Redemption

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The third, and final, installment of At The Movies from North Ridge took on one of the most iconic underdog stories of redemption Hollywood has ever adapted to the big screen; Robin Hood (the newest rendition, starring Russell Crowe is my personal favorite).

Everyone loves to see the underdog win. We want to see justice served, oppressors get their due and the oppressed overcome. This story has survived for centuries by touching a part of our soul and inspiring us to become something better than we presently are. What’s interesting is that Robin Hood is not far off from the gospel and the life of Jesus. Robin Hood has merry men, Jesus had a circle of twelve disciples. Robin Hood and his band set out to defend the poor from an oppressive government and balance the scales of their society, Jesus and the disciples set out on a mission to free people from Satan’s oppression and release them from the chains of sin. Both branded as outlaws by the leaders of their own nation.

Redemption

So, what should we be inspired to do through this?  Should we shoot flaming arrows at the Capital building and construct a catapult to hurl large stones at the Pentagon? Certainly not! (although building a catapult would be really cool) We looked at this story through the filter of Isaiah 1:15-20 to find our answer. In this passage, God is telling Israel what’s up through the prophet Isaiah. Israel had cycled back to the point in their relationship with God where they lived however they wanted, thinking an occasional prayer or burnt offering was enough to satisfy their creator. Their lifestyles did not line up with their dogma. Once again, God lays out specific instructions for Israel; willingly obey His commands and live or resist and rebel and be devoured (v.19-20). Our fallen world and individual brokenness makes this harder than it should be. Add religious opinions and ideals that divide Christians from each other and obedience is much easier said than done.

The central focus of the image I drew is a simple sphere, no detail, just a shaded ball.  By mimicking Earth, this sphere represents all of creation. Picturing an orange being peeled, the surface layer of the sphere is peeled back; torn from the surface it was originally attached to. Within the torn peelings, smaller images shed light on their symbolism. Moving from left to right, the first section shows two hands grasping each other, as if someone were being pulled to safety; this represents grace. The second section includes a box of food to represent charity. The third, two hands clasped together in prayer, the catalyst to our relationship with God. The fourth section includes several images to represent justice and the law, a scale, a gavel, and a raised book. Each of these are icons depicting important aspects of Christianity; grace and mercy, charity, relationship, and justice. Our rebellion caused the unravelling of creation, disconnecting the surface from the body of the sphere and tearing the sections away from each other. The right hand of Christ at the top of the page supports the broken surface by a line connecting the broken sections to each finger. Creation hangs within the balance of these characteristics of God, supported by His hand. It is only through balance that stability is maintained; mercy must also include justice, relationship with God exists through relationship with His creation. Too much emphasis on any one characteristic creates a disproportionate balance, allowing the sphere (creation) to fall through the cracks to destruction.

The message we should take away from Robin Hood as it pertains to the gospel is the example of unity. Through unity, Nottingham rose up against their oppressors. We too can conquer our spiritual oppressor, by letting go of our prideful desire for being ’right’ and allowing ourselves to be united by Jesus.

Lastly, Christ’s hand is openly extended, inviting the viewer to take hold of it. Eventually, His hand will close and time to accept the invitation will expire. The fingers closing will pull each section of the torn surface back into position over the sphere of creation. Christ will claim His bride and, through that redemption, the church will be perfectly unified.

Jesus, Icarus, and The Blind Side

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Week two of North Ridge’s series “At The Movies” took a look at another blockbuster hit, The Blind Side. We compared that true story to a similar one found in Luke 10, the story of the good Samaritan.

Though separated by two thousand years, the story lines are very similar. Both involve an individual who is rejected by society at large, brushed passed without any notice. Also present in both is one person who takes notice of the outcast and cares enough to take action.

