Faith at the Movies (Part Two)

Here are what I think are some basic biblical guidelines to help us think about what gestures may be appropriate when it comes to watching movies. 

First, Paul says,

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. - Eph. 2:8,9

      The foundation of Christianity is not about doing the right things to earn our way to God. There is nothing we can do to earn our way to God. Watching all the “right” movies and condemning all of the “wrong” ones does not put you at a better place with God. You cannot earn your salvation. Jesus Christ died on a cross because you and me and everyone in here deserves punishment, deserves to die, and deserves eternal death. But Jesus died in our place and God brought him back to life and he will also bring us back to life if we put our faith in him. Being a Christian is not about being good, it is about putting our trust in the only person who has ever been ultimately good and that is Jesus Christ.

            When we think about what movies we watch, we know have freedom in Christ. Because of his death and resurrection and because we have put our faith in him, we do not have to worry about condemnation. God is with us. God is for us.

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything” - 1 Corinthians 12:6

            We can go out and watch any movie we want. Our eternal destiny is secure. God loves us no matter what. But Paul is saying here that it does not necessarily mean everything is good for us. We can go indulge in whatever we choose, but that does not mean that the things that aren’t of God wont do their best to control us.

            I remember I was talking a student leader about a superhero movie that just came out. I went to see it and I was dumb about it. I didn’t do my usual background checks on the movie and it was filled to the rim with sex and violence. Although it did have some interesting philosophical elements, it was just way over the top. So I told this student that he probably didn’t want to see this movie because it as all of this stuff in it. But his response to me was, “I have to experience this for myself.”

            And I think its funny. When it comes to drugs, or murder, or suicide, our response is, “No, I’m not going to do that.” But when it comes to movies, I feel a lot of us say, “I’ll have to experience this for myself or judge for myself.” And there is a disconnect. We indulge ourselves on things not beneficial to us and when we do, those things start to dominate us.

Jesus himself said,

"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" - Matt 6:22,23

      I remember in High school, we would get together and watch these violet films. And sometimes we would bring some high school freshmen to watch some films with us and the violence would be too much for them. And we would talk amongst ourselves, “Oh we shouldn’t have done that. They aren’t as mature as we are. We should look out for them more.” Now that I look back, when did becoming numb to violence become a strength? When did becoming numb to vulgarity and sexual exploitation become a sign of maturity? I think the most oxymoronic idea is that movies and video games that are hypersexual or ultraviolent are rated M for mature. Is it the real “mature” people in the world who go and watch these films? 

The eye is the lamp of the body. What the eye sees either lights up the body or fills it with darkness. What you watch makes a difference. Whatever you gaze your eyes on has an impact. What you are watching is what you are filling your heart with. It is what is what you are filling your life and your soul with. They say that theaverage 30 year-old has consumed 35,000 hours of audio-visual narrative. All of that stuff goes in you. What you consume makes a difference. It changes who you are.

            When I was a teenager, I remember watching an X-men cartoon and they were fighting Apocalypse who was the epitome of all evil. And Beast, the smartest of the mutants, made a philosophical comment that they could only contain Apocalypse and not destroy him because the world would always need a balance of good and evil. And I didn’t think anything of it until I was at Youth group the following week and we were talking about evil and I said something like, “But there always needs to be balance of good and evil.” My youth leader was wise enough to say, “No, there doesn’t.” Then it occurred to me that my brain was hacked. Media makes a difference. It changes how we perceive life and how we engage life.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. - Romans 12:2

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. - Phil. 4:8 

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matt 5:48 

What we put in our minds matters. What we indulge in makes a difference. What movies we watch changes who we are and how we see the world. When we choose to condemn, critique, or consume cinema, we must keep this in mind.

But there is the other side of the coin. It is no surprise that Christians are often criticized for being out of touch. As we have stated, film is a cultural phenomena that impacts much of our daily life. Karl Barth once said, “Take your Bible and your newspaper and read both, but interpret the newspaper with the Bible.” While we should continue to engage the news as the objective reality of our time, we should also engage film as the subjective reality of our time. Approaching film with a complete posture of condemnation is clearly not an option.

Paul has stated,

I have become all things to all people in order that I may save some.- 1 Cor. 9:22

If we live in a culture of cinemaphiles maybe we need to become cinemaphile’s ourselves. We can get to know what movies people are watching and what that says about what they believe and how they see the world. While Paul was in Athens, he first took notice of the things the Athenians thought were important to them and he used that as a starting point to engage with them what he believed. Gareth Higgins says that one pastor he knows has 90% of the spiritual conversations start by talking about movies. Our movie going can transform how we engage the world around us.   

