I am a big fan of watching the Academy Awards (don't call me this afternoon after 3pm), and so I always do what I can to watch the movies that are up for Best Picture, and especially the ones that I think will get lots of awards.
Jon and I had fun this year sneaking away for date nights to see the movies together, and I love each movie I saw for different reasons. The one movie I had to do a little dragging to get Jon to was "Les Miserables". Someone told him (I was trying to keep it a secret) that every word of the movie is in song. Eventually, he relented to go see the movie with me, and he was truly glad he did. The first 15 minutes are a little distracting as you get used to the singing, but then you forget and settle in for a beautiful story.
"Les Mis" has a very deep Christian theme, which is grace. The story's main male characters are Valjean, who is a convict, and Javert, who is a prison guard. Valjean finds out what grace is all about when he is released for prison, after serving many years for stealing a piece of bread, and comes across a priest who teaches him what is means to be redeemed. Javert's character is all about rules and adhering to the law, and has no understanding of grace or compassion in his life. Although Valjean leads a very hard life, he holds on to the grace that was given him, and extends it to others. In the end, Valjean has an opportunity to kill Javert, who has pursued him with great hate. Valjean spares Javert's life, which is something Javert can't understand. Not only can he not understand it, he can't accept it.
"...we all face unexplainable, gut-wrenching, miserable trials of pain, loss, and suffering. Rich or poor, prisoner or pontiff, famous or failure-eventually, we all come to a moment when life's most difficult questions collide with the silence of our own doubts. And in those moments, we have a choice. "Les Mis" articulates the possibility of experiencing the reality of divine love, grace, and hope. Such an experience can form a faith strong enough to transform our vision of trustworthy, faith-full means of overcoming all life's challenges. Where the law fails...love wins." - Gary Black Jr.
Pastor Jim has taken us through a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. One thing we are learning is that God's law is trumped only by grace and love. Thou shall not murder also means though shall not hate or hold anger. One must extend grace and forgiveness and find reconciliation. Thou shall not commit adultery means that we should keep our promises in all areas of our life. Again, extending grace and love and being a reflection of Jesus. If you want to catch any of these sermons, you can find them on Glenkirkchurch.org
It must be amazing to be nominated for your work and win an Oscar. How many of us can remember what picture won five years ago, or last year? Had to look it up? How many of us can remember a moment when someone extended grace and forgiveness when we did not expect it, or deserve it. That memory would last a lifetime.
Jesus did that. He is the ultimate gift of grace giver.
I won't ever forget.
Love,
Sandy
