“The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. Though the classics are crammed with victims hoist upon their own petard, no Midas, Polonius or suffering Heathcliff steps out of the shadows to claim that quote.It takes biblical scholars Rev. Martin Dasler and Pastor Paula L. Burchill to spot the apostle Paul in the corner – and to see in those words the blueprint for a work whose popularity rivals that of the Bible. In Victor Hugo’s, ‘Les Miserables,’ the law crushes and grace redeems, says Dasler. He describes his interpretation of the renowned 19th century tale of post-Napoleonic, proletariat France as fairly straightforward. Setting the heavy Javert’s jail-born notion of cruel justice in contrast to Val Jean’s experiences when pardoned by the Bishop – who makes him a gift of the silver he stole – Dasler says, Valjean is free to love those around him because he was first loved by God. This conflict between the freedom of the gospel and the imprisonment of the law supplies the focus for a series of orations Dasler delivers Sunday. Commenting on the moral message of Les Miserables, he intends to offer respite from the dramatic action and music as members of the Bethany Lutheran Church congregation evoke the social narrative of songs like Who Am I, Castle in a Cloud, Bring Him Home and Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. Dasler said the performance will combine a series of popular sermons delivered last Lent.Of course, human fallibility is such that even Dasler knows the brush that tars Javert. Though he criticizes the black-and-white perspective of the villain who dogmatically follows the law, he himself has not escaped the charge of over-simplification, having been forced to amend Hugo’s text for the purposes of Sunday’s event. Musical director Shirley Jenkins said that the words of the crudest song, Master of the House, have been changed, and the more explicitly sexual sections of the text avoided. We couldn’t have that sort of thing in the church, she says.She said that the aim of the performance is simply to entertain, educate and evoke emotion.I’m sure we haven’t overreached ourselves Jenkins says.* * * * *Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables will be performed at Bethany Lutheran Church, 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. June 18.”