But I say this with a disclaimer. We do not need to see the Wolf on Wall Street to understand systemic greed or see the latest horror movie to have relevant conversation with our friends. Your friends don’t need you to be like everyone else they have in their lives. If you are a Christian, they need you to be first a Christian. They need you to love them with a sacrificial, unconditional love. If you love them well, they wont care what movies you have seen. If you love them well, you will be relevant to their lives.

But some film is good for consumption as well. Film is a incredible art form that helps us better understand our past. It helps us understand the soul of human nature. It helps us understand the culture we live in. It helps us see the tragedy in the world. But even as we consume watching movies it comes with a price. For example, Higgins also says, “Watching a movie about poverty and doing nothing is like a pre-revolutionary French king being read biblical passages of justice while the poor were dying at his gates.” As we consume film and learn about the realities of this world, we must respond to the injustices in our day. If we see a film about human trafficking, war, greed, poverty, we must respond. We must be the church and make an impact in the world around us.

Now that we have some biblical roots to help us choose what gestures of condemning, critiquing, and consuming film, I will share a little about what I do. Its pretty simple actually. Usually I wait until a film comes out and I check rottentomatoes.com to see how most people have reviewed the film over all. If the movie was poorly made I won’t waste my time or money with it. If the film looks good I will check a website like kidsinmind.com. Kidsinmind.com will break down for me how much violence, sexuality, and vulgarity is in a film. If I see the film is rated much more graphic than I desire, I skip the film. And sometimes I change my gesture based on some other circumstances, but that’s generally how I roll.

Faith at the Movies (Part One)

With the Oscars coming up, I thought I would do a series of posts on how I relate to movies both as a Christian and as someone who absolutely loves movies.

First, I said it before and I will say it again. I love movies. I find film to be the most sublime form of art we have today. Not that every other art form is inferior, but film takes the best of every craft and adds them together in a beautifully knit display. Film puts together story telling, photography, acting, lighting, costuming, music, and sound effects. Animations can combine drawing, sculpting, and puppetry. In our digital age film can use technology to create worlds as far as our imaginations can take us.

And what all of these arts bring together is such beauty, such creativity, and it can touch your soul in such a way that only a few things can. George Macleod called film “A thin place – a place where the line between the harsh reality and the transcendent is so subtly blurred that it is difficult to tell one from the other.” Author Gareth Higgins says films hit us in all of our senses and can “irritate, heal, challenge, affirm, inspire or sadden.”

Just think about this past year. Film has transplanted us to fantasy world of elves, dwarves, and hobbits. It has taken us to far off planets like Krypton and Kronos. We have seen snow queens and iron men. We have seen despicable villains find families and monsters go to college and find friendship. We have a glimpse of what it would be like to float off into space and we have seen what it means try to survive dystopian futures in the midst of oppression, fame, uprising, and politics.

I love the movies. But the church hasn’t always agreed with me. Many churches over the decades have forbid their congregants from going to the theaters. Up until the 1960’s there was a lot of restrictions on movies being made about how religion and religious leaders could be displayed. As films have become more violent and more sexualized, there have been those who have given up on movies. They unquestioningly boycott whatever goes on the screen.

            But most Christians I know are much more lax when it comes to what films they watch. They see whatever they want to see. Sometimes, when movies are obviously over sexualized or seeming to focus on a message Christians don’t agree with, we will skip the film, but for the most part we go and watch what everyone else watches. We are consumers just like everyone else. We unquestioningly accept whatever goes on the screen.

Andy Crouch, in his book Culture Makers, reveals that Christians have many responses to culture which film in our modern world is an important part of. Crouch says Christians can condemn culture, critique culture, copy culture, consume culture, or create culture.

            Crouch goes on to say that all of these responses to culture are valuable at different times. Obviously, it was right for Christians to condemn the culture of Nazi Germany. Likewise, at times it is good to critique a piece of culture to reveal what it values and what it doesn’t. It can also sometimes be good to copy some styles that we see in art that inspires us (without plagiarizing of course!). Plus, some pieces of culture are just enjoyable to consume like a beautiful Monet. Lastly, creating culture brings something new into the world that hasn’t been here before and that brings glory to God as well.

