Cowboys and Aliens and Religious Commentary

What a great concept -- mix-up the genres of Westerns and Sci-Fi. Harrison Ford did it previously in the original Star Wars (aka A New Hope), don't you think!

Though the potential was there, once again the Summer blockbusters are just not quite getting there. Although huge amounts of money are flowing into Hollywood coffers this years, the quality of the films seems to be off a bit. [But let me say that Jon Favreau's meteoric rise has been well-deserved. The directing is good; I think the writing is probably weak -- never really got beyond the original cool idea with several formulas tossed in.]

Some religious theme could have been anticipated as the town's name was Absolution.

There is an interesting character in the film -- a preacher / doctor / posse member. Though there is a cross close to the pulpit in an area that also served as a surgery suite, the "theology" seemed weak. In fact, it was strongly the traditional understanding of religion as doing right, morality alone, personal accomplishment judgment. What exactly was God's function in this character's theology? And how did he mesh it with ALIENS?
Sadly we never found out as he tried to do good, and got stepped on by one of those pesky demon Aliens!

We wait for a good religious reflection in current cinema. Dare I say that the closest we have gotten so far was in Easy A among the mainstream films?

Interpersonal Wellness – Vocational Call

We are exploring the richness of the idea of call in the Adult Study on Sunday mornings. And for all its fullness, often the sense most folks have is of their vocation / work or their call to some action. Our understanding of our being has to do with our doing. And that is partially true, if we believe that God has called us to both that being and doing. We are called to faith and it is sealed in Baptism; we are called by the Spirit to act for God’s creation – being and doing. In this hot Summer, may we all be warmed by a certainty of both God’s call to faith and call to action – in jobs, professions, retirement, service, and love for the Lord’s creation.

One aspect of the “call” we will just touch on is the common understanding that clergy / pastors have a special “call.” And though pastors are called by God, they are called to action equally, alongside the teacher, the salesperson, the hospital worker, the scientist. Having said that, the pastor’s call is also from the congregation – to act on behalf of a local church in spreading the Gospel. It is not the pastor’s task alone (that Gospel business belongs to every Christian) but it is the focus for much of the pastor’s life, rather than grading papers or selling shoes or taking blood pressure. Interestingly, when a pastor is asked to come to a congregation, a “Letter of Call” is issued, specifying the expectations of the congregation – how the pastor will act publicly for that community of faith. I keep my “Letter of Call” on display, so I can look at it periodically and remember the expectations of the congregation’s call – to preach and teach the Word of God, to administer the Sacraments, to lead worship and provide the announcement of forgiveness, to provide pastoral care and be a voice for the suffering, to encourage others to be pastors, to remind us of connections to the broader church, and then to equip others for their witness and service. And then the final specific is to guide the congregation in proclaiming God’s love through word and deed. That is the kind of job to which I hope God has called me!

Maybe everyone should write up a “Letter of Call” for whatever that person spends a majority of waking time doing. Such a document could affirm the actions already being pursued, as well as be a challenge to fulfill other aspects of that call. And you know, one of the keys to Luther’s Reformation was that no matter the life-task, all Christians can speak of God’s love (preach and teach), can forgive, can soothe the suffering and assist the forgotten, can encourage persons to serve and support the church, can help others (and themselves!) embrace the task of proclaiming God’s love in word and deed! Together, we are all called to witness and service.

BR>

Good-bye to The Unit

David Mamet's series "The Unit" has finally left TV after about a five year run. I have been catching up on the whole past year on library checked out DVDs, as my spouse loves The Unit. I like it, but keep expecting Dennis Haysbert to stop and sell Allstate Insurance in the middle of a fire-fight with enemy terrorists.
One thing that cropped up frequently in the final season were religious references. It is interesting that a career soaked in violence would also be familiar with the Bible and religious traditions? Is Mamet just offering interesting characters or is he saying something about the close tie in America between a heritage of violence as well as a national reputation of being decidedly a country of faith?

Harry Potter -- I Have to Say Something

I was there opening day (but not at the midnight show!) to see the Harry Potter series conclude. Impressively dark, brooding, almost despairing, but resolved to fight. One wonders if this had to be a British-born series -- not the attempt at pluckiness or a twinge of sunlight that an American author may have included.
Some religious folks object to the wizards and witchcraft aspects; those are not my concerns here.

It does strike me as overwhelmingly appropriate that a snake / serpent was the animal representation of evil -- sounds like from the beginning (Genesis) biblical imagery!
Appropriately resolved. I wish the epilogue would have been clearer, as the book seemed to provide.
Now, what are all those stars going to do next???

Larry Crowne and a Side Observation

Larry Crowne seemed even to be promoted good-naturedly as a light weight Summer movie -- no ground broken, little ripple in life experience. It achieved that I think. I would agree with many reviewers that it rated between 5 and 6 on a 10 point scale.
But there were two things I thought were interesting to dig into:
One, I liked the on-going garage sale of his neighbor. It appealed to my eBay forays!
Two, the character Steve Dibiasi, played by Rami Malek, is an interesting contrast to the character, "Snafu," also played by Malek in The Pacific HBO series. Did Hanks purposely cast him in the two roles to highlight the different paths of young people in 2011 and 1941? One wonders: would Malek's offbeat Snafu have been just a "character" like Dibiasi, if Snafu had stayed home in New Orleans and rode his bicycle and goofed off with his friends and been a bit out of touch with reality instead of enlisting when America went to war in 1941?
Even with a war in Afghanistan and operations globally by the military, young people today do not go off to enlist in the huge masses experienced in World War II. Will the peace experienced by most shape the country more positively in the long-run? Will crises that increased religious fervor during World War II and after be by-passed, and will other life experiences draw folks today to the Church?

