Sermon for February 11th, 2024 - Revision history

Iraneal at 05:12, 11 February 2024

2024-02-11T05:12:26Z

Iraneal: /* Faith & Film XII - Waitress: The Musical */

2024-02-11T04:57:16Z

‎Faith & Film XII - Waitress: The Musical

Iraneal: /* One Minute Film Summary */

2024-02-11T04:42:18Z

‎One Minute Film Summary

Iraneal: /* One Minute Film Summary */

2024-02-11T04:41:59Z

‎One Minute Film Summary

Iraneal at 04:40, 11 February 2024

2024-02-11T04:40:41Z

Iraneal at 04:22, 11 February 2024

2024-02-11T04:22:13Z

Iraneal at 03:55, 11 February 2024

2024-02-11T03:55:49Z

Iraneal at 03:26, 11 February 2024

2024-02-11T03:26:10Z

Iraneal at 02:57, 11 February 2024

2024-02-11T02:57:18Z

Iraneal at 02:45, 11 February 2024

2024-02-11T02:45:08Z

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 *[Film Clip #6: Everything Changes 1] (3:10)
-Father, Son and Holy Ghost--or in this case, God the Ancient of Days, God the the Christ Child who came into the world as a baby, and God the Holy Ghost.  Wait a minute...who is the Holy Ghost?  I don't have a clip for you, but it's actually Jenna's deceased mother, who appears several times as a ghost in the film, and whose spirit is present in Jenna from the beginning, just as the Holy Spirit lives and dwells within each of us.
+Father, Son and Holy Ghost--or in this case, God the Ancient of Days, God the Christ Child who came into the world as a baby, and God the Holy Ghost.  Wait a minute...who is the Holy Ghost?  I don't have a clip for you, but it's actually Jenna's deceased mother, who appears several times as a ghost in the film, and whose spirit is present in Jenna from the beginning, just as the Holy Spirit lives and dwells within each of us.
 When God comes into our lives, everything changes, not ALL at once, but in due time--faith is a journey, and we still have to do the right thing, which Jenna does. Here's one last clip, as she breaks up with the Doctor. In the reprise that follows, listen for the very religious choice of words: being saved, being turned around (which is literally the definition of repentance), and being born again.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ====One Minute Film Summary====
-Jenna Hunterson is a waitress, and according to her friends, a "Pie Genius."  But the pies she makes at the diner where she works are for Jenna an escape from the harsh reality of her life:  An abusive husband and an unwanted pregnancy. She daydreams of entering and winning a local pie-making contest that will give her enough money to leave her husband and start a new life. She also begins to have an affair with her gynecologist, a kind, gentle (but married) man who notices her and listens to her.  For Jenna, the affair (like the pies she makes) is an intoxicating escape from the harsh reality of her life.  Jenna is encouraged by her two friends and fellow waitresses, Dawn and Becky, who are also trying to fill the void in their lives in the best ways they can.  Jenna is also sometimes antagonized and sometimes encouraged by Joe--a crotchety old man who owns the diner and several other establishments in town.  Through the course of the film (and many songs) Jenna wrestles with her desperate situation, her own choices (which often seem to make things worse), and with the new life that is growing inside her womb.
+Jenna Hunterson is a waitress, and according to her friends, a "Pie Genius."  But the pies she makes at the diner where she works are for Jenna an escape from the harsh reality of her life:  An abusive husband, a thankless job, and an unwanted pregnancy. She daydreams of entering and winning a local pie-making contest that will give her enough money to leave her husband and start a new life. She also begins to have an affair with her gynecologist, a kind (but married) man who notices her and listens to her.  For Jenna, the affair (like the pies she makes) is an intoxicating escape from her life.  Jenna is supported and encouraged by her two friends and fellow waitresses, Dawn and Becky, who are also trying to fill voids in their lives as best as they can.  Jenna is sometimes antagonized and sometimes encouraged by Joe--a crotchety old man who owns the diner.  Through the course of the film (and many songs) Jenna wrestles with her desperate situation, her own choices (which often seem to make things worse), and with the new life that is growing inside her womb.
 ====Three Dreamers====
-In this (somewhat longish) clip, Jenna's friend Dawn is about to go on a blind date, and asks Jenna to make her a special pie to take to her date.  Pay attention to the three ingredients, the three friends, and the connection between dreams and believers.
+In this (somewhat longish) clip, Jenna's friend Dawn is about to go on a blind date, and asks Jenna to make her a special pie to take on her date.  Pay attention to the three ingredients, the three friends, and the connection between dreams and believers.
 *[Film Clip #2: Dreamers] (5:06)
-Like we saw last month in the movie "Holdovers" the number three is important here.  Sugar, Butter, Flour coming together to create something more than themselves, three friends working in sync to help, support, and even transform each other.  This is a human reflection of the work of the Trinity--God in three persons, working to create, sustain, and transform the world. But there is another Trinity at work in the film, too--not a human one that deals only in dreams, but a more subtle one, a divine Trinity that has the power to actually transform reality.  More on that later.
