Sermon for January 20th, 2013
Ecclesiastes 3:18-22
18I said in my heart with regard to human beings that God is testing them to show that they are but animals. 19For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity. 20All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again. 21Who knows whether the human spirit goes upwards and the spirit of animals goes downwards to the earth? 22So I saw that there is nothing better than that all should enjoy their work, for that is their lot; who can bring them to see what will be after them?
John 14:1-7
‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ 5Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ 6Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’
Life of Pi
More than any other film in our series, Life of Pi, is a beautiful, artistic, breathtakingly visual film. I couldn't possibly just "describe" it to you and do it any sort of justice. It's a film that has to be seen. But since it's two hours long and the sermon is only 20 minutes, I'll have to settle for showing you some short clips, beginning with the promotional trailer. [Film Clip #1 - 2:37]
Three minute film Summary
The film centers around the life of Piscine Molitor Patel, or "Pi" for short, who is born in India as the son of a zookeeper. The story of Pi's life is described early in the film as one "that will make you believe in God." For most of the film, Pi narrates the story of his life to a writer who has sought him out. There are roughly three parts to the story (one minute each!). The first part is his childhood in India, where as a boy, Pi is fascinated by his mother's stories of the Hindu gods, which Pi says "were like superheroes to me." Later, Pi wanders into a Catholic church, and in conversations with a priest he is introduced to Christianity (which he says makes absolutely no sense) and to Jesus Christ, who he can't stop thinking about. Later still, the boy Pi discovers Islam, and begins to practice all three religions at once, to the dismay of his father, who is a committed atheist. This part of the story ends when Pi's father decides to sell the zoo, all the animals, and move to Canada. Pi is sixteen years old.
On the journey by sea, their ship sinks in a storm, and Pi's family, along with most of the animals, are lost. Pi tells the writer that this is where his journey really begins. Pi alone survives a lifeboat, along with a wounded zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and a large Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker. All the animals were from Pi's father's zoo. The Hyena eats the zebra, then the orangutan, while Pi watches, furious, but unable to do anything. Then Richard Parker, the Tiger, eats the Hyena, leaving only Pi and the Tiger on the lifeboat. For the next 227 days at sea, Pi and the Tiger struggle against each other, against the forces of nature, and against their mutual hunger. They form a tenuous peace and reliance upon each other, have some hair-raising and breath-taking adventures, and finally both wash up on the coast of Mexico, barely alive. The tiger wanders off into the jungle, and Pi is found and rescued by local fishermen.
The third part of the story begins when the owners of the sunken ship send insurance agents to interview Pi to try to find out what happened to their ship. Pi tells them the story we have just heard, and understandably, they have a hard time believing it, pointing out many inconsistencies and impossibilities in the story. They press Pi until he finally tells them another story. In this story, Pi survives in a lifeboat along with his mother, a wounded sailor, and a mean cook. The cook kills the sailor, then kills Pi's mother, and in a rage, Pi himself kills the cook, leaving him alone on the boat for 227 days until he washes up on the shore of Mexico. When the writer hears this second version of the story, he notices some parallels: He suggests that the wounded sailor is the zebra, Pi's mother is the orangutan, the deranged cook is the hyena, and Pi himself is the Bengal Tiger. At this, the adult Pi asks the writer a question: Given the fact that neither version of the story answers the question about what happened to the ship; neither story can be verified one way or the other; and neither story affects the ultimate outcome, "which is the better story?" The writer answers, "the one with the animals." The movie concludes with Pi saying, "Thank you. So it is with God."
