August 24, 2010
Scott Pilgrim vs the World – I loved this movie.
Have you seen “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” ? I saw the movie last night and loved it. Today I read a rather scathing review of the movie and was a bit taken by how differently people can perceive the same film.
I’m a 40-something mini-van mom who never plays video games and I loved this movie. I saw a movie about a young man lacking direction and purpose who found a young lady that made him want to grow up a bit. The fights with the evil exes seemed like a metaphor for the inevitable baggage that results from telling humans who are deeply relational from creation that it is possible to have “a casual romantic relationship.” Even the pre-sexual & non-sexual relationships resulted in wounds by because none of us has a truly casual heart. Scott came to realize that flaws in his own character and selfishness in his relationships hurt others and he began to take responsibility for his actions (apologizing to Knives, Kim, and Ramona). He also decided that Romona was worth the risk of pain and pursued her with a wide open, vulnerable heart when she was scared and was pulling away from love. Jesus does that with us, you know – He loves, and died for us, and pursues even though He knows that we’re going to run and hide.
Part of my enjoyment of the message no doubt stems from the fact that our pastor was preaching from Ephesians 6. His Aug. 22, 2010 sermon was called “Enemy at the Gates” and he did a demonstration about the slack, vulnerable position most Christians take. Then he demonstrated a good fighting stance. Scott Pilgrim, the main character in the film, seemed to perfectly mirror both stances. From that context, the film was a great visual of the power of love in the face of evil. Granted, at no point does the movie give any recognition that God is love and that we love because God first loved us. I understand that this is a real issue but I just don’t know think they (the film’s creators – I know Scott Pilgrim in not a real person) know any better - they have a glimpse of Love but just don’t know anything about the source.
This isn’t a Christian movie and some Christians will have issues with various aspects of the film – for example, Scott’s roommate is the gay friend that seems to be a required element of every film these days. But, if you assume that the characters in the movie are people who Jesus would love, you cannot help but like all of Scott’s friends. If they don’t have a purpose in life, it’s because…well, they don’t know that Jesus has a plan and a purpose for them; that God wants us to have life abundant and hope. Without that knowlege, they’re stuck shuffling their way through another Toronto winter on their own; frankly, I’d want a warm body in the bed with me too. In spite of their issues, Scott’s friends tried to be there for him in as much as they were able. They weren’t perfect but they were there. Yes, there were crude elements to the movie but maybe that how the life of an unbeliever looks when they’re in the process of learning some things about the nature of God without having yet arrived at the doorstep of the church. We have choices in movies we ingest and one could legitimately reject this movie because of the crude elements. But should we reject not-yet-believers when their real lives have crude aspects? Or should we be on the look-out for God’s work in their lives and embrace them in the process?
If you just look at the comic book style of the film, it would be easy to dismiss this as just a silly summer movie but I thought it was actually rather profound. The lead character had to grow and develop. He had to face external battles and he had to come to some important realizations about himself. Scott Pilgrim didn’t unravel all the deep truths of love and life by the time the closing credits started to roll but he did make a step in the right direction and isn’t that what the Author and Finisher of our faith does in our lives? Little by little, He reveals a bit more truth about love and life to each of us. And, in as much as we are able to comprehend the deep things of God, we take a step forward.
Have you seen the movie? If so, what do you think? Am I reading to0 much between the lines?
BTW – I saw the Christianity Today review of this movie after I wrote this and they seemed to like the movie too. You can check out that review at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/movies/reviews/2010/scottpilgrimworld.html
July 30, 2010
Women: Know Your Limits – Very funny!
Jim and I have the most wonderful friendship based on the emails we send back and forth, each taking pot-shots at the other’s gender. It is not mean-spirited and has been the source of much fun through the years. Jim recently sent something by Harry Enfield that is so funny that I’ve made my whole family – including in-laws watch it. I hope that you get a good giggle out it too:
July 14, 2010
What do you think about the lack of women Christian Contemporary Music artists?
Have you seen this article about the disappearance of women CCM vocalists on Christian radio? http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/music/news/2010/thescoop-0518.html
It’s an interesting article and it has me wondering what’s going on – is it sexism? merely a market trend that will change? What do you think?
June 29, 2009
We are not as strong as we think we are
This has been quite a week – senators having affairs, the deaths of several celebrities, and the John & Kate divorce. It makes me think of that Rich Mullins song that says,
“We are frail
We are fearfully and wonderfully made
Forged in the fires of human passion
Choking on the fumes of selfish rage
And with these our hells and our heavens
So few inches apart
We must be awfully small
And not as strong as we think we are”
Lord, help us remember that we don’t know everyting we think we know. Speak louder than the voice of our own rationalizations. Keep us from breaking the hearts of the ones we love. Amen.