+Like we saw last month in the movie "Holdovers" the number three is important here.  Sugar, butter, and flour coming together to create something more than themselves, three friends working in sync to help, support, and even transform each other.  This is a human reflection of the work of the Holy Trinity--God in three persons, working to create, sustain, and transform the world. But there is another Trinity at work in the film, too--not a human one that deals only in dreams, but a more subtle one, a divine Trinity that has the power to actually transform reality.  More on that later.
 ====Adultery & Judgment====
-Jenna's affair with her doctor is an undeniable and substantial part of the film.  She knows that it's wrong, and says as much several times.  And yet, as a viewer, you find yourself rooting for this adulterous affair, because of how horribly bad Jenna's husband is, and how the doctor genuinely cares for her, and helps her to see find value, worth, and significance in herself.  In this next clip, as Jenna embraces the doctor, she speaks out loud a wish for her unborn baby:
+Jenna's affair with her doctor is an undeniable and substantial part of the film.  She knows that it's wrong, and says as much several times.  And yet, as a viewer, you find yourself rooting for this adulterous affair, because of how horribly bad Jenna's husband is, and how the doctor genuinely cares for her, and helps her to see value, worth, and significance in herself.  In this next clip, as Jenna embraces the doctor, she speaks out loud a wish for her unborn baby:
 *[Film Clip #4: You Matter to Me] (1:37)
-In so many recent films, with values that are decidedly less biblical, less scriptural, an affair like this one would have been portrayed as justified, perhaps even positive and liberating.  But while it might be "understandable" given Jenna's situation, I like how the film doesn't shy away from the real moral dilemma her affair presents.
+In so many recent films, with values that are decidedly more questionable , an affair like this one would have been portrayed as justified, perhaps even positive and liberating.  But while her adultery might be "understandable" given Jenna's situation, I like how the film doesn't shy away from the real moral dilemma it presents. Here's Joe--the crotchety old man who owns the diner--with Jenna in an (awkward) encounter.  Joe is the conscience of the film...and if you haven't figured it out yet, something more, too.
-−
 Here's Joe--the crotchety old man who owns the diner--with Jenna in an (awkward) encounter.  Joe is the conscience of the film...and if you haven't figured it out yet, something more, too.
 *[Film Clip #3: Joe] (2:23)
@@ Line 34: / Line 32: @@
 *[Film Clip #5: Old Man] (2:32)
-We are so often told that we must believe in God--but we often forget that God first believes in us, and sees in us what we could be, what we should be, not what we have been.  God judges us yes, but God also helps us. I love the line at the end of the song:  And if you lack the strength of your own, hold out your hand and take it from an old man.
+We are so often told that we must believe in God--but we often forget that God first believes in us, and sees in us what we could be, what we should be, not what we have been.  God judges us yes, but God also helps us. I love the line at the end of the song:  And if you lack the strength of your own, hold out your hand and take it (the strength)from an old man.
 ====Amazing, Saving Grace====
-In a lot of modern films, the heroes and heroines are supposed to somehow save themselves.  Anything less is seen as a sign of weakness.  But our Christian faith teaches us otherwise: We can participate in the process, we can repent and cry out to God, but ultimately, we can't turn around our lives by ourselves.  We need God...in three persons, blessed Trinity.  In case you're wondering who the second person of the Trinity is in this film, the second person who "saves" Jenna, empowers her, and transforms her life, here you go (and no, it's not her husband, Earl):
+In a lot of modern films, the heroes and heroines are supposed to somehow save themselves.  Anything less is seen as a sign of weakness.  But our Christian faith teaches us the opposite: We can participate in the process, we can repent and cry out to God, but ultimately, we are incapable of turning our lives around all by ourselves.  We need God...in three persons, blessed Trinity.  In case you're wondering who the second person of the Trinity is in this film, the second person who "saves" Jenna, empowers her, and transforms her life, here you go (and no, it's not her husband, Earl):
 *[Film Clip #6: Everything Changes 1] (3:10)
-Father, Son and Holy Ghost--or in this case, God the Ancient of Days, the Christ Child who came into the world as a baby and changed everything, and the Holy Ghost.  Wait a minute...who is the Holy Ghost?  I don't have a clip for you, but it's Jenna's mother, who appears several times as a ghost in the film, and whose spirit is present in Jenna from the beginning, just as the Holy Spirit lives and dwells within each of us.
