Q. What movie has had the greatest impact on your faith life?
*I came across this question in a "chat pack" and it can actually be found in a lot of "chat packs."*
A. The answer to this question has varied greatly over time. At one point it was Toy Story 3, then it was Iron Man 3, among many others that I found to have a deeper meaning in my life. The most recent movie that I watched that I could relate to was Oz the Great and Powerful. I had a lot of expectations for this movie, not because it is an adaptation to Frank L. Baum's Oz the Great and Powerful, but because I love the story of The Wizard of Oz, which is a classic, and I'm a sucker for anything with a back-story (Ex: the Star Wars prequels). Oz the Great and Powerful is about a struggling circus magician, or con man named Oscar, or Oz for short, who has great dreams and goals for his life, but lacks a real plan or even an honest way of getting there. Oz then stumbles upon the land of Oz, where a prophecy states that a wizard that fell from the heavens will set the people of Oz free and become their ruler. The only problem is that Oz is only interested in his benefit: the fame and fortune, rather then the freedom of his people. Along this journey, Oz learns that there is more to reaching his goals and ambitions than his own selfish ways: mercy, compassion and friendship.
#1 Mercy.
In The Wizard of Oz, we see Dorothy and Toto whisked away by a tornado to the land of Oz. The same thing happens to Oscar in Oz the Great and Powerful. We see Oz take off from Kansas in a hot air balloon, off to achieve his wildest dreams, only to be sucked into a tornado. After nearly being hit by flying debris several times, he screams out (probably to God) and promises to become a better man.
Sometimes, I need a little mercy and I'm sure you do too. We are only human and we all make mistakes. As it turns out, a great and powerful dude had himself nailed to a cross about 2000 years ago, so you can have that mercy. Ephesians 2:8 says, "I mean that you have been saved by grace through believing" (NCV). So if you believe that Jesus died for your sins, and you pray to him so that he can forgive your sins, then you will ultimately be saved. I'm not saying you will fulfill an Oz-like prophecy, but you will definitely be a better person.
#2 Compassion.
In the beginning of Oz the Great and Powerful, a little girl in the front row of Oscar's magic show, who appears to be crippled, asks Oz to "make her walk again." Oz, who appears to be dumbfounded, simply states, "I am not that kind of wizard, kid." This is the obvious truth; Oz is a circus magician, not a doctor. However, the crowd doesn't like it, and he gets booed off the stage. Later, in the land of Oz, Oz finds the wreckage of Chinatown and discovers a small china doll (whom he calls Chinagirl), whose legs have been chopped off at the knees, making it impossible for her to walk (sound familiar?). After hearing what had happened to Chinatown involving the dreaded, flying baboons, Oz feels sorry for Chinagirl, and shows compassion to her by fixing her legs using a "magical substance." After all, he is that kind of wizard.
To have compassion is to have sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings and misfortunes of others. When I was in Seattle, WA (which is also nicknamed "Emerald City," if you know what I mean) for a service trip, I was made aware of the homelessness problem in downtown Seattle. I have always known about homelessness, because I see a lot of it in Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR as well, but seeing it in Seattle and actually being face-to-face with this problem was very eye-opening. While we cannot eliminate the problem completely and permanently, there are small things that can be done to help those in need. We hear about Jesus feeding thousands of people with a couple fish and loaves of bread each in the Gospels. We essentially did the same in Seattle. We showed compassion to these people by making sandwich bags and giving them to the Men's Shelter. We gave all that we could. This is the kind of Christian that we should be.
#3 Friendship.
In the beginning of Oz the Great and Powerful, Oz is kind of a loner, and he seems to be just fine with that. He has a rocky relationship with his partner, uses his assistant emotionally and learns that a previous engagement is now engaged to somebody else who is going farther in life than Oz. This doesn't appear to phase him, as he goes alone into his hot air balloon and then gets sucked into a tornado (naturally). In the land of Oz, Oz continues this lone-wolf approach to everything, even though he saves Finley (a winged monkey in a bell-hop suit) from a lion and helps Chinagirl to walk again. Oz also sees the unlikely army that will help him defeat the wicked witch. By the end of the movie, Oz sees the potential of each of these characters and realizes that he cannot become the great and powerful Wizard of Oz without them.
