God Made The Movies?

Dear Church Family,

Back in 1980, Paul Simon released his 5th solo album entitled One Trick Pony. It was the soundtrack to a movie of the same name, but I don’t think either was considered a success. But that's not really important.

What is important for this newsletter article is the fact that there was a song on the album called That’s Why God Made the Movies. The song is quite sad and narrates the story of a boy who’s born without anyone to guide him. And every chorus sounds the refrain, “That’s why God made the movies.” To be honest, I’m not sure I understand the song, but I think the basic premise is that movies helped shape his life in the absence of anyone else.

While I don’t believe God literally “made the movies,” I do believe that we can find God’s story in millions of reels of film that have been created in the last 130 years. And movies influence our lives in so many ways. Every film we see invites us to see ourselves in the story. What characters do we identify with? Who do we wish we could be more like? Who would we not want to emulate? Those questions shape us long after the credits roll.

In my 30 years of ministry, I have always loved looking for God’s story in the movies. Where do the classic stories we love reflect and share the greatest story ever told? (That’s the book, not the movie. 😉) I remember watching The Elephant Man at Youth Group, and listening as our Youth Leaders used it to talk about Jesus’ call to love those who are left out. And I remember using Places in the Heart to guide our confirmation class through lessons of grace, love, and forgiveness.

Though I don’t think God made the movies, I do think we can hear God’s story in new ways through the movies we see. And that’s the whole point of our Finding God in the Movies sermon series that starts this Sunday, September 6th.

For the next four Sundays, we will use a different film each week and try to uncover where God’s story and the story of the film overlap. We’ll discover where we can see examples of grace, patience, kindness, forgiveness, and so many other biblical teachings through the images we see on screen. It’s a fun experience, and one that I find can deepen our faith.

This year’s films are:
  Encanto! – September 6 (Family, belonging, and the gifts we are given)
  The Sandlot – September 13 (Friendship and childhood wonder)
  The Penguin Lessons – September 20 (Unlikely companionship and compassion)
  The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry – September 27 (Redemption found on the road)

All four films are also easily accessible through the streaming services you may already have at home. You can also come to our Tuesday 2:00 PM Matinees in the Fellowship Hall. And, if you haven’t seen the film, it’s no problem. We’ll show clips and give a synopsis during worship. You won't miss a thing.

It's also a great time to invite a friend to church.

Lights! Camera! Action! We’ll see you in worship and at the movies!

Blessings,
Pastor Karl