+Father, Son and Holy Ghost--or in this case, God the Ancient of Days, God the the Christ Child who came into the world as a baby, and God the Holy Ghost.  Wait a minute...who is the Holy Ghost?  I don't have a clip for you, but it's actually Jenna's deceased mother, who appears several times as a ghost in the film, and whose spirit is present in Jenna from the beginning, just as the Holy Spirit lives and dwells within each of us.
-When God comes into our lives, everything changes, not ALL at once, but in due time--faith is a journey, and we still have to do the right thing, and Jenna does Here's one last clip, as she breaks up with the Doctor. In the reprise that follows, listen for the very religious choice of words: being saved, being turned around (which is literally the definition of repentance), and being born again.
+When God comes into our lives, everything changes, not ALL at once, but in due time--faith is a journey, and we still have to do the right thing, which Jenna does. Here's one last clip, as she breaks up with the Doctor. In the reprise that follows, listen for the very religious choice of words: being saved, being turned around (which is literally the definition of repentance), and being born again.
 *[Film Clip #7: Everything Changes 2] (3:16)
@@ Line 50: / Line 48: @@
 ====Epilogue====
+Wrapping up this beautiful film, and our series on Faith and Film this year, I'll say again what I've told you many times before.  I don't think that Hollywood (or in this case Broadway) writers, directors and producers always set out to tell a particularly Christian story.  But I do believe that our story, the gospel message of divine love and redemption, of grace and forgiveness, of paradise lost and regained, is the most beautiful and moving story in the history of the world.  And when you see or hear a story that touches those chords deep within you, that sings directly to your soul...it's for a reason.  You are hearing echoes of the song that the author of all creation wrote for YOU before the world began.  It's a love song and a lullaby, a reminder that you matter, that you are wonderful and wonderfully made, and that you are loved beyond your wildest imagination.
-Wrapping up this beautiful film, and our series on Faith and Film this year, I'll say again what I've told you many times.  I don't think that Hollywood (or in this case Broadway) writers, actors and directors always set out to tell a particularly Christian story.  But I do believe that our story, the gospel message of divine love and redemption, of grace and forgiveness, of paradise lost and regained, is the most beautiful and moving story in the world.  And when you see or hear a story that touches those chords deep within you, that sings directly to your soul...it's for a reason.  You are hearing echoes of the song that the author of all creation wrote for YOU before the world began.  It's a love song and a lullaby, a reminder that you matter, that you are wonderful and wonderfully made, and that you are loved beyond your wildest imagination.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ====One Minute Film Summary====
-Jenna Hunterson is a waitress, and according to everyone who knows her, a "Pie Genius."  But the pies she makes at the diner where she works are for Jenna an escape from the harsh reality of her life:  An abusive husband and an unwanted pregnancy. She daydreams of entering and winning a local pie-making contest that will give her enough money to leave her husband and start a new life. She also begins to have an affair with her gynecologist, a kind, gentle (but married) man who notices her and listens to her.  For Jenna, the affair (like the pies she makes) is an intoxicating escape from the harsh reality of her life.  Jenna is encouraged by her two friends and fellow waitresses, Dawn and Becky, who are also trying to fill the void in their lives in the best ways they can.  Jenna is also sometimes antagonized and sometimes encouraged by Joe--a crotchety old man who owns the diner and several other establishments in town.  Through the course of the film (and many songs) Jenna wrestles with her desperate situation, her own choices (which often seem to make things worse), and with the new life that is growing inside her womb.
+Jenna Hunterson is a waitress, and according to her friends, a "Pie Genius."  But the pies she makes at the diner where she works are for Jenna an escape from the harsh reality of her life:  An abusive husband and an unwanted pregnancy. She daydreams of entering and winning a local pie-making contest that will give her enough money to leave her husband and start a new life. She also begins to have an affair with her gynecologist, a kind, gentle (but married) man who notices her and listens to her.  For Jenna, the affair (like the pies she makes) is an intoxicating escape from the harsh reality of her life.  Jenna is encouraged by her two friends and fellow waitresses, Dawn and Becky, who are also trying to fill the void in their lives in the best ways they can.  Jenna is also sometimes antagonized and sometimes encouraged by Joe--a crotchety old man who owns the diner and several other establishments in town.  Through the course of the film (and many songs) Jenna wrestles with her desperate situation, her own choices (which often seem to make things worse), and with the new life that is growing inside her womb.
 ====Three Dreamers====

