Sermon for February 2nd, 2025 - Revision history

Iraneal at 05:38, 2 February 2025

2025-02-02T05:38:26Z

Iraneal at 05:17, 2 February 2025

2025-02-02T05:17:01Z

Iraneal at 05:06, 2 February 2025

2025-02-02T05:06:25Z

Iraneal at 04:46, 2 February 2025

2025-02-02T04:46:07Z

Iraneal at 04:14, 2 February 2025

2025-02-02T04:14:30Z

Iraneal at 03:16, 2 February 2025

2025-02-02T03:16:39Z

Iraneal at 02:11, 2 February 2025

2025-02-02T02:11:05Z

Iraneal at 02:10, 2 February 2025

2025-02-02T02:10:06Z

Iraneal at 02:09, 2 February 2025

2025-02-02T02:09:08Z

Iraneal at 02:08, 2 February 2025

2025-02-02T02:08:19Z

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 ====Trial and Temptation====
 One of the core themes of the film is voiced by the main character, Ellen, when she asks Professor Von Franz, "Does evil come from within us...or from beyond?  This is a theme that runs throughout the Bible as well.  When evil comes from without, we call those "trials." The biblical character Job does nothing wrong, but is still afflicted, externally, by Satan.  When the evil comes from within, however, we call that "temptation."  Jesus tells his disciples in Mark that "it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come."  James 1 teaches that anyone who endures temptation is, in fact, blessed and will receive the crown of life--not, notably because they were always successful in resisting temptation, but rather because God's promises extend to all who love him.
 We see this in the character of Ellen, who succumbs to temptation at the beginning of the film (and maybe a few other times), but continues to struggle to choose the good as often as she can--even to the point where she sacrifices herself to save her husband and her community.
 ====Christ and Anti-Christ====
 We talk a lot about recognizing Christ types in these films--and Ellen's sacrifice of her life to save others perhaps puts her in this category. Or perhaps it's her husband Thomas, who travels land and sea to save his wife (and remembering that Jesus compares himself to a bridegroom, who comes to save his bride, the church).  But the most clear-cut figure in this film is actually a type we haven't considered before: The Anti-Christ.  By this, I mean any character who subverts and parodies aspects of Christ.  Count Orlok is such a figure: He has disciples who speak of him in messianic terms (He is coming!).  Where Christ comes to save the world, Count Orlok comes to destroy it.  And yes, where Jesus gives his body and his blood to nourish others in the bread and wine of holy communion, the vampire takes the body and blood of others to feed upon for himself--a clear perversion of the last supper.
 Recognizing an anti-Christ in our midst is just as important to our faith as recognizing the image of Christ--that's why John of Patmos devoted so much space in the Book of Revelation to describing in cryptic language the great Anti-Christ of his day (most likely the Roman Emperor Nero).  And in our film, it is those who are the most rational, the most science-minded who are the least capable of recognizing the very real, supernatural dangers that afflict them. It's "just" the plague. He's "just" an eccentric count.
@@ Line 44: / Line 51: @@
 This too, is the story of our faith: John 3:19, which comes shortly after that famous verse John 3:16, says that "this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil . . . But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”  And of course in the beginning of John's gospel, we are told that Christ himself came into the world to be "the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it."
 As followers of that light, as followers of Christ, we do not revel in the darkness.  But we ARE called to recognize it, so that we can struggle against it--internally and externally--until the light of Christ finally illuminates the world.  And maybe, just maybe, even a vile, scary R-rated horror movie can occasionally remind us of that sacred and eternal truth.

