The Pulpiteer

This is the fifth in the series “Rebels of the Resurrection” and it deals with being in between. The scripture reading that the message is based on is Ephesians 1:15-23.  This is the Sunday that we celebrate and remember the ascension of Jesus Christ.  We are in between Jesus being seated in glory and power and the time when Jesus will return to set things right and bring judgment.  So, how do we understand Christ being in control when it so often seems like he is not?

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I’m going to put up a few links to some reviews and thoughts on the movie Young @ Heart so here they are.

First, a site that I linked for “Wall-E”, Past the Popcorn, has some good stuff.  Here is his review on the movie, and here is an interview with the chorus director, Bob Cilman, which I thought was very interesting.  Part of the interview I especially liked dealt with the chorus attempting to be serious artists – and I think it speaks a lot to why the film worked for me, as well as why the story works for me.  Here it is (Bob Cilman’s answers are indicted by “BC”). Continue Reading »

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I have meant to get this up for about a week, but better late than never I suppose.  I want to get some links up to some excellent sites and thinkers in regards to art and film in particular.  There are some particularly helpful reviews about Wall-e out there so this is a good way to introduce to you some of these different sites.

• The first link is to a podcast that I enjoy called The Kindlings Muse and in this episode several movies are reviewed with Wall-e being one of the first.

• One of the guys that was on that episode of The Kindlings Muse is Jeffrey Overstreet, who is an author and film critic as well as blogger.  Here is a link to his list of the 20 top movies of 2008.  The thing to note about Overstreet is his thoughtful and critical engagement with film from a Christian perspective.  Here is a bit of what he wrote in one spot about Wall-e (which he ranked as #2 for 2008):

How many movies can you name that are as provocative for adults as they are entertaining for children? Perhaps a few—but are they also standard-setting achievements in animation? How many begin with twenty minutes of dialogue-free creativity, like the near-silent comedy at the beginning of this film? Andrew Stanton’s story is an imaginative fusion of Noah’s Ark and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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This is the fourth in the series “Rebels of the Resurrection” and it deals with categories.  The scripture reading that the message is based on is Acts 10:44-48 and it comes at the end of a chapter where some amazing things are happening in regards to God’s relationship with the gentiles.  In the reading the Holy Spirit is poured out “even on the gentiles” which should be shocking.  What categories do we put people in, and how should that change for those who are in Christ?

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This is the third in the rebels of the resurrection series – this is last Sunday’s sermon – from John 15:1-11. This is the metaphor of Jesus as the vine and his disciples as the branches.  I spend a bit of time examining pruning and then focus on our main task: to abide in Christ and to trust God.  If we do these things then we will bear spiritual fruit.  There is an image I used to help describe these things and it is found here.

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