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ====One Minute Film Summary====
-Jenna Hunterson is a Waitress, and according to everyone who knows her, a "Pie Genius."  But the pies she makes at the diner where she works are for Jenna an escape from the harsh reality of her life:  An abusive husband and an unwanted pregnancy. She daydreams of entering and winning a local pie-making contest that will give her enough money to leave her husband and start a new life. She also begins to have an affair with her gynecologist, a kind, gentle (but married) man who notices her and listens to her.  For Jenna, the affair (like the pies she makes) is an intoxicating escape from the harsh reality of her life.  Jenna is encouraged by her two friends and fellow waitresses, Dawn and Becky, who are also trying to fill the void in their lives in the best ways they can.  Jenna is also sometimes antagonized and sometimes encouraged by Joe--a crotchety old man who owns the diner and several other establishments in town.  Through the course of the film (and many songs) Jenna wrestles with her desperate situation, her own choices (which often seem to make things worse), and with the new life that is growing inside her womb.
+Jenna Hunterson is a waitress, and according to everyone who knows her, a "Pie Genius."  But the pies she makes at the diner where she works are for Jenna an escape from the harsh reality of her life:  An abusive husband and an unwanted pregnancy. She daydreams of entering and winning a local pie-making contest that will give her enough money to leave her husband and start a new life. She also begins to have an affair with her gynecologist, a kind, gentle (but married) man who notices her and listens to her.  For Jenna, the affair (like the pies she makes) is an intoxicating escape from the harsh reality of her life.  Jenna is encouraged by her two friends and fellow waitresses, Dawn and Becky, who are also trying to fill the void in their lives in the best ways they can.  Jenna is also sometimes antagonized and sometimes encouraged by Joe--a crotchety old man who owns the diner and several other establishments in town.  Through the course of the film (and many songs) Jenna wrestles with her desperate situation, her own choices (which often seem to make things worse), and with the new life that is growing inside her womb.
 ====Three Dreamers====