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 ====Total Depravity====
-Alright.  Let's address the elephant in the room--why did I choose a vile, scary, R-rated horror film--and encourage innocent congregation members to go see it?  A couple of reasons.  The first goes right to the heart of why I do this series every year: The movies that we pay for and flock to see in droves each year tell us a lot about who we are, what we're afraid of, and how our faith fits into the world we inhabit.  The two highest grossing film genres--every year--are Superhero movies (I've preached on many of those) and Horror movies (which I have never preached on until today).  I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of horror movies.  But this one appealed to the former English teacher in me--it's a remake of a classic film (probably the very first horror film ever produced, dating back to the era of silent film) and on a literary classic--Braum Stoker's "Dracula."
+Alright.  Let's address the elephant in the room--why did I choose a vile, scary, R-rated horror movie--and encourage innocent congregation members to go see it?  A couple of reasons.  The first goes right to the heart of why I do this series every year: The movies that we pay for and flock to see in droves each year tell us a lot about who we are, what we're afraid of, and how our faith fits into the world we inhabit.
 The second reason is that horror movies are one of the few places in our modern, science-obsessed culture, where the supernatural is accepted, unquestioned, by the masses.  Our faith, too, is grounded in supernatural elements--miracles, curses, spiritual forces of good and evil that are absolute and beyond the comprehension of the sciences.  It's trendy in a lot of modern films to "flip the script" and portray the good guys as bad guys, and the bad guys as good guys (that's the plot of Wicked, which we'll talk about next week).  But in most horror movies (especially this one) good is good and evil is evil--and choosing one or the other has real, profound consequences.  This also happens to be what our scriptures teach us.
@@ Line 29: / Line 31: @@
 ====Trial and Temptation====
-One of the core themes of the film is voiced by the main character, Ellen, when she asks Professor Von Franz, "Does evil come from within us...or from beyond?  This is a theme that runs throughout the Bible as well.  When evil comes from without, we call those "trials." The biblical character Job does nothing wrong, but is still afflicted, externally, by evil.  When the evil comes from within, we call that "temptation."  Jesus tells his disciples in Mark that "it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come."  James 1 teaches that anyone who endures temptation is, in fact, blessed and will receive the crown of life--not, notably because they were successful in resisting temptation, but rather because God's promises extend to all who love him.
+One of the core themes of the film is voiced by the main character, Ellen, when she asks Professor Von Franz, "Does evil come from within us...or from beyond?  This is a theme that runs throughout the Bible as well.  When evil comes from without, we call those "trials." The biblical character Job does nothing wrong, but is still afflicted, externally, by Satan.  When the evil comes from within, however, we call that "temptation."  Jesus tells his disciples in Mark that "it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come."  James 1 teaches that anyone who endures temptation is, in fact, blessed and will receive the crown of life--not, notably because they were always successful in resisting temptation, but rather because God's promises extend to all who love him.
 We see this in the character of Ellen, who succumbs to temptation at the beginning of the film (and maybe a few other times), but continues to struggle to choose the good as often as she can--even to the point where she sacrifices herself to save her husband and her community.
 ====Christ and Anti-Christ====
-We talk a lot about recognizing Christ types in these films--and Ellen's sacrifice of her life to save others perhaps puts her in this category. Or perhaps it's her husband Thomas, who travels land and sea in attempt to save his wife (and remembering that Jesus compares himself to a bridegroom, who comes to save his bride, the church).  But the clear-cut figure in this film is actually one we haven't considered before: The Anti-Christ.  By this, I mean a character who subverts and parodies aspects of Christ.  Count Orlok is such a figure: He has disciples who speak of him in messianic terms (He is coming!).  Where Christ comes to save the world, Count Orlok comes to destroy it.  And yes, where Jesus gives his body and his blood to nourish humanity in holy communion, the vampire takes the body and blood of others to feed upon for his own selfish purposes--a clear perversion of the last supper.
+We talk a lot about recognizing Christ types in these films--and Ellen's sacrifice of her life to save others perhaps puts her in this category. Or perhaps it's her husband Thomas, who travels land and sea to save his wife (and remembering that Jesus compares himself to a bridegroom, who comes to save his bride, the church).  But the most clear-cut figure in this film is actually a type we haven't considered before: The Anti-Christ.  By this, I mean any character who subverts and parodies aspects of Christ.  Count Orlok is such a figure: He has disciples who speak of him in messianic terms (He is coming!).  Where Christ comes to save the world, Count Orlok comes to destroy it.  And yes, where Jesus gives his body and his blood to nourish others in the bread and wine of holy communion, the vampire takes the body and blood of others to feed upon for himself--a clear perversion of the last supper.
-Recognizing an anti-Christ in our midst is just as important to our faith as recognizing the image of Christ--that's why John of Patmos devoted so much space in the Book of Revelation to describing in cryptic language the great Anti-Christ of his day (most likely the Roman Emperor Nero).  And in our film, it is those who are the most rational, the most science-minded who are the least capable of recognizing the very real, supernatural dangers that afflict them. It's just a plague. He's just an eccentric count.
+Recognizing an anti-Christ in our midst is just as important to our faith as recognizing the image of Christ--that's why John of Patmos devoted so much space in the Book of Revelation to describing in cryptic language the great Anti-Christ of his day (most likely the Roman Emperor Nero).  And in our film, it is those who are the most rational, the most science-minded who are the least capable of recognizing the very real, supernatural dangers that afflict them. It's "just" the plague. He's "just" an eccentric count.
 ====Darkness and Light====
-The cinematography in this film is absolutely stunning, and it has rightly been nominated for an Academy award in this category.  If you pay attention to the use of light and darkness, fire and moonlight, shadow and sunlight, they almost tell the story on their own.  It's a story of shadows encroaching upon the daylight, a world descending first into gray (rain, fog, and rats) then into the abject darkness of night.  But flickers of light always appear in the darkness, and in the end, the dawn illuminates and drives away the darkness.
+The cinematography in this film is absolutely stunning, and it has rightly been nominated for an Academy award in this category.  If you pay attention to the use of light and darkness, fire and moonlight, shadow and sunlight, they almost tell the story on their own.  It's a story of shadows steadily encroaching upon the daylight, a world descending first into gray (rain, fog, rats) then into the abject darkness of night.  But flickers of light always appear in the darkness, and in the end, the dawn illuminates and drives away the night.
 This too, is the story of our faith: John 3:19, which comes shortly after that famous verse John 3:16, says that "this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil . . . But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”  And of course in the beginning of John's gospel, we are told that Christ himself came into the world to be "the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it."
-As followers of that light, as followers of Christ, we do not revel in the darkness.  But we ARE called to recognize it, so that we can struggle against it--internally and externally--until the light of Christ finally illuminates the world.  And maybe, just maybe, even a vile, scary R-rated horror film can occasionally remind us of that sacred and eternal truth.
+As followers of that light, as followers of Christ, we do not revel in the darkness.  But we ARE called to recognize it, so that we can struggle against it--internally and externally--until the light of Christ finally illuminates the world.  And maybe, just maybe, even a vile, scary R-rated horror movie can occasionally remind us of that sacred and eternal truth.

