Movie Review: Interstellar

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After Christmas, my sons Aaron and Kenneth and I went to see the movie, Interstellar. Wow! What a ride! Trying to keep up with the physics was effort enough – time and relativity, wormholes and ghosts that aren’t really ghosts but someone from the past and future communicating through a bookshelf. Really? The story, in brief is that the Earth is a goner. Crops have failed the wind blows dust everywhere and there is little hope. The only hope, it seems, is to find another planet. A wormhole just off Saturn has been found that transports some pioneer explorers into another galaxy where NASA has found a few planets that could become humanities new home. Off go our heroes through the wormhole to visit the pioneers on these planets, only to fail, largely. But there is this Black Hole nearby and if they can get to the singularity in the Black Hole they may be able to retrieve data that will link Relativity with Quantum physics (which physicists have been working on for decades – actually). The number one hero, Cooper lets himself fall into the Black Hole and he enters this weird box like arena where he can see other places in time. (He actually is the ghost behind the bookshelf – but that’s a long story.) The end is left open regarding whether humans will be able to leave Earth and inhabit a new planet. The implication is that it will happen. The data linking Quantum and Relativity was retrieved implying that there is hope. One could simply say what a cool movie! We spent some time talking about it and it was difficult to make all the connections. We all decided that when it gets on Netflix we will watch it again. Then I asked, what is the message of the movie?

There is an implied critique of humanity for ruining Earth but not much of a focus on repentance for that. The focus was on getting away from Earth. This is a movie about the salvation of humanity, not the Earth. The focus, regarding humanity is not on our past sins but our continual potential to solve the problems before us. The box like place into which Cooper landed was, we learn later, created by future humans. Humans from the future have heard the plight of we humans and have had a hand it saving us. At the beginning of the movie the scientists spoke of a “they” who were giving them messages about how to proceed. When I first heard about “they” I thought of God but as it turns out it was more advanced humans. In short, salvation comes from humans – where is God in this?

When they set off through the wormhole to the other planets in another galaxy there was a Plan A and a Plan B. Plan A was to find a suitable planet and transport human beings from Earth to that planet. Plan B involved frozen fertilized eggs that would populate the new planet at least saving humanity. Cooper was dead set on Plan A – how could we just give up on all those people left on Earth. (I wondered, how could all the people on Earth be saved by being transported to this other planet? All the people in China and India? Were they just talking about their own families and loved ones? That brings up ethical questions too.) I am glad that part of the message was that it was important to try for Plan A. It turns out that the scientist responsible for the formulation of the plans never intended Plan A but only used it to convince participants, including Cooper to go on the mission. In their desire to save the people on Earth I felt some sense of compassion. Also, in one scene they are trying to decide which planet to try next the one that seems more reasonable or the one where one of the participants friends is… lover may be better. She says, maybe we ought to follow love than reason. They make the rational choice and it turns out to be the wrong one and in the end the woman ends up on the planet where her lover was, but he’s dead. It is very convoluted. Anyway, in that quote some mileage is given to something more than survival of the fittest.

Aaron contends that the movie implied that God resides in the hearts of all of the humans. And that it was love that fueled the advance of human beings – and that was God. I am more skeptical, not about God and love but about what the message of the movie really is. I just can’t let go of the fact that humanity ruined the Earth and we should all be repenting! I fear that seeing this movie one could believe that if we just keep working on science, math and technology we will be able to save ourselves… so we shouldn’t worry about the Earth that much.

