects of his “media diet” that we keep re-introducing are old episodes of the children’s television show “Mister Rogers Neighborhood.” These shows really do stand the test of time. And the more episodes that Sam and I watch over time, the more I have begun to move from a sense of nostalgia to a sense of awe and marvel. Fred Rogers (1928-2003) wrote and produced the famous show from 1968-2001, an unbelievable run. Every short program is a kind of short opera, thanks to the steady accompaniment of the jazz pianist, Johnny Costa. Every show is a journey, not only to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, where his puppet parables come to life on a great soundstage, but also include journeys to the “real world” which are just as wondrous (he took us deep into the tunnels of a mushroom farm not too long ago). And the relationship that Fred Rogers establishes with the audience is so potent because he speaks about real matters of life and real matters of the heart. He knew that feelings were important, and was willing to talk to children about, not only wonder and joy, but also disappointment, anger, fear, and even death, upon occasion.
Every one of his short programs are so carefully structured that they are practically liturgical in their consistency and musicality. This is no mistake, because Mr. Rogers was both a trained keyboardist, composer, and an ordained Presbyterian minister. Fred Rogers actually started out his career not too far from Saint Thomas Church at NBC Studios in Rockefeller Center in the 1950’s as a floor manager for NBC Opera Theatre. His ability to synthesize the crafts of music, television story-telling techniques, poetry, drama, psychology, and, yes, theology, is just beyond belief. The Christianity of his work is natural and structural, though never explicit. It may be hidden, but his faith is everywhere, like the air one breathes. I find myself delighted when he sneaks a biblical reference in every now and then. For example, one day he invited the dancer, Martha Graham, to the show to dance before the puppet, King Friday the XIII, and upon the end of the dance the king is so pleased that he offers her anything she wants, up to a half of her kingdom, just like King Herod at another notorious dance!
My son and I are now working through the episodes produced from 1970-1971, but I wanted to share with you an actual “opera” that Fred Rogers both composed and performed with his show’s team of artists in 1980, “Windstorm in Bubbleland.” He composed several operas over his career, but this, in my opinion, is the best. At first glance, it seems like a simple fairy story of a small, curmudgeonly hummingbird (Hildegard is her name) saving an imaginary land from a great wind storm. But if you look deeper, this whimsical tale explores the difference between false hope and robust hope, the dangers of corporate advertising, fraud, and pollution, the need to work together to tell the truth and resist grand deception by authority figures, and the call to sacrifice one’s life in love for others in a broken and troubled world. There is even a death and resurrection! I’ve already said, too much. You may watch it along with a treasure trove of Fred Rogers’ archives.
One of my favorite lines of the opera happens at a reflective moment when Hildegard agonizes over whether to return to the Bubbleland which rejected her prophetic words that their precious bubbles can be blown away. She has no interest in saving their bubbles, which pop no matter how much you insist they will not. But she does have interest in saving them, even if it means laying down her life for her enemies. “A hummingbird cares about people and creatures with fur and with wings / A hummingbird cares about feelings, but doesn’t care much about things.” It says so much to me that the true need in a crisis is ultimately spiritual, not material. How easy it is to forget this simple reality!
I think about what it means for us to be present to others through the screen in this difficult time, and I remain inspired by how well Mr. Rogers crafted an enduring space in that realm for an ever-expanding number of people to grow and thrive in the spirit and in love (preaching to them unawares!). Now that Saint Thomas Church is a veritable production studio, thanks to its globally available live and on-demand video of our services and other programs, I find myself ever more drawn to the soul and artistry of Fred Rogers’ work, actually ministry. My prayer is that, with God’s help and with our great staff and parish community, we will continue to expand a space of beauty and holiness for untold numbers to grow and thrive in Christ.