Crouch then discusses this idea of postures and gestures. He argues that sometimes it is helpful for Christians to have a certain posture when it comes to some elements of culture. A posture would be a firm stance on a given topic. For example, Christians take a posture of condemning pornography. We see porn as degenerating to men & women, treating them like objects rather than people, and porn fills its viewers with a lustful appetite that is not glorifying to God. Condemnation is the posture we take toward it. Gestures are different. Gestures are the stances we take about specific circumstances. I believe when it comes to the movies, making gestures are more appropriate.

When it comes to a certain film, I may choose a gesture of just condemning it because of its content. Other films, I may make a gesture to go and critique it to try to understand what the filmmakers are trying to say, and what that says about the world. Other films I may want to make a gesture to consume- let it affect me- and learn for myself something new about the world I did not know before. Filmmakers out there can make use the gestures of copying and creating films.

And Christian filmmakers are much needed in the world today and they need to do their craft well. The focus of Crouch’s book is that you can condemn, critique, consume, and copy culture all that you want, but if you are going to change culture and make a lasting impact on culture, you are going to need to create something new. You will need to add a new perspective, a new voice to the table of ideas. Film is profoundly influential and you have skills to make a lasting impact. Those that are called to filmmaking need to bring something new into this world in the name of God’s kingdom.

But for the rest of us who aren’t filmmakers, we are left to figure out when to condemn, when to critique, and when to consume. And when it comes to gesturing, I don’t think it is a clear-cut issue. It’s not going to be black or white. It’s gray. Posturing easy. It’s either good for all of us or bad for all of us. Gesturing means that what might work for one person may not for another. Gesturing is hard to do well. But when it comes to how we deal with film - and all types of culture – it’s a balancing act. In my next post, I’ll try to highlight some biblical guidelines I think are helpful in gesturing well.

True Worship (Part Two)

I have been meaning to write a sequel to my last post on “True worship." After reading Donald Miller’s post about why he doesn’t attend church, I am finally ginning in.

First, I get Miller. We don’t need to sing songs as an act of worship. That was what my first post was about. We can worship God in a multitude of ways. We should be able to worship God in everything we do.

I specifically appreciate how Miller says that he experiences God the most through his business. At my first regional staff conference as a staff worker with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, which is approaching nine years ago, our main speaker, author Gordon Smith stated one quote that we bring up every year. “Our work is the primary place of our discipleship.” As a new staff worker, that was a necessary proverb for me as I though about this new vocation I was entering. But more importantly, I wanted to make sure that the artists and engineers I would be be ministering to for the next decade also knew this truth as well. What you spend a majority of your waking hours doing week to week is of spiritual importance and possibly the most significant way God wants to connect with you. It matters what you do.

But what about Sunday mornings? As someone like Miller who doesn’t always connect with God through song, I often wondered why we don’t just play a game of football instead of singing songs. Why not bake cookies? Why not take a walk in the park? Whatever we do is worship if we do it for God.

And we could do those things. If we are doing it for God, its worship. The main difference about how you worship all week compared to what you do on a Sunday morning is that you are worshipping in community. What is great about Sunday is that we hear the word of God together and we declare praises of him... together. The togetherness is the important part. We are worshipping as one church, one body. The rest of the week you get to worship by yourself any way you want to - as long as its true worship. But when we gather, it is not about you and how you personally connect to God but about the body, the people of God communicating with our Creator.

A lot of worship leaders get it wrong though. The lights are turned way down so we don’t see each other. We are then told, “Don’t pay attention to the person next to you.” "This is between you and God.” “Sing like you are the only one here.” “Pretend like its just you and God.” 

But its not just you and God. Its not supposed to be just you and God. If it was just you and God, you could have stayed home and it would have been just you and God. Its about all of us, together, AND God. It is about how we approach God as one community.

Some scientists now say that when people sing together, both their brain waves and heart beats actually synchronize. Maybe that is why musical worship is our predominant chosen form of communal worship. We become one as we sing to God. We are one as we connect with God. That’s why we worship together. Its the togetherness in worship is what we do on Sunday mornings is all about.

True Worship

Romans 12:1 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship.

The funny thing is, Paul doesn’t say, “Get together once a week, have a band sing some songs that you can sing along to, and that is how we should worship God.” He says, “offer yourself as living sacrifices.” When they used to worship in the Old Testament, they used to kill animals on an altar as a sacrifice to God. Paul says that is how he wants us to worship too - sacrificing to God. But instead of an animal, he wants us to be that sacrifice. AND instead of dying, he wants us to continue living as a sacrifice, giving our full allegiance to God in everything we do, surrendering ourselves to God with everything we have. Whether we are washing dishes, sweeping floors, or whatever the task may be, we are truly worshipping because we are offering that moment to God.

