Difference between revisions of "Sermon for February 8th, 2015"

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Scripture Readings

Proverbs 22:4-6

4The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. 5Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; the cautious will keep far from them. 6Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.

1 Corinthians 13:11-12

11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Matthew 18:18-20

18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

Faith & Film III: Into the Woods

• Film Clip #1: Trailer.

Three Minute Plot Summary

Into the Woods is a Broadway musical adapted for the screen, and it can be roughly divided into two parts. In part one, characters from several well-known fairy tales are woven together around their respective wishes:

• Cinderella wishes to go to the festival.
• Rapunzel, locked in a tower, wishes to see the world.
• Prince charming, and his equally charming brother, wish to find their true loves.
• Little Red Riding Hood wishes to bring her grandmother a loaf of bread.
• Jack (from Beanstalk fame) wishes that his cow would give milk. His mother wishes they weren't so poor.
• The Baker and his wife wish that they could have a child.

The Baker and his wife cannot have a child because they have been cursed by the witch next door, who is herself under a curse, and wishes to be young and beautiful again. In order to lift their respective curses, the witch sends the Baker and his wife "Into the Woods" on a quest to find a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. Of course, the cow is Jack's, the cape is Red Riding Hood's, the hair is Rapunzel's, and the slipper is Cinderellas. All of these characters also happen to go "Into the Woods" in pursuit of their own well known quests and wishes.

And by the end of part one, they have all succeeded. Cinderella goes to the festival and marries Prince Charming. His brother finds and marries Rapunzel. Little Red Riding Hood makes it to her grandmother, and is rescued from the Big Bad Wolf by the Baker. Jack climbs the beanstalk and comes back with enough treasure to provide for his family and buy back his cow, the Baker and his wife have a son, and the witch becomes young and beautiful again.

But then, remarkably, the movie continues. It goes on past the "Happily Ever After," and in part two, the characters find themselves back in the woods, where the very actions and events that brought about their happy endings have unexpected, tragic consequences. Relationships fall apart. Some characters die. Some face disillusionment, shame, guilt, fear, and self-doubt. They blame each other, or their circumstances, or their parents. Eventually, however, some of the characters learn how to work together, they form a community and they help each other. They learn when to hold on, and when to let go. They learn that wishes, like children, often take their own path--they come true, but they don't always come free.

Sacred Cows and Godly Witches

This is the last sermon in our annual series on Faith and Film, and I think it's a fitting finale to a great bunch of films. The first three films in the series centered largely around the intersection of Science and Religion. By contrast, these last three films have explored the intersection between fantasy and reality. The first three films were about strong, independent individuals, while these last three have been about interdependent communities.

Along the way, we've noticed and talked about Christ-types and God-types in film. This film, Into the Woods, wins the prize for the most unlikely or unexpected Christ/God types. We often think of God as a male, but in this film the God type is a female: The witch, who acts as an all-present, all-powerful parental voice throughout the film, and is the driving, motivating force that assembles and propels the other characters, the one the other characters fear, blame, or rebel against. She is also the character who speaks the truth, even when it is painful truth.

If the God-type seems bizzare, the Christ-type is even more bizzare...but our own Andrew Grine (9 years old) gets the bonus points for being the first to recognize this unlikely Christ type: It is Jack's friend and companion, the cow Milky White. White, of course, is the color of sinless purity and innocence. In the Bible, Jesus is betrayed by his friend Judas and sold for 30 pieces of silver, and in this film, Milky White is betrayed by his friend Jack and sold for five very large pieces of giant gold. Like Jesus, Milky White dies, is buried, and on the third day is resurrected from the dead by our God-type, the Witch!

First three films were "Science and Religion" Last three films are "Fantasy and Reality"

"I'm not good, I'm not nice, I'm just right. I'm the witch. You're the world.”

Gray Places: Into the Woods

God does not always give you a "clear moral compass" to guide you in the woods. But rather, God (and God's people) are always with you as you journey through the woods.

Parenting: Children Will Listen

You Are Not Alone

Healing begins when the characters come together in community. (Non-traditional family)