The Gospel in Disney (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Hunchback of Notre Dame

Any great story speaks to the human condition….what we are and what we might become. Story of the Bible narrative….what we are and what we might become.

Made in 1996. This movie (unlike the others didn’t win an academy award for best song).  You’ll hear a song in a few minutes that I think should have won.  Maybe it was too religious to win?  Based on the story written by Victor Hugo loosely based on the story in Luke 18:9-14 of the tax collector and the Pharisee. 

Scene 1

Frolo, a judge, who is our antagonist represents the worse in religious people. Modeled after the Pharisee Whitewashed tombs.  Master of minutia and yet ignores things like justice, righteousness, mercy. Disney modeled Frolo after Adolph Hitler….crusade to get rid of the gypsy’s…..he calls them Vermin.  Dehumanizing element. 

Sometimes when we become religious people all we can do is focus on what other people do wrong and forget to look at where we need to grow in our relationship with God and others.  Great question to begin the story is asked by the court jester….who is the man and who is the monster?  As we see developing in the movie the man is the one who is kind, merciful, courageous, the monster is the one who destroys in the name of faith.

Issue we all struggle with the same monster inside of us.
Adam and Eve   Cain/Able    Noah and violence that destroys the world

In the last 100 years more people have been killed in wars that in the totality of human history before that time.   Not only the monster in the individual but in groups too………
Scene 2

Quasimodo leaves the tower so he can experience the world.  Festival of fools was a medieval celebration where the church and political leaders could be made fun of one day a year.  And you see how group think takes over in sighting violence against Quasimodo

Only takes a few to get something bad going.  Only takes one to stand up to say this is wrong.  Picture of Elizabeth Eckford 1957 trying to enter Little Rock High School. See the anger and hatred in the faces?  As fifteen-year-old Eckford tried to enter the school, soldiers of the National Guard, under orders, would step in her way to prevent her from entering. Eventually, she gave up and tried to flee to a bus stop through the mob of segregationists who surrounded her and threatened to lynch her. Once Eckford got to the bus stop, she couldn’t stop crying. A reporter, Benjamin Fine, having in mind his own 15-year-old daughter, sat down next to Eckford. He tried to comfort her and told her, “don’t let them see you cry.”  Soon, she was also protected by a white woman named Grace Lorch who escorted her home.

 

Epidemic of bullying today.  What were the names or are the names you used on the playground…..gay, retard, ethnic or racial slurs?  Monster in each of us…

But there is also a here also a hero in each of us. We are made in the image of God which can give us the power to be courageous. And as such we see Esmeralda stand up to help the outcast. It is a Gospel command.

Final scene is prayer scene is the most amazing song about the contrast of self centered vs. other centered prayers.
Scene 3

Contrast…..I pray for wealth, fame, love with I’m praying for my people in need.  Now praying for ourselves is a good thing.  Jesus in the Lord’s prayer teaches us to pray today for our daily bread. He tells us we should pray for forgiveness. God is concerned with our individual needs.  But if that is all we pray for we call that spiritual narcissism…it’s all about me….that can take over our spiritual life.  It’s all about what I like, what I receive, what I need.  I’d like to suggest that is pretty immature, and self centered, and sinful.  And where this type of prayer is where most of us start in the faith we are called by God to move beyond our needs to include the needs of others. 

Process…. Faith in God starts with a personal relationship.  But it has to move from just me and God to include others.  Take in…..give back…..flow of a healthy spiritual life. Blessed to be a blessing to others.

The religious people of his day didn’t understand Jesus.  He was always on the side of the underdog.  Samaritans, prostitutes, tax collectors, sinners, lepers (those who were relegated to the bell tower of their time). Jesus did that with 12 followers.  You and I are called to do the same care for people.

Hands open on your laps as we pray
Forgive us for times we’ve been silent in the face of cruelty.
Forgive us for the times we’ve actively hurt others.
Give us a boldness to speak out.  Remind me that my faith is not only about me but is also about serving others. Use me to bless others and give them hope. Help me be the person you want me to be.

AMEN

The Gospel in Disney (Pocahontas)

Pocahontas the movie;   Not good history or even good anthropology.  It’s a story. Once I see that I can let the story speak.

Disney has provided us with some wonderfully strong women as examples for parents to point to in raising daughters.  Pocahontas is free, inquisitive, strong-willed, spiritually sensitive, and above all courageous in the face of the unknown and courageous in the face of the prejudice that surrounds her on every side.

