Sermon Blog

The Shining , The Exorcist , The Amityville Horror , Fallen , Paranormal Activity —five of the top twenty movies concerning demon possession and exorcism according to About.com.  How many of you have braved watching one or more of these films?  How many of you wouldn’t even consider watching one of these or anything like them?  The idea of considering demons and possessions intrigues some of us, repulses others of us, while others either secretly cower at the idea that demons may be real and others dismiss any thought of supernatural forces altogether. For those of us who avoid those movies at all cost, and wouldn’t think of picking up a Stephen King or any other novel that might contain the idea of possession, our Scripture lesson this morning may be the most familiar story of possession that we have. Jesus had been travelling through Galilee.  He had been performing healings, forgiving sins, and teaching those who gathered around him.  Then the Scriptur...

It currently holds the record for the greatest ever opening weekend.  It beats out Iron Man 3 by $33 million and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2 by over $40 million.  What could it be, It is none other than The Avengers, with an opening weekend box office take of over $207 million . However, not all “successful” movies have great opening weekends.  In fact, the top two all-time income producing movies, both of which beat The Avengers in the money brought in over the course of their release, had very poor opening weekends.  The #1 all-time grossing movie was Avatar , bringing in a lifetime income of just over $760 million dollars compared to The Avengers $623 million, however, Avatar ’s opening weekend was a disappointing $77 million.  Also ahead of The Avengers in lifetime box office income would be Titanic , with a lifetime box office take of almost $659 million dollars.  Its opening weekend receipts?  Less than $29 million. This...

Mr. Koreander:  The video arcade is down the street.  Here we just sell small rectangular objects, they’re called books.  They require a little effort on your part and make no be-be-be-be-beeps.  On your way boy. Bastian: I know books, I have 186 of them at home. Mr. Koreander: Ah, comic books. Bastian: No, I've read Treasure Island, The Last of the Mohicans, Wizard of Oz, Lord of the Rings, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Tarzan. Pause Bastian:  What’s that book about? Mr. Koleander:  Oh, this is something special. Bastian:  Drawing closer to Mr. Koreander.  Well, what is it? Mr. Koreander: Look.  Your books are safe. While you're reading them, you get to become Tarzan or Robinson Crusoe. Bastian: But that's what I like about 'em. Mr. Koreander: Ahh, but afterwards you get to be a little boy again. Bastian: Wh-what do you mean? Mr. Koreander: Listen. Have you ever been Captain Nemo, trapped inside your submarine whil...

I have a bit of trivia for you today, and if anyone can answer the question without any further information, I will declare you trivia master, and may even petition Hasbro to name a new movie addition of Trivial Pursuit after you.  Who is Danny Lloyd?  Well, as of December of 2007, Danny was a teacher of Hard Sciences somewhere in Missouri.  However, he was also a child actor who only participated in two movies before declaring, around the age of nine, that he wasn’t interested in an acting career. [i]   I am not surprised that he grew tired of acting and gave it up, because during the first movie, he was part of a scene with Scatman Crothers that holds a world record.  This one scene, between the two actors, which, according to the Internet Movie Data Base, had to be shot 148 times.  Here’s a second chance trivia buffs, “what is the movie?” The Shining. Take One happened during either the summer of 1985 or 1986.  Those of you who have talked wit...

How important, would you say, is it for an actor or an actress to learn their lines if they are going to be in a movie?  What would it be like on the set if they hadn’t learned what they were supposed to say or do?  I want to push us a little beyond just whether the folks starring in a movie have memorized their lines, but actually whether they truly know their lines.  Do you think there is a difference?  How many of you have ever watched a movie and thought, “the acting in this movie is just sorry.”  You know, those kind of movies where it is obvious that the folks in the movie have learned their lines, after all they are saying them, but they seem to just be regurgitating them from memory without appropriate emotion behind them—maybe even as far to their actions not even matching up with what they are saying.  Maybe something like this... (pick someone from the congregation and have them stand there) …supposed we were filming a movie entitled The Joy of ...

When you hear the name Chris Hemsworth, what type movie do you think of?  Action, adventure…He plays the hero in Thor , Snow White and The Huntsman , the older brother in Red Dawn , and almost every one of his acting credits has him as the big, strong, tough guy?  How hard would it be to see him replace the dad on Good Luck Charlie .  Almost impossible if you ask me. What about Jim Carrey?  A majority of his film credits would be labeled as humor with a serious twist— Liar Liar, Bruce Almighty, Ace Ventura, or Dumb and Dumber .  Would you be able to picture him taking Arnold Schwarzenegger’s place in the rumored Terminator 5 movie? It’s called typecasting.  An actor or an actress plays a certain type of character, and, especially if it is a successful movie or television show, it becomes the only type of character that they are considered fit to play.  Some actors may relish typecasting, but many grow frustrated by it—simply ask Leonard Nimoy, o...

We get invitations all the time.  Maybe we receive an invitation to a party—a birthday party, a pool party, a graduation party, a summer kick-off party, or maybe a “we don’t need a reason to have a party, let’s just have one” party.  Some of us (not me by any means) may be talented athletes and receive invitations to play on an All-Star or other traveling team—myself, when it came to athletics, I was on those teams where you don’t get an invitation, your parents pay the fee and they have to put you on a team, I was one of those athletes that often was invited to keep the bench warm for those who really could play.  Even still, ending up on those teams, even a t-ball team, may come at the invitation of a friend who is playing or a parents friend, saying, “hey why don’t you bring your son or daughter—or in my case, grandson—out to play, our kid loves it.”  Maybe sports is not our thing, maybe it is music, maybe our playing has garnered us an invitation to play in th...

“The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.”  My brothers and sisters, how many of you like surprises? Some surprises are good.  A surprise birthday party.  A surprise financial bonus from work or a gift from a family member.  A surprise visit from a loved one.  A surprisingly good grade on an exam . Some surprises are not good.  Turning in a paper after hours of hard work, only to realize that it was supposed to be on another topic.  News of the unexpected death of a family member or friend.  A call from the boss to come into the office only to learn of being laid off. Surprises come because what we expect does not happen.  Tonight we come to observe two surprises. The disciples had gathered in with Jesus after a whirl-wind week in Jerusalem.  They knew what that night was about.  It was a night to remember.  In their minds they had planned out the whole evening.  It happened every year....