Jesus On The Silver Screen

"The Passion of the Christ" came out in 2004 and always gets a little extra attention around Easter (currently streaming on Netflix).  It is the highest grossing Christian movie of all time, but it may need to step aside for a newcomer.  The King of Kings is a new animated film which was just released this month.  It already has box office returns of $60M after just two weeks.  The Passion of the Christ has over $600M in 21 years.  In the King of Kings, a father leads his son through the events of Jesus' life.  There are some A-list voices in this movie, and the animation is crisp and inviting.  If you have young ones that might not be ready for the brutality of Jesus's crucifixion in The Passion, The King of Kings will be a better match for them.  If you have a chance to see it, let me know what you think.

Pope Culture

There is an uncomfortable divide between Catholics and Protestants in my church world.  I overheard a friend asking someone else if he knew if another couple was Christian or not, and the other person responded, "Well, they're Catholic."  - almost like Catholics don't count.  I get that there are some significant differences between protestants and catholics in approach, interpretation and practice, but there is no confusion on the shared belief that God sent his son Jesus to earth to live and then die to pay the debt for our sins.   While on earth, He told us and showed us how to act.  One boy listened and learned particularly well - Jorge Mario Bergaglio.  Born in Buenos Aires, he dedicated most of his life to learning about Jesus so he could be more like Jesus.  His commitment to following Jesus pushed him higher and higher in the Catholic organization until his appointment as Pope Francis in 2013.  I, of course, don't know Pope Francis personally, but I love everything I do know about him.  His humility and genuine concern for others is unmistakable and remarkable.  I pray that the Catholic Church can find someone else who can lead like Pope Francis, and I am thankful for his example to Catholics everywhere - and to me.

Finish Strong

 

For thousands of years, God fearing men roamed the land attempting to interpret the instructions passed down from God by prophets.   Many persecuted others who did not interpret or follow the instructions as they did, and others suffered privately as they struggled with why they were unable to follow the instructions handed down by their parents and church leaders.  God's plan for revealing his plans for us included allowing his son to come to Earth and show us the way.  Jesus spent his time on Earth learning, teaching, serving, loving and performing miracles.   Some followed.  Some were scared, and many feared the power of his presence and message.  That fear from church and political leaders pushed Jesus to the cross, but the cross was his destiny from the beginning.   After being brutally beaten and then nailed to the cross with spikes through his wrists, he endured a suffocating death.  He was offered a sponge soaked with wine vinegar, and after he had taken it, he spoke his last words, "It is finished."   Our struggle with the condemnation from not being up to live up to God's plan for us was now finished.  But the potential power of Jesus inside of each one of us was just beginning.  If you have 5 minutes, celebrate this amazing truth by singing along with this song.

Donkey King

 

2000 years ago, the Jewish people were waiting for their King to arrive and deliver them from the suffering that they had endured for centuries.  Many expected a mighty warrior, dressed in armour, and riding a stallion, that would immediately defeat anyone that opposed him.  He would need to be a force so powerful, that enemies would be annihilated or would flee in fear.  You can imagine the surprise when a carpenter asked his friends to fetch a donkey for his grand arrival, and then announced that he was the king they had been waiting for.  Their king was indeed powerful, but not due to his physical strength or any political stature that He had achieved.  Their king was God's own son, sent to earth to show us how to love and to serve like God does - all while riding on a donkey.  Praise Him.

Image stabilization

God spoke the physical universe into existence, and in so doing, he also established the way it would work.  In the final stages of his creation, he made man and woman to help with the execution of the plan.  He gave them the skills to cultivate plants and raise livestock.  He gave them a brain to think and to know, and a heart to feel and to love.  He made them in his own image - with one exception - He did not give them the power to determine right and wrong.  But He did give them the power to choose right and wrong.  And regrettably, choosing wrong seemed to be much easier than doing what was right.  The mistakes compounded for centuries until God's plan proceeded into its most important phase.  God allowed his only son to be born into the world so that He could demonstrate to us what God intended.  Jesus showed us how to love by serving others, not by making ourselves our own idols.  God then allowed his son to die a brutal death on the cross, and in so doing, bear the cost of all of our past sins and all of our sins to come. I want to be God's image more clearly today.

My words today were inspired by a short video that a good friend shared with me.   Take a look and let me know your thoughts.