We should strive for excellence in worship. But excellence in worship has nothing to do with the octave of your voice. It has to do with your willingness to lay down yourself, to lay down your desires, your needs, your wants at the foot of the cross in everything you do.

So when we get together and sing songs to God, what is actually the really important part of our worship is not the notes you hit, but the sincerity of our praise. A.W. Tozer once said, "Christians don't tell lies - they go to church and sing them." When we sing praise to God together as a body of Christ, let that not be said of us. When you praise God, may you mean every word with all of your heart. And even if you think you can’t hit one note of any song you sing, God will accept your praise if you offer it in spirit and in truth.

Adria's Tribute to Pastor Joanne

Below is the tribute my wife, Adria, gave to Pastor Joanne at her funeral.

"Over the past week, I have begun to realize just how many of us would call Joanne Green-Colon a dear friend, but I also had the tremendous privilege of calling her pastor. Us members of Heart and Soul Community Church got to watch her, on a weekly if not daily basis, do what she loved best.  We got to sit at her feet as she taught us about her beloved Jesus and we got to serve Him alongside her.  What an incredible honor it has been.  What a phenomenal education she gave us."

"When my husband and I showed up on H&S’s doorstep 4.5 years ago, I was broken and hiding.  An earnest request of mine to God for guidance had seemingly gone unmet.  I had cried out, begged, pleaded… nothing.  I didn’t know what to do with the silence.  How could I trust God if he wasn’t there when I needed him?  I felt trapped.  I’d experienced too much to turn away from God, but I felt I couldn’t trust him.  I went on like this for over 6 years.  Until one morning, we stumbled onto Heart & Soul’s doorstep.  From the pulpit, I heard a vaguely similar story.  Many of you know that for over 6 years, Joanne suffered from a disease that caused her debilitating pain and sleeplessness.  It was eventually diagnosed as chronic Lyme disease.  I watched, often from the back row, as she and Pastor Louis shared small glimpses of their struggle.  They prayed and hoped for healing.  They cried out, pleaded- and for a long, long time, silence.  Her sermons during those times were so powerful. Truth about living for God in the midst of suffering was shared with us by someone who was living it out right in our midst.  Sunday after Sunday, it was as if she picked you up on her back and carried you with her to the feet of Jesus and interceded there on your behalf.  Through her suffering, she did not grow hard or numb.  She did not give up, and she never stopped believing that the God of the Bible was who he said he was.  She showed us that in the midst of pain and suffering, we could experience God deeply, and live fully.  And she did.  And as they grappled with this, they completely unknowingly carried me along with them.  Through their preaching, little by little, I began to gain clarity.  I began to see some of the things God was trying to teach me.  I began to have the courage to believe my relationship with God could be restored and healthy again, that He was trustworthy, even when he was silent.  They taught me about the God who was with us, whether I could feel it or not.  They gave us all hope that no matter what we had suffered in our lives, we could walk in hope and victory.  My favorite sermon by pastor Joanne, aside from the one where she gave us all cheesecake, was when she preached on Romans 8:37, which says “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  She explained to us that the Greek word for more there was Hooper-nakao - meaning hyper excessively.  She asked us where we were playing the victim, and then told us we are not victims, we are victors.  In Christ, we are OVERCOMERS."

"Pastor Joanne and Pastor Louis always loved people well, loved them sacrificially.  I never saw them shy away.  Our incredibly diverse church works because they love everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from and we all just follow their lead.  They opened their home, their wallets, their hearts, and their arms to those in our congregation and the surrounding community.  They have loved us as family through our trials and tribulations over and over again."

"As I have spoken with Heart and Soulers over the past week, I have heard story after story of Pastor Joanne’s impact - marriage after marriage that she and Pastor Louis fought and prayed for and guided towards health.  Forgiveness and healing that was found, hope that was given, addictions that were broken, life after life transformed by Christ.  For some, it was just simple inspiration and courage to be more like her - to make the difference they could make."

"In Pastor Joanne, I found someone who I wanted to be, someone I could follow.  I now know just how many women in our church felt the same.  She was strong, yet tender, a spiritual giant, yet one of us.  She did not lead from above, but from alongside.  We never felt that we couldn’t do what she was doing.  It was always attainable.  It was simply Jesus."