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:40, 11 February 2024
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	*[Film Clip #7: Everything Changes 2] (3:16)		*[Film Clip #7: Everything Changes 2] (3:16)

−	God leaves an inheritance to us--his Kingdom for all eternity. Notice on the chalkboard, the ~~Pie~~ Jenna names for Joe is "Old Joe's Slice a Heaven Pie." How much pie is that? A lot.	+	God leaves an inheritance to us--his Kingdom for all eternity. Notice on the chalkboard, the pie Jenna names for Joe is "Old Joe's Slice a Heaven Pie." How much pie is that? A lot.
		+
		+	====Epilogue====
		+
		+	Wrapping up this beautiful film, and our series on Faith and Film this year, I'll say again what I've told you many times. I don't think that Hollywood (or in this case Broadway) writers, actors and directors always set out to tell a particularly Christian story. But I do believe that our story, the gospel message of divine love and redemption, of grace and forgiveness, of paradise lost and regained, is the most beautiful and moving story in the world. And when you see or hear a story that touches those chords deep within you, that sings directly to your soul...it's for a reason. You are hearing echoes of the song that the author of all creation wrote for YOU before the world began. It's a love song and a lullaby, a reminder that you matter, that you are wonderful and wonderfully made, and that you are loved beyond your wildest imagination.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ====Three Minute Film Summary====
-Jenna Hunterson is a Waitress, and according to everyone who knows her, a "Pie Genius."  But the pies she makes at the diner where she works are for Jenna an escape from the hard reality of her life:  An abusive husband and an unwanted pregnancy. She daydreams of entering and winning a local pie making contest that will give her enough money to leave her husband and start a new life. She also begins to have an affair with her gynecologist, a kind, gentle (but married) man who notices her and listens to her.  For Jenna, the affair (like the pies she makes) is an intoxicating escape from the harsh reality of her life.  Jenna is encouraged by her two friends and fellow waitresses, Dawn and Becky, who are also trying to fill the void in their lives in the best ways they can.  She is also sometimes antagonized and sometimes encouraged by Joe--the cranky old man who owns the diner, and several other establishments in town (which should give you a clue as to his identity).  Through the course of the film (and many songs) Jenna wrestles with her desperate situation, her own choices (which often seem to make things worse), and with the new life that is growing in her womb.
+Jenna Hunterson is a Waitress, and according to everyone who knows her, a "Pie Genius."  But the pies she makes at the diner where she works are for Jenna an escape from the hard reality of her life:  An abusive husband and an unwanted pregnancy. She daydreams of entering and winning a local pie making contest that will give her enough money to leave her husband and start a new life. She also begins to have an affair with her gynecologist, a kind, gentle (but married) man who notices her and listens to her.  For Jenna, the affair (like the pies she makes) is an intoxicating escape from the harsh reality of her life.  Jenna is encouraged by her two friends and fellow waitresses, Dawn and Becky, who are also trying to fill the void in their lives in the best ways they can.  She is also sometimes antagonized and sometimes encouraged by Joe--the cranky old man who owns the diner, and several other establishments in town (which should give you a clue as to his identity).  Through the course of the film (and many songs) Jenna wrestles with her desperate situation, her own choices (which often seem to make things worse), and with the new life that is growing inside her womb.
 *[Film Clip #2: Dreamers] (5:06)
-====Fall from Grace====
+Like we saw last month in the movie "Holdovers" the number three is important here.  Sugar, Butter, Flour coming together to create something more than themselves, three friends working in sync to help, support, and even transform each other.  This is a human reflection of the work of the Trinity--God in three persons, working to create, sustain, and transform the world. But there is another Trinity at work in the film, too--not a human one that exists in dreams, but a divine Trinity that has the power to actually transform reality.  More on that later.
 *[Film Clip #3: Joe] (2:23)