Sunday, March 23, 2008
resurrecting the resurrection
Went to see the movie Vantage Point and it helped me make sense of the resurrection. The movie is tagged 8 points of view: 1 truth. It’s a soft form of postmodernity, affirming eyewitnesses as subjective, without losing history as truthful.
In a similar way, the Bible has 4 gospels. Each offers a uniquely different point of view – Mark is fear and trembling; Matthew is earthquakes and angels; Luke is burning hearts; John is a new start. Each is subjective. Each adds insight, without losing truth.
Vantage point (the movie) ends with an 8th scene, an extended narrative which provides the big picture. In the same way, Christian hope is a big picture, or in the words of N. T Wright:
the events of Easter Sunday are no less than “a full, recreated life in the presence and love of God, a totally renewed creation, an integrated new heavens and new earth, and a complete humanness
in worship and love for God, in love for one another as humans, in stewardship over Gods world.”
In between the 4th and 8th perspective is the church. Each of us, in our homes, workplaces, city, living out the resurrection in our lives. Each of us subjective eyewitnesses, adding insight.
I wonder if the evangelical captivity to historical truth means that we jump to quickly from the 4th to the 8th perspective. I wonder if evangelicals are so concerned about the historical truth of the resurrection that they reduce the resurrection to an intellectual set of categories. Thus the entry to the 8th perspective is reduced to a set of beliefs that get you into heaven.
Yet the resurrection is so much more than an intellectual historical search. It is the affirmation of life, and life to the full. That is a truth to be lived, through your own unique point of view.
Full sermon manuscript is here.
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Very interesting points Steve. Sounds like an fascinating movie and, as has become your practice, you’ve been able to imaginatively and creatively re:mix eight stories about one thing, theological reflection, and an interaction with the biblical text.
Both sets of our parents were in your city this weekend just gone. Wish we’d been down – I would have been sitting at the back of Opawa apprecitating and valuing a friendship and a great sermon.
Hope you all had a great Easter. I’ll be looking forward to the movie coming out on DVD in a few months.
Comment by Paul Fromont — March 24, 2008 @ 8:27 am
appreciate the feedback paul. would be great to have you in the city.
oh, the film is not that great. at least wait to the dvd is on special
steve
Comment by steve — March 25, 2008 @ 8:56 pm