Remember the purpose of this series is to help us to see stories with Gospel eyes.  Again Pocahontas is a story about the human condition.  And a reminder that the Gospel of Jesus is the story about the human condition (of brokenness in the world) and what God has done and is doing to solve the problem.

Pocahontas was a real historical figure. Daughter of Powhattan a member of the Tsenacommacah nation an alliance of about thirty Algonquian-speaking groups in Tidewater Virginia.   Pacahontas was born 1595 and the English settlers landed in Jamestown in 1607 (do the math how old was she when she met John Smith)? Around 11 or 12 years old.

Picture of her baptism.  Rotunda in our nation’s capital

At the beginning of the movie we can see there will be a culture clash….English are going to bring “civilization” to the savages as well as search for their ultimate goal.. gold.

In the new world the opening scene: We see place that is paradise.  Pocahontas’ father has chosen the man of her dreams for her.  She wonders what she should do and that is the message of the first clip this morning.
(clip one)  Just around the river bend).

It is a song about discernment….a very important spiritual gift in the Christian faith.  God, what would you have me do? Jesus in the garden….Father what is your will…..your plan….let me know because I want your will.

Paul/ Peter and the early church dealing with a very contentious issue of did gentiles have to become Jews before they could become Christians……It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…….

Not just about Jesus or Peter or Paul spiritual discernment should be a part of all our decisions.  It’s not about selfish things but about doing the right thing. Where do we get our input from in making decisions? Scriptures, prayer, consulting other mature Christians, spirit leading us.

Loved the fork in the river….the easy stream one way and the rapids the other.  Not always the easy way but the right way.

 

Second scene is about valuing the other….the stranger….the foreigner……..in our midst.   Clip two……Color of the Wind 

Worldview clash…..western and indigenous American.  His world view is of progress, development…..hers living in harmony with nature.  Great line in this section: “Uncivilized means not like you.”  With this clash of worldviews Pocahontas has the option to run away, or fight. Instead her curiosity opens her up to explore the other. A relationship also opens John Smith to realize the goodness and truth in his own culture and the beauty of another culture.   In many ways this is the ministry of Jesus who comes to the outcast, and the stranger, the foreigner……the Samaritan, the gentile, those that the Law excluded.

Some who say we shouldn’t share Christianity with others because it disrespects their culture.  I’m going to be so bold as to say that where I’m not dedicated to share all western values (some of those values aren’t very Christian but I’m totally committed to evangelism, sharing Jesus with every language, tribe and people.  I think that is a given in Christianity, but what is the right way to do that?  Make Native Americans little white people as Fr. Brian might say? No. Make them just like you?   Maybe in dealing with different cultures we need to earn the right to share the good news with others.  Perhaps when the other realizes that Christian means to care for people, love them, serve them then sharing God’s love might be more effective.  I wonder what Jesus is doing in the life of those who do not know him yet?

Us vs. Them……..savages….savages.  Clip 3 Winds of change are blowing.  Spirit transforms people and nations.  Pocahontas represents the truth about the power of one. 

But the right way is not always the easy way. Hearts don’t all change do they?  John Smith takes a bullet meant for Powhatten…..”greater love has no man than this….to lay down his life for his friend.”

Last clip……feed them.  Golden rule. The English learn that the real gold in the New World is corn. Modeling the love of God to others. Living out the golden rule.  Feeding people can change the course of human history.  Going the extra mile.

Gospel message isn’t a message of tolerance, or “can’t we all get along?”  The gospel message is the life lived by extending the love of God to others, seeing the image of God in all people, respecting the dignity of every human being.    Differences…..offer your hand.  That changes you and changes the world.   Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we said the Lord’s prayer we really, really really meant the first two words……..

Our Father…….AMEN/

Pre-Flight Check Completed for VBS 2012 – Sky!

Check out a video of a song we will learn in VBS.

With lots of planning, preparations and prayers — we just completed today the VBS set up. This year we have transformed our church to a boundless sky!  At Sky VBS, we will discover that by trusting God, everything is possible.

Empowered and invigorated by our theme “Everything is possible with God. (Mark 10:27)” we have taken extra steps to make this year’s VBS even more exciting and impactful.