Bad Teacher -- Jesus Christ!

The movie Bad Teacher seemed to have so much potential. Education is something everyone goes through (though fewer go to school with the home school movement strengthening and now folks are promoting online education for the pre-Adult grades).
Still the movie offered a humorous peek at the classroom experience -- offered, but I am not sure delivered. Yes, there were laugh-out-loud moments, but the teacher was so bad that one's concern for the children's experience began to outweigh the desire to laugh.
One particularly problematic moment for me came when the teacher was grading papers, and comments increased in their caustic nature. Finally, Cameron Diaz writes "Jesus Christ" on one paper.
OK, so this may violate the "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God" commandment. That is a big problem, but movies have been stepping over that line for some time. I am more concerned with this scene as if it would be tolerated in school. In recent films wrestling coaches easily flaunt language for their students and now this middle-school teacher. Teachers do have some modeling role for appropriateness for the students. Really? "Jesus Christ." I do not think that would be tolerated in school, even by a principal as out of touch as the one depicted in "Bad Teacher." Teachers do not have to be saints, but there are boundaries, right?

Interpersonal Wellness - Vocational

In July (and August too!), the Wellness wheel turns to Vocational Wellness. And we have much time to consider it – 31 days in July AND 31 more in August! Plus, this year July has five Fridays, five Saturdays, and five Sundays, which according to an email I received has not occurred for 823 years! (Can that be true?)

Either way, that is plenty of time to work on the concept of vocation.

Often we think about the Summer months as times of vacation and rest, not vocation and work. Yet, vocation is not just about our jobs or what we do. “Vocation” may include that but even more deals with our “call” from God – a call that may include work that supports others, but also our relationships and service. Thus, vocation, God’s call for each of us, acts year round – maybe just a little slower in the Summer. Yet as you perhaps slow down, I hope you will take time to explore the various aspects of Vocation or Call. We cannot ignore the jobs or past jobs of our personal histories, but vocation enriches our lives and infuses our lives – in those areas of work, but also in family life, friendships, personal finances, as a citizen and community member, in service, ministry, and mission. Sometimes our vocation is NOT even our work, but comes into focus in one of those other arenas.

John the Baptist Points the Way!

Today (June 24) is the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, who was born just six months earlier than Jesus (December 24), according to tradition. Witnessing on the Jordan River about 29 AD, he baptized many, including Jesus. He proclaimed Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. His fame decreased as Jesus increased in popularity. John ended up executed because he criticized the government of his day.
I am not sure a movie could convey his message as well as the following altar painting from Colmar in the Alsace region of France, close to the German border.

Matthias Grünewald. Crucifixion (central section of the Isenheim Altar with closed wings). 1510-1515. Oil on panel. Musée d'Unterlinden, Colmar, France.

That elongated finger in the Gruenewald Altar painting says it all!

It's Official -- Summertime!

The clock has passed the magic moment, and we have entered Summer officially! Here in North Texas we probably thought we were already in Summertime with high temperatures over 100 degrees most of last week. The droughts nearby have also intensified the sense of Summertime heat. Temptations arise to pause in the shade and rest through the season. But, no, there is much still to do. Our culture no longer depends on cotton, so the old song "Summertime and the living is easy" just does not ring true. In air-conditioned offices and automobiles we trick our bodies into believing we can continue our regular pace. As a guy who remembers un-air-conditioned Summers, I am tempted to seek that shade and a slower pace, but much remains to do. So, I press on with my neighbors. Besides there are Summer Blockbusters to view! Plus, God, who came to the near year-long Summertime of Palestine for Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, calls us even in the Summer to "Go!"

June 1: Interpersonal Wellness - 2

In June, the Interpersonal Wellness stuff gets practical. On June 2 -- Ascension Day, followers of the Lord are told to quit staring at the heavens where Jesus went. Instead the disciples headed for fellowship time, for Bible Study, and witness. (Acts 1 and 2) We Christians still gather for worship regularly to glance heavenward, to receive Christ’s gifts, and to be strengthened for life’s journeys, then we also go out from worship for fellowship time, Bible Study, and witness. By the 12th of June (Pentecost Sunday’s date this year), we are reminded of the gracious gift God has given all the baptized: the Holy Spirit. Again, not a gift to direct our eyes heavenward for long, God’s spirit stirs new gifts up within each of us to assist the community of faith to grow and thrive as well as to serve this world the Lord has created! The following week we are reminded of the ultimate Interpersonal Relationship: “God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity.” Just as it takes all three Divine Persons dynamically touching our world and our lives, it takes all persons of faith to work together to present God to the world today. (And the 19th is also Fathers’ Day, a point of contact for many still.) Then the 25th of June, we could remember the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession – a celebration for the Lutheran fellowship of faith, a remembrance of a fellow-laborer in Christ and a friend of Martin Luther’s (Philipp Melanchthon) who wrote the majority of the Augsburg Confession, and thus helped frame the Lutheran understanding of our Christian Faith. Again, we do not have the Augsburg Confession merely to gaze at it or ignore it as a mere historical artifact, but the Confessions also inform our faith and practice, then sends us to gather with others for Fellowship, Study, and Witness!