I just finished watching Thirteen a movie that I have wanted to see for many months now. It has made me see the importance of both filmmaking and youth ministry. Which happen to be my two fields of work.
It is a story about a young girl Tracy who is thirteen. This is her first year in the 7th grade. The plot follows her path as she changes herself to be friends with the popular girl in school. The themes of the film are shown flashing across the screen of the DVD menu: Family, Friends, Pressure, and Life.
In the movie the words ‘i love you’ are empty when they come from Tracy’s friend, but heart felt emotion and action when they come from her mom.
“What is your faith based on?” I asked myself this because I keep saying that my faith is not based on rules or morals or the ten commandments or doing the right thing in the church service. So in light of all this what IS my faith based on?
My Theology? At first I thought maybe but then my theology changes and develops all the time and is itself based on Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason, so no.
How about Ethics? Of course not I do not even consider myself to be an ethical person. So what is it?
Love, God. Now we are getting somewhere, my faith is based on my love relationship with God. To get here I asked myself what is my faith in my parents based on? There rules? No. There strength? No. The facts that I know about them? No. Then what? It is based on the love that they have for me and the relationship that this enables.
So how do I know that my parents love me? Well let’s see, they tell me but that could be just empty words like we find in the film. They feed me and take care of me, yeah but they have to do that. But do they have to take care of me by sacrificing there own wants and dreams. No they do not, but they do. Why? Because they love me.
Sacrifice is the sign of love. I know that God loves me because he sacrificed his child the Messiah for me.
My Faith is based on my love relationship with God the Creator, made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus the Redeemer, through the Holy Spirit the Sustainer who lives in me.
(My theology may not save me, but it sure rocks my world when it articulates what does).
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About Me
- blairology
- Blair is a graduate of Mercer University in Macon, GA. Where he earned a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Communication and Theatre Arts and a minor in Christianity. Blair earned his M. Div. from the McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta. Blair is currently pursuing the Blairology Global Project. Blair is an Eagle Scout.
2 comments:
Thanks for your comments on my blog. I've responded over there.
I think that our faith is also based on truth - for it's knowing the truth of God's love that gives us the faith, and keeps us strong when thinks are tough.
Wow, it sounds like God is really growing you and taking you deeper into the uncomfortable struggles... things that are good... they cause perseverence... they cause you to push... to dig deeper for that truth. Thanks for sharing. I too, just watched a movie called the Magdalene Sisters. People were driven by the "Law"... there was no love. It makes such a huge difference. Thanks for sharing.
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