1. Expanded VBS territory. In previous years, VBS was primarily in the Upper Hall aside from the games in the playground and grassy area.  All the children moved together from one activity to the next . This year, children in teams will move to centers in various areas on the POP campus.  The dedicated area for each center lets us deliver the message more effectively and gives us the opportunity to connect with each child within the small group setting.
2. Building Youth Leaders. Our youth volunteers, mentored and encouraged by adult leaders, will be assigned to lead a team of 5-7 children. They will learn to lead by example. They will encourage others to listen and to share.  They will pray for their teams and trust God to show them how to impact lives!
3. Mission Possible. This year the children will be exposed to a variety of possible missions instead of the typical one time only mission.  Children will consider: What is their Mission Possible?  They will be mentored by others who have been involved in “missions” such as: The West Valley Food Pantry (Jeanne Bain), Mission to Ecuador (Jared Candelaria), Bicycle Elves (Roman Melnyk), Library set up in Honduras and supporting children in Uganda (Sue Ferron).

We ask you to be a part of VBS in heart and spirit!  Please pray for us continuously – that we will Watch for God and accomplish His plans.  Your encouragements and support give us the lift that will keep us soaring.

We will keep you posted through daily blog reports here and on our church Facebook page.  We look forward to your comments and feedback.

Blessings from the VBS Team!

The Gospel in Disney (The Lion King)

The Gospel in Disney-The Lion King: Sunday, July 1, 2012

I have had some good feedback on the “Gospel According to Disney” sermon series and wanted to put some of my thoughts and notes in the Rector’s Blog.

The writers of the Lion King probably didn’t intend this story to illustrate the Gospel but any great story deals with the brokenness of the human condition. The Gospel is God’s response to the brokenness of the human condition and you can see Jesus’ story clearly in this movie too. Where the title of this series has been the Gospel According to Disney, it is more appropriately titled The Gospel In Disney.

A little background on the film: The Lion King was the highest grossing movie of 1994.  It won 2 academy awards for Elton John and Tim Rice (who wrote the music).  It was also the last hand drawn cartoon from Disney. Note the beauty of the artwork.

Opening song: Circle of Life…

Christian symbolism is rich in this opening.  It is a Baptism isn’t it?  An anointing of a child of the King? The child is presented, the clouds open reminding us of the story of Jesus’ Baptism where the heavens open and the voice of God speaks; “this is my son, my beloved.” That’s how we come into the community of faith.

It is the story of paradise.  That is what the savannah is at the beginning of this movie.  The order of everything is as it should be.  It is the story of a father and a son.  In one of the opening scenes, the protagonist Mufassa (the King) tells his son that, as the future King, he will have limitations and responsibilities. Mufassa is shaping his son…his identity. The goal of a dad is to help our children know they are loved by a father, and to let them know they are children of God and loved by their heavenly father.

Mufassa tells the young cub, Simba, there are some things to do and some things not to do. And what does Simba do?  Exactly what his father tells him not to do.  Familiar story in the Bible? It’s the fall.

The antagonist in the story is also a lion…..Scar. 

Scar tells Simba of the elephant graveyard…

Scar represents the dark side of our nature. He is jealous, has a lust for power and control.  But he is meant to show us a little bit of ourselves…what happens to us when our desires are not checked by God’s call to love Him and love others.  Fallen nature: we follow it until we “remember who we are.” I Peter 5:8-9a ^“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”  How are you forgetting who you are?

The situation is set up where Scar plans to kill his brother and Simba and become king himself. Scar begins a stampede of wildebeest

Death of Mufassa…

The Father gives his life for his son.  Scar says, “You did it…..it’s your fault.   Run away.  What would you say to your mother? You can never be forgiven.”  Scar represents the Devil (figurative or literal) whose job is the accuser……..he accuses us too….you are unredeemable, unforgivable.  But that’s not what God says.  God says your worth is immeasurable and forgiveness is yours when you ask for it.

Simba runs into two characters, a Warthog and a Meerkat who give Simba a new way of looking a life.  Don’t worry….be happy.  Forget your responsibilities.  A bit like the prodigal son?

Song: Hakuna mattata…

Eventually like the prodigal son, Simba, comes to his senses. 

Remember…

He now knows his responsibilities.  He remembers who he is. He needs to act because he can see his people who are in despair.

We all have a tendency to forget who we are from time to time don’t we?  It’s like spiritual amnesia.   This often happens in our teenage years as we are trying to figure out who we are.  Not just teenagers, adults too forget who we are as we get caught up in the things we want or the job we are doing.  It’s easy to forget who we are in our busyness.  Parents pray for your kids to never forget who they are and whose they are.

One of the reasons regular worship is so important is it gives us a change to remember who we are and whose we are.  It’s the whole function of Episcopal worship as we take communion each week hearing Jesus word: “do this in remembrance of me.”  Or, as Fr. Brian has said over and over and over again, “tell me, tell me, tell me again, because I so easily forget.”