April 10, 2009
Zipporah, Moses, School House Rock & Pronouns
In my last post, I mentioned that Jewish & Christian scholars have a hard time with Exodus 4:24 – 26. Part of the reason for the confusion is that the pronouns involved lend some confusion to:
- Who was circumcised? Some think it was Moses and others think it was Moses’s son.
- Who Zipporah cast the foreskin to to – was it to God, Moses, or near the son?
- Who she called the “Bridegroom of blood” – was it Moses or was it God?
I don’t know Hebrew and am not qualified to offer an educated opinion but the whole problem did remind me of my very favorite Schoolhouse Rock – the one with Rufus Xavier Sarsparilla and the benefit of pronouns, especially if you have an ardvaark, a kangaroo, and a rhinocerous. I thought I’d share it with you:
February 28, 2009
Anne of Green Gables and the God who sees
I just ran across* this segment from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery:
Anne promptly departed for the sitting-room across the hall; she failed to return; after waiting ten minutes Marilla laid down her knitting and marched after her with a grim expression. She found Anne standing motionless before a picture hanging on the wall between the two windows, with her eyes astar with dreams. The white and green light strained through apple trees and clustering vines outside fell over the rapt little figure with a half-unearthly radiance.
“Anne, whatever are you thinking of?” demanded Marilla sharply.
Anne came back to earth with a start.
“That,” she said, pointing to the picture–a rather vivid chromo entitled, “Christ Blessing Little Children”–”and I was just imagining I was one of them–that I was the little girl in the blue dress, standing off by herself in the corner as if she didn’t belong to anybody, like me. She looks lonely and sad, don’t you think? I guess she hadn’t any father or mother of her own. But she wanted to be blessed, too, so she just crept shyly up on the outside of the crowd, hoping nobody would notice her–except Him. I’m sure I know just how she felt. Her heart must have beat and her hands must have got cold, like mine did when I asked you if I could stay. She was afraid He mightn’t notice her. But it’s likely He did, don’t you think? I’ve been trying to imagine it all out–her edging a little nearer all the time until she was quite close to Him; and then He would look at her and put His hand on her hair and oh, such a thrill of joy as would run over her! But I wish the artist hadn’t painted Him so sorrowful looking. All His pictures are like that, if you’ve noticed. But I don’t believe He could really have looked so sad or the children would have been afraid of Him.”
Have you ever felt like that? Just outside of things; hoping and wanting to belong but afraid that you never will? Wondering if you’re too insignificant to merit the attention of the Almighty?
I can think of a few people from the Bible who also felt that way:
Luke 19:1-10 tells about Zacchaeus who had two points against him…he was a tax collector and he was short. But he wanted to see Jesus to the point that he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a tree in hopes that he’d see Jesus as the crowd passed by. Not only did Zacchaeus succeed in seeing Jesus but Jesus also saw Zacchaeus. In fact, he went to Zacchaeus’s home, despite the fact that the “cool crowd” didn’t approve. The encounter changed Zacchaeus’s life but the story gives home for you and I because, at the end of the story, Jesus makes this statement, “For the Son of Man (Jesus) came to seek and to save what was lost. (you & me). Truthfully, we probably are too insignificant to merit the attention of the Almighty but He sees us and seeks us whether we deserve it or not.
There’s another story about someone just outside the crowd, hoping against hope for something from Jesus – it was a women whose health issues kept her isolated from the community for 12 years. She came up behind Jesus in the crowd and touched the edge of his cloak, saying to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed”. The Bible says that Jesus turned and saw her and she was healed. (Matthew 9:19-22, Luke 8:43-48).
One of my favorite Biblical accounts of God stepping into pain, shame, and isolation is the story of Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid to Sarai (later re-named Sarah), the wife of Abram (later re-named Abraham). Sarai could not have children so she encouraged Abram to have a child with Hagar. The text doesn’t give any indication of whether Hagar’s opinion was sought concerning this scheme. Hagar became pregnant, Sarai become incredibly jealous, and Sarai made Hagar’s life miserable. Twice Hagar ended up fleeing to the wilderness and twice she heard from God. The first time, God sent her back to Sarai even though it was going to really hard but the Lord gave her promises about the son she would bear. The Angel of the Lord told her that “the Lord has heard of your misery”. I love Genesis 16:13 that says: She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
Having our needs recognized and having someone really see us, or hear us is a very basic human need. If you’re not being seen or heard by the ones around you, find strength and hope in the knowlege that the Lord sees you. Not only that, but He also has the power to do something about your situation…He can change it or He can impower you to deal with your circumstances. Either way, you’re never alone.
