Movie devotions: Les Miserables - Exodus 9:7

Exodus 9:7     Pharaoh sent men to investigate and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go.

Like most movie goers, I went to see the new production of “Les Miserables” on the big screen. It’s part of a Christmas tradition with the Stuarts. On Christmas Day, we go to the latest blockbuster in the morning and then sit down to dinner when we get home. We usually discuss the movie at the table which helps us strengthen our bonds of commonality and love.

“Les Miz” was an amazing movie in so many different ways. The computerized special effects made it appear as if it was actually being shot in the Paris of 1832. Some of the songs were wonderful and the acting was first class. It was, however, a bleak tragedy at times, and the amount of misery that was displayed was harrowing.

I’ve always been intrigued by the character ‘Javert’ and I thought that Russell Crowe played him almost perfectly (Robert Newton has always been my favorite actor to portray Javert). Javert is a police inspector who lives his life devoted to the Law. Justice for him is served by applying the Law clinically and perfectly. Javert has no compassion for anyone. He idolizes the Law and is soulless. His lack of mercy and unswerving dedication to fulfilling the Law is what ruins him in the end. He cannot abide being weak and cannot live with himself when he allows the hero, Jean Valjean, one act of mercy. His dispassion destroys him, causing him to leap to his death into the cold waters of the River Seine in Paris.

Both Bible passages for today (Exodus 9:1-7 and John 8:1-11) involve dispassionate people whose merciless judgments lead to their subsequent destruction. When Pharaoh stubbornly refuses to let the Hebrew go free after the death of livestock, he is choosing to selfishly follow a hard-hearted path that will eventually lead to the death of his son, the destruction of his army, and the end of his reign.

In the Gospel, we come across religious fanatics who want to stone to death a defenseless woman. They are self-righteously full of vengeance and seek to dispassionately destroy a sinner in their midst, in order to preserve the illusion of perfectionism in their religious community. It’s only when Jesus intervenes with some home truths and close to the bone remarks that their attitude changes. However, within a short time, the same kind of religious fanatics are going to go after Jesus, baying for blood, and eventually seeking to have Him crucified. The religious community perfection that they try to harshly maintain will be destroyed within a generation.

We are on the threshold of a New Year. We each will be faced with many different choices. Some of them will be good, but at other times we will make mistakes. Depending upon what we do, our good choices may outweigh our poor decisions, but at the outset of the New Year, we need to be aware of this: all of our choices have consequences.

Question for personal reflection

What are the main choices that I have ahead of me in 2013? Am I willing to listen to Christ’s Voice as the prime directive for my decisions?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, a new year lies ahead of us and none of us knows what kind of journey we will experience. We have dreams and goals, as well as choices and decisions that can bring goodness into our lives and those of our loved ones. Guide us with Your wisdom; lead us by Your love. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s Mackintosh Rose drawings. It’s called “Lo, How a Rose E’r Blooming” in the style of the renowned Scottish art nouveau artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh. If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click on the following link:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8499/8309689684_8543d1c119_b.jpg

Church Staff Devotions: 84 Million - Exodus 1:12-13

Exodus 1:12-13          But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. 

Sometimes when people are oppressed because of their faith, they grow in numbers. Christianity in China is a good example of this. In 1949 when the Communists took control of China, there were only about 500,000 Christians in the nation. After persecuting the church for more than sixty years, how many Christians are there in China? 84 million.

It appears that when Christianity is backed into a corner and almost annihilated, it finds a new way out and grows. Perhaps at some future point in our decadent and deviant Western society, we will see a real re-emergence of the church because Christians will once again stand up for their beliefs, instead of embracing the culture which is causing a passive church to wither and decay.

Long ago, the Egyptians used a form of genocide in an attempt to wipe out the Jewish community in their midst. It didn’t work because God’s will could not be thwarted by mere politics, no matter how powerful the leader of the Egyptians appeared to be. Moses was predestined to be born and become a great leader of his people. God desired this, so human wickedness would not prevail.

In years to come, missionaries will be sent from Africa and Asia, India and China to Europe and the Americas in order to reclaim churches and Christians for Christ. God’s work will not be undone and Christ’s words will always endure. Our role in our churches today is to be faithful to God’s Word and serve Christ truly, even when it is unpopular. If we do that then a people yet unborn may be reclaimed for Christ and His Kingdom.

Questions for personal reflection

Has my faith grown in times of adversity? Have I personally shared my Christian beliefs with the upcoming generation?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, all over the world people are praising Your Name and believing in Your Words. New churches are springing up in hostile areas and Your mission is being accomplished across this planet. Help us to strengthen our faith, in the good times as well as the bad. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to make a comment or ask a question of today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is another of John’s 2012 Advent drawings simply called “Advent.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8063/8192865892_9d85b325b4_b.jpg