The Great Movie Debate

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

old things have passed away, and look, new things have come."

-2 Corinthians 5:17

On Black Friday I had been ordering some movies for my nephews.  I had asked what they wanted for Christmas and there weren't too many things. Not on the list that was passed onto me, anyway. So I wanted to get them a few movies that I knew they wanted and would enjoy. Of course there was also a significant sale, being Black Friday, so I ordered a few titles I wanted but might not have bought otherwise. 

One of the movies was something I had seen. Years ago, maybe even a decade. At the time I watched it with my Sunday School class at Church. There was discussion of the overall themes of the movie. About how we respond to and treat others, how we deal with situations beyond our control, and always holding onto hope. When I was in Africa I remember two people talking about it, and how they thought it was a great movie. These inspecific, fleeting memories were all I had to associate with the movie so I bought it, hoping for the best. I hoped in vain.

I won't go as far to say that it's a bad movie. The movie itself was well done. It had the ideal casting of characters, amazing camera work, and it just came together well. But inspite of myself, due to the language and sexual content, I couldn't appreciate the movie as entertainment. It didn't make me feel good. Not that 'feel good' is the goal but this movie was one that left me with a pit in my stomach and certainly not feeling entertaied. I was so displeased with the movie that even the overall positives themes were lost in the wake of my gut reaction. I know, I know. There are things in life that are bad; they happen and sometimes they happen to good people. Terrible things happen - but I can watch the news or listen to the circumstances of people I have met. I don't need to watch a fictional movie to see terrible things in a larger than life, glorified way. This is really a matter of personal preference. I feel a conviction to be more mindful of the things I watch, read, or listen to. Sometimes it is so easy to become overly absorbed in this temporal world. I want to set my focus on other things. On helping others, and always on remembering that this is not my home. 

I've been thinking a lot about 2 Corinthians Chapter 5[HCSB]:

Our Future after Death

For we know that if our temporary, earthly dwelling is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands. ² Indeed, we groan in this body, desiring to put on our dwelling from heaven, ³ since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴ Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ And the One who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.
⁶ So, we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷ For we walk by faith, not by sight, ⁸ and we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the tribunal of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or worthless.
¹¹ Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, we seek to persuade people. We are completely open before God, and I hope we are completely open to your consciences as well. ¹² We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in the outward appearance rather than in the heart. ¹³ For if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we have a sound mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all, then all died. ¹⁵ And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

¹⁶ From now on, then, we do not know anyone in a purely human way. Even if we have known Christ in a purely human way, yet now we no longer know Him in this way. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come. ¹⁸ Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” ²¹ He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Again, this post might not be for everyone. Maybe not now, maybe not ever. But it is based on a thought that has settled in my heart, nagging me until I pay it proper attention. I'll draw attention to verse 20, it says: Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

That, to me, is huge. "Be reconciled to God." So what exactly does that mean? I like to know exactly what I'm signing up for, or what the specific expectations might be. You can find what Merriam-Webster says here or what the Oxford Dictionary says here. Personally, I prefer the wording of the Oxford Dictionary in this case.

Two points that stuck out to me are 1) the point is to be in agreement 2) even when you don't want to be. That is huge. In our lives, so often it seems that our world is made up of water and our relationship with God is made up of oil. Oil and water do not mix. They are not compatible. We try and try to saturate our lives with God, but so quickly we lose the goodness of God. The moment we stop being diligent it slips away, pushed out by the water of the world. Of course, as any salad-lover knows, an emulsifier can solve this problem with ease. Like egg yolks, lemon juice, or mustard. Or in this case, the Holy Spirit. 

Still with me? Sorry about the massive tangent, I'm an abstract random learner so sometimes I must admit it seems to take forever for me to get where I'm going...sheesh! The point of this particular tale is that I have made so many changes in the last year. Some I saw coming, some came out of the proverbial 'nowhere.' This year I want to welcome them all and embrace the process, clinging to where the Holy Spirit might move me. Exciting things are happening in my life! When it comes to the bits about 'just me', first and foremost, I will be putting the rest of my DVD collection to the test. See? You made it, it happened: we're back to square one!