Sermon for February 7th, 2021

Ecclesiastes 1:1-9

1 The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,
    vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
3 What do people gain from all the toil
    at which they toil under the sun?
4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,
    but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun goes down,
    and hurries to the place where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south,
    and goes around to the north;
round and round goes the wind,
    and on its circuits the wind returns.
7 All streams run to the sea,
    but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
    there they continue to flow.
8 All things are wearisome;
    more than one can express;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
    or the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be,
    and what has been done is what will be done;
    there is nothing new under the sun.

Proverbs 3:5-10

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not rely on your own insight.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be a healing for your flesh
    and a refreshment for your body.
9 Honor the Lord with your substance
    and with the first fruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
    and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Job 5:17-24

17 “How happy is the one whom God reproves;
    therefore do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. 
18 For he wounds, but he binds up;
    he strikes, but his hands heal.
19 He will deliver you from six troubles;
    in seven no harm shall touch you.
20 In famine he will redeem you from death,
    and in war from the power of the sword.
21 You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
    and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
22 At destruction and famine you shall laugh,
    and shall not fear the wild animals of the earth.
23 For you shall be in league with the stones of the field,
    and the wild animals shall be at peace with you.
24 You shall know that your tent is safe,
    you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.

Faith & Film IX: Forrest Gump

Three Minute Film Synopsis

Forrest Gump was filmed in the 1990s, and covers events spanning the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. So it's a fitting end to our series on the "Best of the 20th century." In many ways, this film is a celebration of the second half of the 20th century: all of the triumphs and tragedies, the music, the culture, the politics and the milestones, all told through the eyes of a simple man who is, in his own words, "not too smart" but who certainly "know[s] what love is."

That man is Forrest Gump, who we meet sitting on a bench in Savannah, Georgia waiting for a bus and telling his life story to anyone who will listen. It's a actually a fascinating life story--one that begins with his childhood in Greenbow, Alabama. We learn that Forrest's IQ is well below average, and so he is shunned and mocked by other children his age. His lone friend, Jenny, sticks up for him, and whenever he is in trouble, encourages him to "Run, Forrest, Run." Which he does.

Forrest's running, along with his simple-minded openness to new experiences, takes him on a number of adventures: playing football for the University of Alabama, to the Vietnam War, becoming a world champion Ping-Pong player, starting his own business as a shrimp boat captain, and running from coast to coast across the United States three times in a row. Along the way, Forrest has chance encounters with everyone from Elvis Presley and John Lennon, to no less than three American presidents. He goes from being dirt poor to filthy rich, then back to poor again, and from total obscurity to the heights of fame, and back to obscurity again. He loses some of his loved ones to war and cancer, while helping others find peace and redemption.