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:06, 2 February 2025
Line 39:		Line 39:

	====Darkness and Light====		====Darkness and Light====
−	~~====Communion====~~	+	The cinematography in this film is absolutely stunning, and it has rightly been nominated for an Academy award in this category. If you pay attention to the use of light and darkness, fire and moonlight, shadow and sunlight, they almost tell the story on their own. It's a story of shadows encroaching upon the daylight, a world descending first into gray (rain, fog, and rats) then into the abject darkness of night. But flickers of light always appear in the darkness, and in the end, the dawn illuminates and drives away the darkness.
		+
		+	This too, is the story of our faith: John 3:19, which comes shortly after that famous verse John 3:16, says that "this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil . . . But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” And of course in the beginning of John's gospel, we are told that Christ himself came into the world to be "the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it."
		+
		+	As followers of that light, as followers of Christ, we do not revel in the darkness. But we ARE called to recognize it, so that we can struggle against it--internally and externally--until the light of Christ finally illuminates the world. And maybe, just maybe, even a vile, scary R-rated horror film can occasionally remind us of that sacred and eternal truth.

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 ====Trial and Temptation====
-One of the core themes of the film is voiced by the main character, Ellen, when she asks Professor Von Franz, "Does evil come from within us...or from beyond?  There's not an easy answer to that question.  While the scriptures acknowledge the reality of evil as spiritual force that can impact us externally, Jesus also tells us in Mark that "it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come:
+One of the core themes of the film is voiced by the main character, Ellen, when she asks Professor Von Franz, "Does evil come from within us...or from beyond?  This is a theme that runs throughout the Bible as well.  When evil comes from without, we call those "trials." The biblical character Job does nothing wrong, but is still afflicted, externally, by evil.  When the evil comes from within, we call that "temptation."  Jesus tells his disciples in Mark that "it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come."  James 1 teaches that anyone who endures temptation is, in fact, blessed and will receive the crown of life--not, notably because they were successful in resisting temptation, but rather because God's promises extend to all who love him.
 ====Christ and Anti-Christ====
 ====Communion====

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 ====Total Depravity====
-====Dreams====
+Alright.  Let's address the elephant in the room--why did I choose a vile, scary, R-rated horror film--and encourage innocent congregation members to go see it?  A couple of reasons.  The first goes right to the heart of why I do this series every year: The movies that we pay for and flock to see in droves each year tell us a lot about who we are, what we're afraid of, and how our faith fits into the world we inhabit.  The two highest grossing film genres--every year--are Superhero movies (I've preached on many of those) and Horror movies (which I have never preached on until today).  I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of horror movies.  But this one appealed to the former English teacher in me--it's a remake of a classic film (probably the very first horror film ever produced, dating back to the era of silent film) and on a literary classic--Braum Stoker's "Dracula."
 ====Trial and Temptation====
 ====Darkness and Light====
 ====Christ and Anti-Christ====

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:11, 2 February 2025
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	====Trial and Temptation====		====Trial and Temptation====
	====Darkness and Light====		====Darkness and Light====
		+	====Christ and Anti-Christ====

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:10, 2 February 2025
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	==Faith & Film XIII: Nosferatu==		==Faith & Film XIII: Nosferatu==
		+
		+	*Film Clip #1 - Trailer

	====Three Minute Film Summary====		====Three Minute Film Summary====

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 ==James 1:12-15 (NT p.229)==
-Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord[a] has promised to those who love him. 13 No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. 14 But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; 15 then, when desire has conceived, it engenders sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.
+Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. 14 But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; 15 then, when desire has conceived, it engenders sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.
 ==Faith & Film XIII: Nosferatu==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==John 3:19-21 (NT p.94)==
 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
 ==Mark 7:20-23 (NT p.42)==