Humility straightens the path of the spiritual pilgrim – doesn’t it? I lost my balance a bit recently. I moved out of the house I have lived in for more than fifteen years yesterday. And, like leaving all things of the old, the experience has brought some deep retrospection to my heart – and a bit of discombobulation.
I moved into 4132 Hood Avenue full of spunk and the dream of making it in Hollywood. It was around Christmas, but I was focused more on my own pre-teen glory than the majesty of the Messiah. I got knocked around at my new middle school, tried several times to run away, and eventually found my niche in academic overachieving and professional video game playing.
What marked my final day in the house across the street from Warner Bros. studios? The release of the film, “Son of God” which chronicles the simplicity, the humanity, the forgiveness, of Christ Jesus. Ironic? Of course that’s how I would leave Burbank.
After getting out of the film at 1:30 AM, I stood atop the AMC temple steps. They were as many as the steps that led to the altar of sacrifice in Jerusalem. What a world we are living in! Couples bustling in-between rains to worship the mega screens. It had been over a year since I bought a movie ticket for myself. This was a worthy exception.
I’ve spoken about the metaphysical deepness of movie-watching before, but it’s worth repeating. Think of how much work goes into seeing a movie. You have to identify where the theater is, get there, wait in line, buy a ticket, give your ticket to the usher, get inside, sit, stay, and ABSORB. So many layers of consent, so many layers of influence.
And so I say with godly joy that my time in Burbank, California – the entertainment capital of the world – ended with Jesus. What progress! I’ve certainly come a long ways since child-acting.
I thought about movies differently last night. I wanted to see the film in Burbank so I could pray for the community while I watched it. And I really thought about who was in the theater with me – I could even feel who was there with me. I was open to being completely aware. The experience was a fascinating experiment in prayer.
Around the time that Jesus’ crucifixion was portrayed on screen, I began getting hit with severe bouts of sleepiness. I kept falling asleep! I began saying the Lord’s Prayer to myself, as well as reciting Jesus’ words, “Couldn’t you watch with me just one hour?”
Finally, I broke out of the daze and had no problem staying up through the rest of the film. My wife completely fell asleep next to me – I wonder if anyone else did? What doesn’t the human mind want to recognize in the crucifixion? It’s own destruction? Look at what happened to Mel Gibson for popularizing it…
The best part of the film was to see such a human Jesus on screen. He really was human! My favorite part in the film is in the garden of Gethsemane when Peter runs up to Jesus and tells him, “I will never forsake you, Rabbi!” And Jesus is so, so pleased. He moves toward him to embrace him, but before he can he is hit with a prophetic vision that reveals that Peter will, in fact, betray him three times!
This was such a fresh take for me. Jesus wanted friends he could trust here on earth. He desperately desired companionship – but all but a few eventually deserted him. He was a man of sorrows, a man given power by God to face the greatest fears of the world all alone.
And all of this leads us to our present state here on earth – the one hope of the world is now the Church empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus did his work in order for the Church to do hers. And that’s where we come in.
In case you didn’t notice, we lost our way a little bit. That’s the understatement of eternity, isn’t it? Our concept of Church has been perverted by materialism and human fads and cultures. We are, for the most part, ministering mostly to ourselves. There’s another word for that, you know, but this blog is PG.
So it’s up to us to take it back – all of it. We can take church back at the movie theater. We can take church back at the coffee house. We can take church back in our homes, in concert venues, at schools, we can make it all the kingdom of heaven. But it starts with prayer first.
Can we see through the illusions of the world with God’s eyes? Can we cut through the heavy influences of mesmerism that are working to keep us asleep? That tell us gorging and glamour are natural to God’s creation? That brain death is the inevitable end of the humanity? That religious rules are the expression of Christ today?
This isn’t about me. It never was. I had my years of fantasy. And they were tended, supported, and bankrolled by the enemy who sowed the tares. No longer. I won’t be bought. We won’t back down.
Lord, keep me on the right path. Let me not forget of your sacrifice, your love, your forgiveness. I read the book of Hebrews today. The Christian Science Bible Lesson this week is on Christ jesus. It is, no doubt, spiritually empowering the “Son of God” film through the Holy Spirit. It contains this message from Hebrews, “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven” – Hebrews 1:1-3
One might re-translate that for today’s vernacular, “And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his moving film images, ‘Son of God.’”
How wonderful is that! I’ll close with a cinematic scene for you. We got to “Son of God” early and the theater began showing these trailers for tv shows. The trailer for “Bates Motel” started playing and it was horrible! It advertised the main character as “The Son of the Devil.” How crazy is that?! I came to the theater to see “Son of God” and here I am getting bombarded with images and sounds from “Son of the Devil.” Well, in days past, I would have just closed my eyes and hid. But not anymore. The Holy Spirit totally rocked me.
I leaped up from my seat and spun around to face a half empty auditorium and heard my voice yelling, “Who is ready for Jesus? Who knows he is a Savior?” I got some claps and amens. So, trained in the ways of the performing arts as I have been, I had to continue. “Who knows he is a healer?” More claps, more agreement. “Who knows he is a shepherd?” “Amen, brother! Amen!” Now I was hearing responses in Spanish, “Gloria de Dios!”
“Who knows these pictures are a bunch of lies from the devil? That the devil is a liar!” More clapping, way more clapping.
“God loves us so much! He wants us to know how deep and wonderful His love is! That’s why he sent Jesus! Blessings over all of you for being here and supporting this film. May the power and grace of God be upon all of you! I’m going to close with a benediction!”
I opened my Bible at Holy Ghost random and closed with these words,
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it, For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” – Matthew 16: 24-26.
This got the loudest applause. And I sat down, a little dazed, surprised that I leaped up and said what I said. And the applause echoed in my ears as I thought back to 4132 Hood Avenue. Completely empty, stripped of pictures, food, and a sense of home. In some ways, just like me. No longer home. No longer about me. But I feel more at home now than ever. Anywhere, really. That’s the exchange, I guess. That’s what it means to follow him. And I have so, so far to go. But I am encouraged by what I see happening on earth today. The next Great Awakening, the Holy Ghost Shift.
We’re shifting, friends. Keep us steady, Jesus. Keep us steady.
