Preacher: Amy Biegel
Sermon Link: http://theriver.cc/watch?id=1261410
Sermon Title: This Is Me
Amy Biegel is the children’s pastor at The River Church in Marion, IN. In a recent series, The River communicated truths of the Gospel that can be found in the movie The Greatest Showman. Though at times, movie series such as this can feel like a little bit of a stretch to remain faithful to Scripture, Amy communicated the truth she found in The Greatest Showman in a way that was faithful to God’s character and faithful to the message of the text (John 4). She also communicates the truth of the Gospel with a peaceful conviction that we can all aspire to.
A movie series done well.
We didn’t listen to every sermon in this series. Still the message of God showing up in the middle of the Samaritan woman’s less-than-perfect life correlated well with the story being told in The Greatest Showman. A series on movies’ has its greatest danger in the nature of the series. it is a series based on cultural reference points. Those cultural reference points can become so dominant that the counter-cultural nature of the gospel is submerged. Worse, the message of the movie can become the primary message and the scriptures the assisting voice. Certain movies lend themselves to the message of the Gospel in more direct and concrete ways. The classic example might be Les Miserables. Others provide more temptation to the preacher to submerge scriptures and theological concerns to cultural connection. If we’re going to do a movie series, it ought to feel unforced and correlate well with the text being used. We never want to force a text to match a movie. Amy did a great job of bringing these two together— the story of Leti helped us understand the Samaritan woman in a new and fresh way. The Greatest Showman and the story of the woman at the well together lead us to the intersection where we ask what God might be saying to us on this day.
Intersection— three stories.
One word Amy used to describe where we were going over the course of this sermon was an ‘intersection’ of three stories— our story, the story of the woman at the well, and the story of The Greatest Showman. By the end of the sermon I clearly understood where these three stories intersected. She didn’t leave me a mile up the road from reality, there was no need to hitchhike or translate her words into the present day. She brought us directly into the intersection and then asked us how God might have us to respond. This image of the intersection is not only one that’s helpful for understanding this sermon, but one that’s helpful for us as preachers to consider for future messages.
She stayed at the intersection for several minutes.
The end to this sermon was much more than a half-baked prayer— she spent several minutes at the end interceding for those who might respond to this Word. “Lord, you are speaking and may these people be faithful to what you have been saying to them.” Amy took the time to convey the importance of the moment— the importance of taking time to respond to the Word of God. Because what is the Word of God if it’s not meant to be lived?
How might we implement some of Amy’s helpful practices?
- Consider a series based on story.
Film is one of our world’s favorite ways to tell stories. Many people in your congregation connect deeply with the characters and stories they see told on the screen. If you have never tried a movie series, perhaps now is a good time to start brainstorming! As with any other sermon, this is not something that can be whipped up quickly— this takes considerable time, planning, and thought. Not just any movie should be used, and not just any text will fit any movie. What movies have you seen that are congregation-appropriate and tell a compelling story (or have a particularly compelling character)? Or perhaps if you’re not a movie buff, you could do the same with a book series. Once you have a few movies in mind, consider starting a vision board for a movie series. Ask yourself if this story lends itself to one sermon or several. Ask yourself what section of Scripture might resonate well with the themes of the movie. Then re-interpret the movies according to scripture rather than the other way around. To ensure a better theological priority – find passages or Christian themes first, then look for the movies that resonate.
- Ask where the intersection lies.
When we preach, we spend a considerable amount of time digging around in the text, asking good questions, observing what the text says and how it communicates that. We study, ask more questions, consult commentaries and wise friends. As we study, we also attempt to ask how this very old Scripture reaches out of its own context to talk to our present reality. Most preachers are better at one than the other. Some speak eloquently about present realities, while others seem to have more finesse in storytelling from biblical reality. As you consider your next sermon, ask yourself where the intersection lies. Where does the text meet today’s reality? And how can you help your people get there?
- Stay at the intersection.
One age-old practice of preaching, a pause for pastoral prayer inspired by the sermon, has diminished in use over the last fifty years. Consider allowing time and space to pray over your people during the sermon? Spend several minutes prayerfully petitioning God to move on behalf of your people. Because as much as this proclaimed word matters, the One who has been speaking to them long before we ever showed up matters more.