When Simba remembers ,he goes back to face his past and to influence the present. You know how Disney movies always end right?  Simba is going to win, Scar is going to lose, and everything is going to be okay in the jungle. 

Simba ascends to the throne (pride rock)…

It’s the Easter story isn’t it?  Death, pain, and suffering will not have the final word.  The King will return to make things right.   Evil will not have the final word (Easter message).  The worse thing is never the last thing.  The King is going to come back.  Paradise, which was lost, will be restored.  Rev 5:5 Rev 7:15-17.

Sum up….Father, devil, forget, remember…..worse is never the last…King will return.

Prayer
1. Forgive me for times I’ve forgotten who I am.
2. I remember I’m your Child
3. Use me (I offer myself to you).

We are your children, you are our father.  Help us remember we are forgiven, healed, never alone.

Church as Family?

I hear the phrase “church family” used frequently when people talk about Prince of Peace.  I really like the term. I’m going to challenge you to reflect on how you are a member of this family: what it means, what it looks like, what are family responsibilities…you get the idea.

When I rent a car, there are a few things I never do with my rental.  I never check the tires.  I never check the oil.  I never empty the ash tray.  I never have the car serviced. I never wash the car.  I do fill up the gas tank when I return the car (because I am too cheap to pay the $15 a gallon the rental company charges me if I don’t).

In sharp contrast, my own car is well cared for.  I check tires, have a lifetime alignment purchased, change the oil regularly, keep up with the regular maintenance schedule, and (believe it or not) even empty the ash tray (trash tray) regularly.  I wash it, wax it, and have even been know to use “Armor All” on to preserve the plastic parts of the car.

The difference is, it’s my car. I value it.  I’ve invested in it.  I’m supposed to take care of it.

To people, the church can be either a rental or theirs.  Using the family metaphor, this church is ours.  We are responsible for its maintenance, upkeep, health, beauty, ministries, facilities, vision… you get the idea.

How are you doing as a member of the family?  Are you taking your ownership/stewardship of this family seriously, or are you more like the renter?

I encourage you to be a strong, responsible member of the family, fully involved in working, praying, and giving for the spread of God’skingdom through this community of Christians.

Fr. Rand ✞

Dying or thriving?

The mainline churches in the United States find themselves in rapid decline.  Did you know that the average Episcopal Church has an average Sunday attendance of 60 people in worship?

I think the difference between those churches that are dying and those that are thriving can be found in the questions they ask about ministry.

Dying churches ask:

• What do we want?
• What will please our loyal members?
• How little can we change and stay alive?
• How can we stay true to our identity?
• What can we cut next?

This provider centered or us centered view is killing the church.
Thriving churches ask the opposite questions.

Thriving churches ask

• What do other people need from us?
• How can we deploy our present members to serve people outside our walls?
• What changes must we make in order to connect with a changing world?
• How is God trying to change our identity so that we can be more like Jesus?
• How can we improve our giving so that we can do more serving.

It is tough to change a mindset, a habit, a paradigm, but that is what we need to do…..and are trying to do at Prince of Peace.  Spirit of God we need your help to transform us individually and corporately so that we can begin to ask the right questions.

The Denial of Death?

I remember one of the first books I read in seminary was called the Denial of Death by Cultural Anthropologist, Ernst Becker. The premise was much more psychological than theological. The author asserted that most human action is ultimately a defense mechanism against the knowledge of our mortality. We have this innate “immortality project” in which we want to create or become a part of something that will last forever. This project, Becker said, is what gives our life meaning, purpose and significance (in an existence that is moving only toward death). Where Becker was talking about a belief system, as with most existential philosophers, he does not project much hope.

In the past several weeks, we have all been touched by the death of our Children and Families Minister, Monica Warrick. Her death has brought about several feelings in me that perhaps you share. The first, things just don’t feel quite right. Monica has been a fixture here since 1998 and her presence on the campus is missed. Next, I have needed to talk about Monica with other people. Yes, I have been extra busy putting together the fall program and making sure that Children’s Ministry continues to run smoothly, but I have talked to many of you, as has Katherine Geeslin, about our feelings and love for Monica as a child of God and the love she shared with us. I have noticed a sense of anxiety in many people (me included) and found myself being very sad for myself, her family and our parish family. Perhaps Becker is on to something when he says a great deal of our actions is motivated by our need to deny the reality of our own death.

