Gospel patter by Steve Martin for Healed and Sealed Coke Can

Some of the enduring magical images of the last couple of years have come from the TV productions featuring David Blaine. If you ask the average person in the street to name a famous magician, Blaine will undoubtedly come top of the list, and his presentation style has certainly left lasting impressions.

As a Gospel magician, I like to use effects which are as current and up-beat as possible; Anders Moden's "Healed and Sealed Soda Can" is just such an effect, it was performed twice by Blaine on his last TV special, and the trick lends it's self just SO well to a Gospel message...

Effect:

The magician shows an apparently open, empty and partly crushed coke can, (or other fizzy drinks can), possibly borrowing it from an audience member, or picking it up from somewhere in the venue where it has obviously been carelessly discarded.

He begins to talk about recycling, an aluminium can like shouldn't really be discarded, but it should be recycled so that new cans can be made from the same material.

Now the magician notes, life can be a bit like that; everybody tells us that we should learn from our mistakes, just as a can is opened, emptied and crushed, so we can often find that the things we look to for fulfilment, eventually only leave us feeling empty and "beat up"...

Now the world's philosophy is that we need to get up, dust ourselves off and try, try, try again. But the truth is that if we just keep on recycling the same old stuff that makes us who we are, we're never going to get more than a quick fix of satisfaction before that emptiness is back...

God's philosophy, however, tells us something different...

You see, when we decide to turn away from doing things our way and listen to what God has to say, He promises to take our lives in his hands, (the magician illustrates this with the can representing us), and instead of recycling what we're already made of, He promises to make us a NEW CREATION! (The crushed can begins to slowly expand and repair it's self in the magicians hands).

And God doesn't stop there; He doesn't then leave us to try to live some sort of perfect Godly life in our own strength, the Bible tells us that he SEALS us with His OWN SPIRIT! (The magician passes his finger over the opening in the can and it's magically sealed), and gives us His supernatural power to help us in our human struggles, and to transform us from the inside out!

So although I think recycling is a very good idea, I have to say that God doesn't believe in recycling when it comes to us... God wants to give us a completely NEW life through His son Jesus, (the magician opens the can with an audible PSHT!), and He wants to fill us with His Spirit so that we can serve Him, (the magician pours the coke into a glass from the can), and He wants to be our personal Lord and friend.

(The coke can be drank and the can now be examined).

Anyone wanting to perform this effect who doesn't have the method can get a copy here:- http://www.magictricks.co.uk/prodshow.asp?code=358