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.
popwhrector 
Thank you for doing the Gospel in Disney sermon series! I really loved them and I think they were a big hit, especially with the free popcorn. Starting with the Lion King was an excellent choice because it is so rich in Christian symbolism, we just have to look closely. I thought I knew this story well but the sermon mad me re-discover a very important lesson: We need to be reminded of who we are. Rafiki (the wise baboon) took the time to remind Simba that he was the son of the King — heir and responsible for his kingdom. By the way, Rafiki means “Friend” in Swahili (something we learned in our Prayer Safari lessons). So like Rafiki, we must take time to be a friend to someone and help them remember who they are. Please post the notes to the remaining sermons.