Matthew 6:19-20 encourages the Christian to “store up treasures in Heaven”. This is analogy of storing up treasures is an encouragement to serve others, good deeds on earth create treasures in heaven. We must be careful to hold Luke 13:30 in as high regard, “those who are last will be first and those who are first will be last.” (Jesus, speaking of Heaven). The motivations for our actions, good and bad, matter significantly to God. A man who serves in order to be seen by his peers will not receive the same reward in heaven as one who sacrifices for others in silence.

As the message progressed, ways to present the conflict of motivations in a single image churned in my mind. Greek mythology provided the insipiration for the subject of my drawing; the story of Daedalus and Icarus from Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid. In the myth, Daedalus and his son Icarus have been exiled to the island of Crete by King Minos. While on the island, Daedalus constructed two pairs of wings using wax and feathers that he and Icarus could use to escape the island. Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun nor too close to the sea. Despite his father’s warning, Icarus became overcome with the thrill of flying. As he soared higher, the wax began to melt and release the feathers that enabled Icarus to fly. Soon realizing he had no feathers left, Icarus fell into the Icarian Sea (named for Icarus).

I have drawn the fallen Icarus to represent individuals who attempt to pave their own path to God with their deeds. Though they are serving others, their motivations are selfish. Instead of serving out of compassion for an individual, they are merely using individuals as opportunities to promote their own perceived “goodness”. Despite their best efforts, their facade of empty kindness will collapse when their true character is exposed and, like Icarus, their mistake will not come without consequences.

'Jesus, Icarus, and The Blind Side'

Juxtaposed to the Icarus figure is a scene of the crucifixion. Jesus is hanging on the cross, while two figures on the ground work together to reach him. This cooperation is what God desires of us. It is in helping others grow closer to God that we, ourselves, are able to grow closer to Him. The kneeling figure is providing a step up for the other figure to reach for their Savior, making himself last. We each must move over, giving everyone else priority over ourselves, in order to be genuinely good and honestly compassionate.

What I really took away from today’s message was this; what’s your motivation for helping people? Are you genuinely compassionate and willing to move over for anyone (unconditionally) or spiritually greedy and attempting to hoard heavenly treasures (an idea that will bite you in the end)?

Identity Crisis

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Identity Crisis

Fresh from a week at the North Carolina coast, I returned in time for a new, exciting series at North Ridge; At The Movies. This series is taking several blockbuster hits, dissecting them, and discovering God within their message. First on the cutting table, one of my personal favorites, The Bourne Identity.

In the Bourne series, Jason Bourne is a government agent with amnesia, trying to rediscover his true identity and not liking what he finds. Clues about his former life are confusing to him, contradicting his moral values and revealing highly specialized abilities.

We each face our own identity crisis, a sort of spiritual amnesia, requiring us to discover who we are, why we’re here, and what we’re going to do about it. Some discover themselves easily, others take years to accept their identity, still others continually wrestle with it, creating a different identity for every situation.

Every human’s identity is built off a common foundation, our creator. God, who knows every detail about us before forming our bodies in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5), is the basis of our individually unique identity. We are created to emulate Him, our act of worship that points others back towards Him. Until we embrace this truth, we will be in a constant state of identity crisis, cycling through endless personalities to try and find the right fit. Without this critical footing, however, none will match.

This sketch begins with a dark figure, back to the viewer in the foreground. The figure’s arms are raised toward the background. Above the figure, we catch a glimpse of the object of his praise, a chin and mouth. The partial face is gently breathing onto the figure below, breathing life into its new creation:

Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

On each side of the figure stands angled mirrors. These mirrors reflect the figure, as well as each other, replicating the figure infinitely in both directions.

Up to this point, the drawing represents our identity within God. Life is breathed into each of us by God. Our true identity is revealed in giving that life back to Him, completely submitting to His direction. One remaining figure disrupts this breath-life-worship cycle. The ghostly white figure obstinately walking away from the central figure. This ghost represents an individual’s rejection of an identity founded in God through Christ, in search of a way to find themselves on their own terms. This figure remains hollow, without any depth from shading because our emptiness consumes us until we submit to our creator’s authority and allow Him to fill us.