"I have argued and pleaded with God, as I imagine many of us have, over his decision to bring Pastor Joanne home now. There is no way to describe the hole left in our church body.  But as a church, we have been well prepared for this.  We know how to persevere through hard times.  We couldn’t have had a better example.  Pastor Joanne, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts for all that you gave to us.  You were dearly loved, and we are all better people who love Jesus more because of you.  Pastor Louis, Daniel, sweet little Sara, I know many of us in the congregation have longed for a moment alone with you to tell you how much we love you, how deeply and profoundly we are experiencing this loss with you and that we would do anything for you.  We are ready and willing to carry you on our backs, for years if that is what it takes, to the feet of Jesus and intercede there on your behalf.  We will be there for you.  Afterall, you and your family have done nothing less for us."

Remembering Pastor Joanne

Pastor Joanne has been my pastor at Heart & Soul Community Church for 4 1/2 years. There are many things I will remember about her. I will remember fun things like when we first moved into the renovated building on 1185 N. Clinton and she wanted to paint everything her favorite color green. I will remember her disdain of football and how she wouldn’t let Louis grow a full beard. 

I will remember how much she loved us. My first son was born a few months after we started attending Heart and Soul. Both her and Louis were some of the few people that visited us at our house when we first got home. Although she could not stand football and Louis detests my favorite team, the Philadelphia Eagles, they bought my son a little Eagles onesie. 

Joanne adored my son and that meant a lot to my wife and I. When my second child arrived she loved her just as much. No one is able to make my seven-month old daughter, Thea, laugh quite like Joanne could. Joanne loved both of my kids so much. I am just heartbroken that neither of my children will be able to remember her.

She loved all of the kids of our church (which has much more kids than adults). Although Heart and Soul has gone through many months without being able to pay her and Louis, she wanted to make sure that we had “A” class VBS’s over the summers and the supplies needed to care for the kids each week for sunday school. Although the Church is currently going through some really hard times financially, she still wanted to fund a Christmas play this coming Christmas Eve. She wanted the best for the kids of our church and the kids of our neighborhood. She loved them so much.

I will also remember how strong she was. For six years, Pastor Janne suffered from chronic lyme disease that gave her immense headaches and sleepless nights for weeks and months at a time. I remember going to church many Sundays not knowing if she would be able to come. On the Sundays she could come she was in so much agony and looked so fragile. But she would never complain. She would always focus on you and how you were doing. She would focus on the paper cuts in your life over the unending discomfort of hers. Her sermons during those times were so powerful. Truth about living for God in the midst of suffering was shared with us by someone who was living it right in our midst.

And her pain transformed my prayer life. I remember praying for years that God would take away her pain. It seemed at the time that she would never be free of it. I got so mad at God. I couldn’t understand how someone so loving, so talented, and so willing to sacrifice so much for the him would have to go through so much pain. And then God showed up. Last winter she became pain free. God finally answered our prayers. He did not let the pain go on forever. He was her healer. 

And now we are going through that process again. We prayed fervently that she would be healed. But this time God took her home. And we are all struggling with the conflicting emotions of what has happened. And I don’t understand why things have happened the way it has. It just doesn’t seem right. But I also know that her pain is now gone. She is with our healer.

A couple years ago in the midst of her struggle with Lyme disease she was telling us a story about her son Daniel being fascinated with Louis and her wedding video. In watching the video she saw herself smiling, laughing, and dancing. Looking back at that day, she was mesmerized by how happy she was before the pain and suffering of the disease. I imagine her now having the joy as she on her wedding day, but a hundredfold. She is now with the Lord dancing eternity away. Joanne will surely be missed, but we will see her again.

Sermon Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 

And never brought to mind? 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 

And days of auld lang syne! 

For auld lang syne, my dear, 

For auld lang syne. 

We'll take a cup o' kindness yet, 

For auld lang syne. 

A Dream

The movie, “Its a wonderful Life” is a story about a man named George Bailey who lived in a small town called Bedford Falls. The quaint little town was actually based on Seneca Falls which is an hour away from here. George was the eldest of two sons. His father was Peter Bailey. Peter ran a local money lending company called the Bailey Savings & Loan with his absent-minded brother Billy. Peter was not a great business man but he was generous and he used his small loan office to help those not as well off afford their own homes. 

But George’s main dream in life was to leave Bedford Falls. One evening he walked home from a high school dance with his future wife, Mary, and she asks him about his future. George responded by saying.

I'm shakin' the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I'm gonna see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Colosseum. Then, I'm comin' back here to go to college and see what they know. And then I'm gonna build things. I'm gonna build airfields, I'm gonna build skyscrapers a hundred stories high, I'm gonna build bridges a mile long…

What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary

In the Bible there is a prophet named Jeremiah. He spoke God’s word to the people of Judah during the reign of Judah’s last five kings. And when God called Jeremiah to be a prophet as a young man- probably younger than George was, 17 or so- these were the words God spoke to him.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you. I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.

