Of Real Life Theology

Hello Saints,

First, a quick reminder that this Friday is the start of our Spring Alpha Course. If you have someone in your life who is interested in our church or in what Christianity is all about, this is a great event to invite people to. It starts Friday at 6:00 PM and goes till 8 PM. Childcare and a meal are provided.

One of the things I love about our movie nights here at TCW is the surprisingly poignant conversations that follow the movie. Even when it’s a kids movie. On Friday night we watched what I consider to be the one of the last truly great Pixar movies, Up. Yes, it's a fun animated movie about how an old grieving man is befriended by a young boy and they go on an adventure in a house that is flying because of balloons. But like most of the Pixar movies from that era, there's a real issue underneath. In this one it’s about the old man’s grief after losing his wife and his attempt to shut out the world. As we were having a wonderful theological discussion about the confusion of the symbol and the symbolized, which is kind of the point of the whole movie, the conversation took a turn toward the real. See, there were two people in the room who have lost their spouses. What was at first a fun theoretical discussion on grief turned very personal and grounded. I am grateful for that conversation and the vulnerability of those who were there. It was a reminder that  theology must have a human connection, must have a way of speaking to our everyday hurts, struggles, joys, and triumphs. After all, isn’t this what God himself does? Isn’t this one of the things at the heart of the incarnation? We don’t just have a God who talks about temptation but experienced temptation himself. We don’t just have a God who talks about joy and celebration, but one who makes wine on the third day of a wedding. We don’t just have a God who talks about grief, but one who wept at the tomb of his friend. We don’t have a God who just talks about death, but one who has walked that path before us.

One of the things I love about our movie nights here at TCW is the surprisingly poignant conversations that follow the movie, even when it’s a kids' movie. On Friday night, we watched what I consider to be one of the last truly great Pixar movies, Up. Yes, it's a fun animated movie about how an old grieving man is befriended by a young boy, and they go on an adventure in a house that is flying because of balloons. But like most of the Pixar movies from that era, there's a real issue underneath. In this one, it’s about the old man’s grief after losing his wife and his attempt to shut out the world. As we were having a wonderful theological discussion about the confusion of the symbol and the symbolized, which is kind of the point of the whole movie, the conversation took a turn toward the real. See, there were two people in the room who have lost their spouses. What was at first a fun theoretical discussion on grief turned very personal and grounded. I am grateful for that conversation and the vulnerability of those who were there. It was a reminder that theology must have a human connection, must have a way of speaking to our everyday hurts, struggles, joys, and triumphs. After all, isn’t this what God himself does? Isn’t this one of the things at the heart of the incarnation? We don’t just have a God who talks about temptation but experienced temptation himself. We don’t just have a God who talks about joy and celebration, but one who makes wine on the third day of a wedding. We don’t just have a God who talks about grief, but one who wept at the tomb of his friend. We don’t have a God who just talks about death, but one who has walked that path before us.

In Christ,

Jamey +