Hazelnut Reflections

guess I'll have to see it

Here is the story I shared on Sunday during the sermon:

"Back when I first went to graduate school (the first time), in 1988, I found a church to go to on my first Sunday. The rector got up in the pulpit for his sermon, and said that he had been received a phone call from a local reporter who wanted to know his opinion on "The Last Temptation of Christ." The rector said he was sorry, he couldn't give his opinion because he hadn't seen it yet. The reporter replied, "that's ok, lots of pastors are giving us their opinion without having seen it."

The rector then said he wanted to go see it, and we could go as a group after the Thursday night service. So after Eucharist we piled into cars and drove over to the local cineplex.

Because of all the picketing and various threats from Christians (sigh), the theater had hired security guards. Said priest was still wearing his collar, as we were coming right from church. The guards got more and more nervous as the group surrounding this visible clergyperson got larger and larger.

Once we were in the theater, they kept checking on us, every 15 minutes or so. (They really needn't have worried. We weren't impressed enough with the movie, and the disciples' New York accents made us laugh in all the wrong places)."

After I recalled this story (as part of a larger point that Jesus' presence is not best delivered on film, but in the witness and Eucharistic gathering of community), I realized, I'm going to have to put my money where my sermon illustrations are, and go see the Da Vinci Code. So I can have some opinions of my own.

posted by Emily @ 8:47 AM