Jeremiah 1:5-10

Here we have this awesome calling by God. Before Jeremiah’s birth, God had set him a part for greatness. He was made with a purpose. He was made to have a mission. He was to be the herald of the almighty God, speaking truth to kings and rulers of the world with the authority and protection of the everlasting, omnipotent Being. God was giving him the power both to raise up kingdoms and destroy the nations of the world. Before Jeremiah was born, God had a plan for him. A plan for greatness.

My question for you is, what dreams do you have? What dreams has God laid on your heart?

A Dream Dashed

Going back to George’s story, the night that he declared his dreams to Mary- about building cities and traveling the world- that very night those dreams all began to fall apart. Moments after he shared his dream with Mary he gets a message that his Dad died. And because of the death of his father, Peter Bailey, the stockholders of the Bailey Savings & Loan wanted to sell the business to Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter was an old, greedy businessman who didn’t care about the poor and the foreigners in Bedford Falls. All he cared about was money and power. The only way the stockholders were willing to keep the Bailey Building and Loan was if George ran it. So, George’s plan to see the world was halted. He agrees to run the Building and Loan until his brother, Harry, gets back from college. 

But years later, when Harry returns, Harry is married and has a great job set up in another town. George sees the opportunity for his brother and congratulates him. And George is stuck still in Bedford Falls. 

Later, George gets married and he starts driving off to his honeymoon where he finally has the  opportunity to leave Bedford Falls and explore the world, even if it is just for a short period of time. But as he drives off, he sees a crowd gathered at the Savings and Loan office. The year was 1929 and the great stock market crash just happened. In order to save the Building and Loan and care for the people in his community, George had to use up all of the money he had saved for his honeymoon.

And George Bailey never goes out and sees the world. He never builds buildings or skyscrapers. He never lassos down the moon for Mary. He never leaves Bedford Falls.

I wonder if Jeremiah also had his dreams dashed. I do not know what Jeremiah’s expectations were when God called him, but the reality of his life was filled with much more pain and hardship than what I would expect it to be based on the promise God had for him.

• Because of his calling, Jeremiah  never married or had children “Jeremiah 16:2”
• Because of his calling, he never attended weddings or funerals “Jeremiah 16:5"
• Because of his calling, he never never even got to go to any parties or feasts. Jeremiah 16:8
• Actually because of his calling, he never joined the company of anyone who was involved with any type of celebration whatsoever Jeremiah 15:17.
• His enemies threatened to have him killed again and again.
• He was thrown into a well to be left to starve to death.
• He was left in jail in spite of innocence.
• The people he was called to give God’s message to, never listened to what he had to say. 
• He had to sit and watch his city go through war, famine, and destruction as the Babylonian empire took over.
• The only friendship he received was from someone who wasn’t of his own people, a foreigner, an African, that rescued him after the Babylonian invasion.
• And even then, he was taken to Egypt against his will by his own people. In Egypt, they continued to not listen to his guidance and his wisdom. 

Now, none of us can say that we have had a life like Jeremiah’s. Most of us have not experienced the tragedy, hardship, and rejection he has. But we all still have things in our lives that we sit back and say, “This is not how its supposed to be.”

• Maybe you are like George Bailey and have planned your whole life to see the world, and build cities or companies and it just never came together.
• Or maybe although you grew up with a close knit family, divorce has invaded your life and now things are not right at home.
• Or Maybe death has taken away one of the people you were closest to. And now you have to deal with living the rest of your life with that person not being here.
• Or maybe you were in a romantic relationship and you were thinking, “wow, maybe this could be the one” and now… that relationship is just over. 
• Or maybe you had a close relationship with someone and something got in the way and things have just been distant over time. And it doesn’t look like it will ever be like it ever was before ever again.
• Or Maybe you or someone you deeply love is suffering from an illness or a disorder and healing has not come yet.
• Or Maybe you feel trapped in an addiction and have lost hope.
• Or maybe you have a child who has strayed away from the Lord and you are wondering if you will be with them in heaven some day.
• Or maybe you have been violated in some unspeakable manner which has torn apart your life.
• Or maybe even being part of a fellowship like this where everyone loves each other and cares for each other, for some reason you feel isolated and alone.

And you think to yourself. This is not how its supposed to be. This is not how its supposed to be.

