There are very few
things I dislike as much as dropping $9.50 for a movie ticket, sitting through a seemingly good movie only to have it end poorly! A bad ending can ruin an otherwise good movie. I am sure you know exactly what I’m talking about. The characters are shaped, the plot develops, the critical climax arrives and bam; the wrong guy gets the girl or the hero dies. That is not how the movie is supposed to end. I would rather not see the movie at all than to see it and have it end poorly. I grew up in a home with a John Wayne-loving dad so you guessed it—I love John Wayne. I remember the first time I watched The Duke in The Sands of Iwo Jima. I was impressed with his portrayal of rough and rugged Marine Sergeant John Stryker and mesmerized by the fighting (as most little boys are). I loved everything about the movie until the end when Sergeant Stryker was killed by a sniper. An hour and thirty-five minutes of viewing pleasure was ruined by the last five minutes of the movie. What a shame.
Over the past two weeks I have been graphically reminded of the truth of Hebrews 9:27—“It is appointed unto man once to die.” You see, over the course of the last couple of weeks our church has lost six dear members: three WWII vets; a sweet 88-year old lady; a young, vibrant 22-year old man; and a 52-year old mom and grandmother. What a shame for six seemingly good life-stories to end so poorly! What a waste of life. That is, if death is the end. Thankfully, however, for followers of Jesus Christ death isn’t the end of the story. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 the Bible states “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”
Now that is the way a story is supposed to end! The Hero, Jesus, overcomes death and the Right Guy, Jesus the Groom, gets the girl, His bride the church. And though I know it is a cliché, they live together happily ever after. The End!
Journey On,
Michael
things I dislike as much as dropping $9.50 for a movie ticket, sitting through a seemingly good movie only to have it end poorly! A bad ending can ruin an otherwise good movie. I am sure you know exactly what I’m talking about. The characters are shaped, the plot develops, the critical climax arrives and bam; the wrong guy gets the girl or the hero dies. That is not how the movie is supposed to end. I would rather not see the movie at all than to see it and have it end poorly. I grew up in a home with a John Wayne-loving dad so you guessed it—I love John Wayne. I remember the first time I watched The Duke in The Sands of Iwo Jima. I was impressed with his portrayal of rough and rugged Marine Sergeant John Stryker and mesmerized by the fighting (as most little boys are). I loved everything about the movie until the end when Sergeant Stryker was killed by a sniper. An hour and thirty-five minutes of viewing pleasure was ruined by the last five minutes of the movie. What a shame.Over the past two weeks I have been graphically reminded of the truth of Hebrews 9:27—“It is appointed unto man once to die.” You see, over the course of the last couple of weeks our church has lost six dear members: three WWII vets; a sweet 88-year old lady; a young, vibrant 22-year old man; and a 52-year old mom and grandmother. What a shame for six seemingly good life-stories to end so poorly! What a waste of life. That is, if death is the end. Thankfully, however, for followers of Jesus Christ death isn’t the end of the story. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 the Bible states “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”
Now that is the way a story is supposed to end! The Hero, Jesus, overcomes death and the Right Guy, Jesus the Groom, gets the girl, His bride the church. And though I know it is a cliché, they live together happily ever after. The End!
Journey On,
Michael