I wouldn't call myself a loner, but I have a few people whom I could call "close friends." I know I can count on them for anything and they can count on me. Jesus had a few close friends as well. 12 in fact. Jesus' 12 friends followed him everywhere learning about the love of God, and I'm sure Jesus learned a few things from his followers as well. The Gospels tell us about Jesus calming a storm for his disciples. The funny thing about this is, while the disciples were panicking in the boat, Jesus was sleeping. Jesus then gets up, calms the storm, and then proceeds to call out his friends: "Have you little faith?" Having faith in your friends can sometimes be hard to do, but that's what Jesus calls us to do. No one should ever have to be alone in their good times or bad times.
Oz the Great and Powerful is an excellent movie. I can definitely relate to Oz in a way. Like Oz, I too have big dreams and goals that I have not even accomplished yet. But I know that I cannot do it alone and I certainly cannot do it without the grace of God.
Sometimes, I need a little mercy and I'm sure you do too. We are only human and we all make mistakes. As it turns out, a great and powerful dude had himself nailed to a cross about 2000 years ago, so you can have that mercy. Ephesians 2:8 says, "I mean that you have been saved by grace through believing" (NCV). So if you believe that Jesus died for your sins, and you pray to him so that he can forgive your sins, then you will ultimately be saved. I'm not saying you will fulfill an Oz-like prophecy, but you will definitely be a better person.
#2 Compassion.
In the beginning of Oz the Great and Powerful, a little girl in the front row of Oscar's magic show, who appears to be crippled, asks Oz to "make her walk again." Oz, who appears to be dumbfounded, simply states, "I am not that kind of wizard, kid." This is the obvious truth; Oz is a circus magician, not a doctor. However, the crowd doesn't like it, and he gets booed off the stage. Later, in the land of Oz, Oz finds the wreckage of Chinatown and discovers a small china doll (whom he calls Chinagirl), whose legs have been chopped off at the knees, making it impossible for her to walk (sound familiar?). After hearing what had happened to Chinatown involving the dreaded, flying baboons, Oz feels sorry for Chinagirl, and shows compassion to her by fixing her legs using a "magical substance." After all, he is that kind of wizard.
To have compassion is to have sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings and misfortunes of others. When I was in Seattle, WA (which is also nicknamed "Emerald City," if you know what I mean) for a service trip, I was made aware of the homelessness problem in downtown Seattle. I have always known about homelessness, because I see a lot of it in Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR as well, but seeing it in Seattle and actually being face-to-face with this problem was very eye-opening. While we cannot eliminate the problem completely and permanently, there are small things that can be done to help those in need. We hear about Jesus feeding thousands of people with a couple fish and loaves of bread each in the Gospels. We essentially did the same in Seattle. We showed compassion to these people by making sandwich bags and giving them to the Men's Shelter. We gave all that we could. This is the kind of Christian that we should be.
#3 Friendship.
In the beginning of Oz the Great and Powerful, Oz is kind of a loner, and he seems to be just fine with that. He has a rocky relationship with his partner, uses his assistant emotionally and learns that a previous engagement is now engaged to somebody else who is going farther in life than Oz. This doesn't appear to phase him, as he goes alone into his hot air balloon and then gets sucked into a tornado (naturally). In the land of Oz, Oz continues this lone-wolf approach to everything, even though he saves Finley (a winged monkey in a bell-hop suit) from a lion and helps Chinagirl to walk again. Oz also sees the unlikely army that will help him defeat the wicked witch. By the end of the movie, Oz sees the potential of each of these characters and realizes that he cannot become the great and powerful Wizard of Oz without them.
I wouldn't call myself a loner, but I have a few people whom I could call "close friends." I know I can count on them for anything and they can count on me. Jesus had a few close friends as well. 12 in fact. Jesus' 12 friends followed him everywhere learning about the love of God, and I'm sure Jesus learned a few things from his followers as well. The Gospels tell us about Jesus calming a storm for his disciples. The funny thing about this is, while the disciples were panicking in the boat, Jesus was sleeping. Jesus then gets up, calms the storm, and then proceeds to call out his friends: "Have you little faith?" Having faith in your friends can sometimes be hard to do, but that's what Jesus calls us to do. No one should ever have to be alone in their good times or bad times.
Oz the Great and Powerful is an excellent movie. I can definitely relate to Oz in a way. Like Oz, I too have big dreams and goals that I have not even accomplished yet. But I know that I cannot do it alone and I certainly cannot do it without the grace of God.
"I don't want to be a good man. I want to be a great one."