George Bailey wasn’t supposed to be stuck for the rest of his life in Bedford Falls. He was supposed to see the world. He was supposed to see Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Colosseum. He was supposed to build things, airfields, skyscrapers a hundred stories high, bridges a mile long… You want the moon Mary? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. But the only things George Bailey feels like he is pulling down is pain, mediocrity and regret.

End of your rope

But George Bailey seems to deal with his life even with his dreams gone. When he hears stories of his brother and his friends doing things he always wanted to do, it is hard for him. But for the most part he shuts out his dreams and lives out his life. He becomes numb to the loss. How about you? Do you do that? Are you numb to the loss?

Then one day, around Christmas time, George’s coworker uncle Billy comes back to the office saying he misplaced eight thousand dollars of the company’s money. By today’s currency that is about the equivalent of over $96,000. 96,000 dollars! George knows its the end of him. It is the end of the Bailey Savings and Loan. It is the end of his life as he knows it. He is going to be thrown in jail for mismanagement and corruption. He will be taken away from his family and friends. His name and reputation will be strung through the mud. The little he feels like he does have is being taken away from him.

So what does George do. All through his life, he never had  enough money to save for retirement or anything like that. The only option George thinks he has is to go to the evil, greedy Mr. Potter and ask for a loan. But Potter throws him out, telling him to go to his poor friends. He tells George to go to the ones he has devoted his life to helping care for all of these years. But George knows they don’t have the resources to help him out. George believes he is left with one last option. He has to kill himself so that his life insurance will provide for his family with enough money to survive. 

And thats when an angel shows up. Clarence. Now Clarence isn’t the smartest angel of the bunch but Clarence is able to do something for George. He allows him to see what the world would be like if he had never been born. 

And with this new picture of reality George realizes

• His brother Harry never would have become a war hero without George saving him from drowning as a child
• His old boss, the pharmacist Mr. Gower would have become a destitute man without George  stopping him from accidentally giving poison to a couple of boys. 
• The Bailey Savings and loan would have fell apart as soon as George’s dad died without George stepping in to help.
• George’s uncle Billy would have went to an insane asylum because he was so bereaved from his Brother, Peter’s death, without George’s leadership and guidance.
• George’s mom would not have a family without having George, Harry, Peter, and Uncle Billy.
• And the entire town of Bedford Falls would have become a place filled with blight and immorality because George wasn’t there to fight the big, greedy businesses and care for the needy.

And as we look back at George’s life we see that he never built buildings or saw the world. He never brought a moon down for Mary. He never left Bedford Falls. But he did have a wonderful life. Because of the sacrificial love he showed to other people, he saved many people from ruin and despair. He provided ways for those in his community to live life well. A faithful life of loving others is wonderful life.

As for Jeremiah. We see a man who was faithful to God. Through Jeremiah’s obedience, the people of Judah had the opportunity to know God as Jeremiah spoke to them about God’s Word. And we, today, also have the opportunity to understand God better through the writings Jeremiah left us. But, one of the most important things that Jeremiah did was give hope to remnant of Jews that survived the Babylonian take over. According to the Book of Jeremiah:

This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” Jeremiah 29:1-14

Jeremiah gave the Jews taken away to Babylon a hope for the future. A hope that God would show up. That one day, in the near future, God would bring them back from exile and he would be with them again. A faithful life of loving others is wonderful life. And a faithful life of obedience to God is a wonderful life.

And this is the story for us too. If we live a life of sacrificial love, if we live a life of obedience to God, we too will live a wonderful life. We may not build buildings, see the world, or lasso down the moon, but we will do what God has called us to do. There will be parts of our lives that are tragic, but God will use us for his purposes and there is no greater use for our lives than that.

After George’s epiphany he calls out to God and he is brought back to his normal life again. He goes throughout Bedford Falls and finds everything as it was before. He returns home happy to see his family. Ready for the consequences of the lost money, but happy to be alive.

A Bigger Story

We never know what happens to Jeremiah. The last place we hear of him he is being taken against his will out to Egypt. I would like to think that after all of trials, and seeing all of his prophesies of death and destruction come true, that God gives him a plot of land, a quaint little home, and a family to raise. But we will never know. The book of Jeremiah ends by saying.

In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, Evil-merodach ascended to the Babylonian throne. He was kind to Jehoiachin and released him from prison on March 31 of that year. He spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and gave him a higher place than all the other exiled kings in Babylon.  He supplied Jehoiachin with new clothes to replace his prison garb and allowed him to dine in the king’s presence for the rest of his life.  So the Babylonian king gave him a regular food allowance as long as he lived. This continued until the day of his death. 

