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Luke 6:37

‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged;

do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.

Forgive, and you will be forgiven;  

Fluff and Other Good Things!

As part of the book study last week, I asked the check-in question, “What’s your guilty pleasure?”  It wasn’t part of the theological discussion but check-ins are a simple way to begin to know one another and build community.  My personal belief is that, in order to build Christian Community, one has to create a safe community and that sense of safety is created in knowing one another and accepting each other in a non-judgmental manner. As we begin to learn each other’s story, acceptance often flows forth in the knowing, and it is in that safety that conversation can move from the surface into those deep conversations of the heart.

There were a variety of answers to my question and they were quite interesting because they gave some insights into what brought people some enjoyment in their life.  I found it fascinating that a number of us have TV shows we watch or books we read, that one might consider, “fluff.”  One of the joys of reading or watching “fluff” is that it makes us feel good and there is nothing wrong with curling up with a glass of wine or a piece of chocolate (apparently other popular sources of guilty pleasure) as we read or watch some “fluff.”  It allows us to “park our worries,” unwind, decompress, and do all those things that are part of a healthy balance in life.  I suspect if everything we did was only healthy and/or serious, we could pretty much suck all the joy out of life without hardly trying.

As we begin to approach Holy Week, the heaviness of the journey to the Cross often begins to weigh me down.  Soon it will be Palm Sunday and the drama from that triumphant parade to the crucifixion will begin to unfold.  One of the ways I like to decompress is watching old movies that portray the Easter drama in a different format than reading scripture and meditating on the word.

One movie I’ve watched a few times over the years, that doesn’t relieve stress, but brings me “into the moment,” is Mel Gibson’s The Passion of Christ.  Although it portrays a lot of violence, it gives one a sense of the betrayal, trial and murder that Jesus suffered through. But my two favorites, that I’ve watched more times than I care to admit, are Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell.  All three of these movies portray the biblical narrative leading up to the crucifixion and even though they do not portray the Gospel accounts accurately, they allow us to connect to the story emotionally.

Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell were both released in 1973 and were, therefore, coming of age movies for me.  Both were based on Broadway productions and I’ve had the privilege of seeing both of them on stage numerous times.  Also, while living in Alberta, Godspell, was performed by First United in Wetaskwin, and Jesus Christ Superstar was performed by the United Church in the small town of Bashaw. 

Because they don’t portray the biblical story as accurately as some scholars might hope for, they are often written off as “fluff.”  However, I believe that many of the “Baby Boomers” were connected to the Jesus Story, on a deep and emotional level, by watching them on stage and on the movie screen.  How many of us when encountering the word “Hosanna,” unconsciously begin humming the hit song from JC Superstar?

I think at the end of the day that an emotional connection to the Easter story is quite possibly more important and more life changing than having an academic understanding of the events leading up to the cross.  I believe that one of the most important things we are called to do during Lent is deepen our connection to Jesus the Christ.  The longing we have to connect to the holy every Lent is reflected in the song Day by Day from Godspell, posted at the end of this blog.

My invitation to you this Lent or Holy Week, is to curl up and watch a couple of these movies, even if they might be considered “fluff.”  If you are like me, you’re so familiar with the music that you might even sing along, “Park your worries,” unwind, decompress, engage your heart and hopefully connect with the Easter story in a deep and profound way and prepare to experience Holy Week in its fullness, so that you might be able to move into new life as we celebrate the Resurrection on Easter Morning.

Amen