Today allow
me to mix in a little movie review with this installment of Moments with the
Minster. Not long ago I went to see the
film Yesterday. It’s a delightful
and heart-warming story of a struggling musician who mysteriously is brought to
a world where the Beatles never existed. No one else but himself knows these
songs that defined rock n roll in the 1960’s. Once he realizes this, he makes
himself famous singing all the tunes of the Fab Four. He becomes an overnight
sensation. Of course, he faces the moral dilemma of essentially stealing these
songs as well as trying to balance a love interest. There are also some other amusing
and interesting peculiarities of this modified world. It’s definitely worth the
price of admission especially for those of us who grow up idolizing the
Beatles.
Now here
comes a little spoiler, so if you don’t want to read on and are frustrated that
you came to this column wanting some spiritual insight, then I suggest you just
put down the paper and read the Bible. It’s much better than anything I ever
write anyway. With that said, let’s proceed.
Throughout
the main character’s rise to fame there are two people who obviously know
what’s going on. While the rest of the world is oblivious to this altered
reality, these two remember John, Paul, Ringo, and George. They recognize these songs. They know he’s a
fraud. As these two insiders are followed throughout the movie the audience
wonders what they will do. Will they
expose the scam? Will they threaten blackmail demanding a piece of the profit
in exchange for their silence?
The day
comes when these two confront the now famous singer. And their reaction is
unexpected. Instead of criticizing or threatening they embrace the singer with
overwhelming expressions of thankfulness and gratitude for giving them back the
songs they remember and love. A beautiful piece of their world that was taken
away has been restored and for that they are grateful. It took these songs
being taken away for them to truly appreciate them. Their absence accentuated
their brilliance.
That scene
made me think about all the beautiful pieces of my life that I often take for
granted. I thought about a world without my wife and children. A world without my friends. A world without
my faith. Do I truly recognize all the beautiful things of this life? What
would my world be like without them?
I suppose
every movie leaves each member of the audience with a somewhat different
message, but this one reminded me to be grateful. It reminded me of all the
songs people have sung into my life and how each one of those songs have made
my world a better place. It made me wonder how less the world would be without
them and how I need to live in daily appreciate for what is.
Too often we
are resentful for what we don’t have rather than grateful for what do have.
Without a doubt, the world would be a lesser place without the Beatles but how
much more would the world be a lesser place without so many of the other
splendors of this world? We are indeed blessed.
So, let’s
not forget to embrace with overwhelming expressions of thankfulness and
gratitude those people who make our yesterday’s, today’s, and tomorrow’s so fabulous.
Last month I
got to take the trip of a lifetime. I got to go to Israel which, especially for
a minister, is like letting a kid loose in a candy store. I ate up every single
artifact, ruin, and historical site. I
have read about these places for decades, but to actually be there - to see
these them with my own eyes - is beyond description. There it was all right in
front of me. I walked through the holy city of Jerusalem. I looked down upon
the ruins of ancient Jericho. I prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane just down
from the Mount of Olives. I sailed on the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Dan,
Beersheba, the Jordan River – all of them - I was there. My eyes have seen what
only my ears had heard. All of those places mentioned in the pages of the Bible
actually exist.
One critique
of Scripture is that it’s just a book of myths and fairy tales. Stories created to provide a history and
legacy for the Jewish nation. Fables of
a Jewish rabbi invented decades later to provide a foundation for a new
religion. Sure, there are some wonderful truths contained in this ancient book,
but to actually believe that the stories have any historical basis is asking people
to suspend their sense of reality.
Last month
some of my family got to take a trip of a lifetime. They got to go to London. In
addition to taking in all the customary sites of the old town they took a side
trip to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio tour. Here were some of the
sets where the blockbuster movies were filmed. They saw Daigon Alley, The Great
Hall, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, walked through the Forbidden Forest, and saw
the Hogwarts Express. What an experience
for those Harry Potter fans. Yet as mesmerizing and spellbinding that visit may
have been, the fact of the matter is that all those places are fictional. There
is no Hogwarts Express. There is no Wizarding Bank. There is no Daigon Alley.
That’s the
difference between the Bible and Harry Potter. The world of Harry Potter is
made up. It’s not real. And that’s okay because never does the author imply
that her books are history. The world of the Bible is not made up. And that’s
important because the Bible does make the claim that it’s talking about real
people and real places. The Bible talks about Abraham, David, Jesus, and Paul
as if they were real human beings who walked the earth. The Bible talks about
Ur, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Capernaum as if they are actual places on a map.
And although not every person or place mentioned in the Bible has been verified
archaeologically, enough have been to lead to the undeniable conclusion that
Scripture’s claim to be the story of real people and real places cannot be
reasonable disputed.
To
believers, this adds a deeper layer to our faith. Since we can trust the Bible in
regard to the historical and geographical details, we surely can trust it in
matters of faith. To non-believers, it
gives an air of credibility to an ancient text that many simply dismiss as
being a work of fanciful fiction with little or no basis in history. The
message of the Bible is too important to ignore based on the assumption that is
on the level of Harry Potter.
I believe
the Bible to be true. True in matters of history and, more importantly, true in
matters of life and faith. The Bible is the true story of our God who created
us and redeemed us. And I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