Jeremiah 52:31-34

The last chapter of the book of Jeremiah has nothing to do with Jeremiah at all. It has to do with the last king of Judah, Jehoiachin. But why? To the Jews this ending is very interesting. It was very important. This was a message of hope for them. To think of Jehoiachin’s prosperity, they were reminded about a prophesy from long, long time ago given to King David. 

Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings!  For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong.  He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. 

2 Samuel 11a-13

Jehoiachin was one of the descendants of David. His prosperity meant that the line of David would go on. Although Jerusalem had fallen, God’s promise to raise up a descendant of David to have an everlasting kingdom can still come true.

At this time of year, Christians celebrate the season of advent. We remember the time before Christ and how they waited expectantly for the messiah to come, the king who would rule an everlasting kingdom. And on Christmas we celebrate the birth of that King. Jesus Christ. The Godman who came down from heaven and dwelt among us. The sacrificial lamb that paid the price with his life that we may be united to our father in heaven. And if you have not made a decision to follow Christ, may the advent of your waiting for the messiah end today. Put your faith in Jesus Christ that through his death and resurrection you can have forgiveness of sins and be born again. You can be united with God and have everlasting life within his kingdom.

So what happens to Jeremiah is of little consequence. His life was caught up in a greater story pointing to the coming messiah. And in many ways our lives are that way as well. We wait in advent for the time to come when Christ will return and rule the nations. We wait for the day when He brings heaven down to earth. All of the pain and suffering that Jeremiah went through is because he had a hope in something greater. Something that would last beyond him. We see this faith in all of the heroes in the Bible: Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and John. In book of Hebrews it says

"All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.  Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back.  But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”

Hebrews 11:11a-13

There will be a day, when we all be home. Where Job, Peter, and Jeremiah can all sit together and laugh. And we can be there too with all the saints and all those who came before us. We can sit enjoy the deliverance of our strong God. And all of the toils and strife we run into in this life will dissolve into a vapor. In the book of Revelation it says,

Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Revelation 21:3-4

Glimmers of Heaven

But! sometimes, we even see glimmers of heaven here and now. Even today, we see shadows of what is still to come.

We left George running home in celebration of own life thinking that he still had to face years in jail away from his family and friends. But while he was gone, people all over the city and all over the country were praying for him. And God was calling them. God was calling others to be there for George. And when George gets home something amazing happens. All of the people he has cared for and shown love to all of these years show up at his home. Although they were people of little means they each gave what they could to help George out. Soon friends from all over the world call George up telling him that they are sending him money. A party breaks out. People start passing around Champagne and start singing songs . There is joy and laughter. Even those who come to put George in jail start to chip in. They rip up the warrant for his arrest. By the end of the story, George has become the richest man in town. 

Just thinking about this story gets me choked up. George is at the end of his rope, thinking that his life is over. Then God shows up. God uses the love of the community of his people to care for George and his needs. God mocks the lie that says staying in the small town of Bedford Falls was a waste of George’s life. Sacrificial love and obedience to God is worth it. And although this is a fictional story, we see glimmers of heaven just like this all of the time.

We have seen these glimmers of heaven. We have watched our pastor for six years go through sleepless nights, pain, and suffering, not knowing if that pain would ever end. not knowing what the physical toll on her body would mean for the future. Not knowing if having another child could even be a possibility. So we prayed and we prayed and we prayed. And we hoped and we hoped and we hoped. So what happened. God showed up. Pastor Joanne is living pain free and has just yesterday given birth to a second child. We are all witnesses of a glimmer of heaven.

And we saw another glimmer of heaven this past week. As I stated earlier, we have friends in our family here, Chris and Ronnie and their girls, who suffered a great tragedy this week. They lost everything. All that they owned. A lot of items that had significant value to them. And I can’t minimize that. I can’t minimize the unsettledness they still feel. Their experience this week was absolutely terrible. But then we prayed and hoped and prayed and hoped. And God showed up. And now people are donating money and gifts from literally all over the United States. Hundreds of items. Thousands of dollars. The community of God has come together just like it did for George Bailey. And although the pain is still ripe, we can celebrate. We have witnessed the acts of the one true God. And he has given us another glimmer of heaven.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen, Friends, guests, its a Wonderful Life. It is filled to the rim with pain and hardship many of us unfortunately know all too very well. But if we give our dreams to God, put our faith in him, love sacrificially, follow him obediently, pray with a hope that he will come back and make everything the way it is supposed to be, we will live in joy. We will live in peace. We will live truly wonderful lives.