But the Christian message includes not only death but also grief, and eternal life. The Christian belief in life after death is not a denial of death but an acknowledgment of what death does to friends and loved ones who are left behind. The Christian message is one of allowing the grief process to happen. You all remember the Kubler-Ross process of grief: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance? Even though we believe in a life after death, we need to go through these stages so that we do not deny the reality of death but feel what the Bible calls “the sting of death.” After all, death and sin are our ultimate enemy. As the Baptism service shares, “Moses came to set the Israelites free from their bondage in chains in Egypt but Jesus came to set us free from the bondage of sin and DEATH.” Alleluia

Death still hurts. We still miss our loved ones. But the truth for us, as people of faith, is that life is not ended…it is changed. For Christians, there is no denial of death, only its ultimate defeat. That is a belief statement I will hold on to.

One final thought: I was sitting by the side of a friend who, when he was dying, said, “The images of heaven found in the Bible just don’t work for me.” He said that Christians really needed to use our imaginations to think and dream of new images for heaven that might bring more comfort for contemporary people. My wife found these images that I’d like to share with you in out time of community grief.

Imagine stepping onto a shore and finding it heaven
Imagine taking hold of a hand and finding it God’s hand
Imagine breathing new air and finding it celestial air
imagine feeling invigorated and finding it immortality
Imagine passing from storm and tempest to an unknown calm
Imagine waking and finding it home.

Imagine………..

Fr. Rand ✞

Pentecost

Pentecost is the longest season of the church year.  This year it lasts twenty four weeks.  Not only is this season the time when we remember the Holy Spirit descending on the Church (the day of Pentecost) but also it is the remainder of the time meant for us to focus in spiritual growth, not only in understanding of God (orthodoxy), but also in practice of what God calls us to do/be (orthopraxy).

This past year, since returning from my sabbatical, has been a time when numbers of ideas have been coalescing in ministry for me.  First, as we have been working hard in the area of worship…in planning worship that involves the whole person…body, mind, and spirit, I am convinced that people learn and experience God in worship in various God given ways.  This variety needs to be reflected in worship more and more.  For example there are some people who worship best visually, by touch, by sound, by intellect, by smell…you get the idea.  A question the Liturgical Design Team is asking is “does Sunday worship have an element for all our uniqueness to enter into?  We are working on it.

The second area that has seemed to come together for me is not only do people experience God in worship differently, but also in the areas of ministry outside of worship, too.  I believe that most church challenges, church arguments, and even church divisions are caused by an imbalance in the way the people feel they and others should experience God in ministry.  An example: as Christians, we believe that God has revealed himself in three unique persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  The blessing of Christianity is that God has reveled himself in these unique ways to uniquely reach people. The challenge is that we often favor one person of the Trinity over the other and often that preference has become for us “the only way God can work.”  We are called to a balanced experience of all three.  Unfortunately our preferences can exclude the other ways God wants us to experience his unity thereby limiting our life with God and others.

God the Father is the creator  (creation revelation)

God has left his handprint in all of creation.

God the Son  Jesus   (salvation revelation)

God becomes human to reconcile us to God.

God the Holy Spirit  (personal revelation)

Subjective reality of God in us.

Each of these revelations has blessing:

• Blessing of creation revelation:  stewardship of creation, peace, justice for all.
• Blessing of salvation revelation: personal responsibility, choice, evangelism, salvation.
• Blessing of personal revelation:  life changing power in daily life.  Feeling God.

Problems come individually in our personal spirituality or corporately in a church’s life when one of these three revelations is isolated and one of the persons of God becomes our “favorite God” to the exclusion of “the rest of the Trinity.” The curses associated with this favorite God are:

• Problem of Creation revelation: syncretism.  Mixture of religions.  All beliefs and all behaviors are equal.
• Problem of Salvation revelation: dogmatism. Correct doctrine taking the place of a living faith.  Salvation by code.  (Pharisee)
• Problem of Personal revelation: spiritualism. What I think and feel and experience is true and okay, no matter what scripture might say about it.

A goal for a mature Christian would be to become aware of what our “preferred” style of experiencing God is…….become aware of what other styles are like…..and concentrate in systematic ways to open our lives up to the fullness of the “other ways” and thus experience the fullness of God…..Father, Son, and Holy Spirit instead of Father or Son or Holy Spirit.

Life on the periphery with God is okay, but life at the center is where it is at!

This fall we will introduce this concept in worship and provide you with tools to identify your strengths and opportunities to work on areas of spiritual growth.