Movies are the parables of our time. It is important for us to ask, what is the message of this movie? It can be a lot of fun too. P.Jim

Systems Analysis

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At our last Beta Vitality meeting we discussed Church Systems (the apostle Paul would probably talked about the body and its parts, and whether they were functioning well.)  Church Systems are areas of ministry such as Evangelism, Finance, Youth Ministry; to think of these as systems is to consider how they work – is there good communication?  Are things taken care of?  Is it a sustainable system?  Does it invite new ideas and new people into its ministry?  As one might expect we were given a set of criteria by which to assess if a system in the church is working – from Christian Schwartz:

  1. Fruitfulness:  Does this system produce visible fruit for the Kingdom of God?
  2. Multiplication:  Does this system contribute to the multiplication or merely to addition?  (And the difference is…?)
  3. Interdependence:  How does this system affect other areas of life?  (Does it run independently?)
  4. Symbiosis:  Does this system foster a fruitful cooperation between different activities?
  5. Energy Transformation:  Does this system take advantage of the resources in the environment?
  6. Sustainability:  Do the results of this system have built-in mechanisms to sustain themselves?

I always feel like these kinds of lists are a mouthful – at the same time that I know they are needed.

The next step for the Beta Vitality Committee is to use these criteria to assess our Church Systems.  I  have identified these systems:  Church Council, Finance and Stewardship, Congregational Care (Caring Committee, pastoral care), Children, Youth, Adult Spiritual Formation and Discipleship Making, Evangelism, Worship, SPRC, Leadership Development, UMW, Communications (webpage, facebook, Crossings, etc.), Trustees, Mission Outreach, Preschool, Fellowship (Saints & Sinners, Spotted Cow, etc.).  Let’s look at a system that is working well:  The Trustees.  They may be spending over budget but they are getting things done – they are a good group that genuinely like each other; they have regular meetings; they communicate well with the Church; they look ahead; they even met once at McMineman’s, now that’s a good system!  (Of course we all know that this is working well largely due to the dedication and enthusiasm of the Chair… one of those Larrys I think.  A system that is less than perfect is Adult Spiritual Formation and Discipleship Making.  Most significantly there is no committee for adults as there is for youth and children.  Every year we are asked by our Superintendent, Rev. Daniel Forster and our Bishop whether we have discipleship making systems.  It is appropriate for them to ask considering that the mission statement of our denomination is, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World.  This is a system that needs more attention and energy.  To that end, I would invite anyone who would like to be a part of a committee committed to the transformation of our adults to let me know.

I invite you to consider the systems I have listed above.  The Beta Vitality committee welcomes your feedback.  I welcome your feedback.  Please share with us about any of these systems – are they being fruitful?  Are they communicating well?  Is there a focal point for the system?  Is there energy in the system?  Is it set up to grow or just exist?  Is it sustainable?

I just thought everyone ought to know.  P.Jim

Another Year

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We have entered another new year…. What happened to the summer? Does anyone else feel that way? I usually feel as though I’m behind at least one season. I want to hold back time, as opposed to trying to get ahead. But I also know, entering the new year that it is a time to plan ahead.

In our last Beta-Vitality meeting, in the context of a discussion on marketing, we acknowledged that we must plan ahead and put things on the calendar far in advance. The habit of our Church has been more to go with the flow – decide to do something a month ahead. It has also been to do the same things each year. Our Church is not alone in this; I would even say that most churches are like this. And, I confess, I am like this. And I will say there are good things about going with the flow. At the same time, in our world when time is passing by so fast and our calendars fill up so quickly, we have to plan for the summer now.

I want to share a quote from one of my favorite magazines – The Christian Century – of postmodern philosopher, John Caputo:

Our nonstop travel has created a crisis in truth. With our modern transportation systems, we can travel almost anywhere, and with our modern information systems almost anything can travel to us. Truth is in constant transit. And it is unnerving. The fundamental difference between a liberal and a conservative, I think, is the stomach you have for the journey. Your willingness to explore the unnamed; your willingness to expose yourself to the future. To put what you’ve inherited at risk for sights unknown and places unvisited.

Based on this quote, I’m conservative! What I take away from this, in the context of planning ahead, is we need to explore, risk, try the new thing, and that IS unnerving.

We did a new thing when we became a Reconciling Congregation last year. It was risky business. And it has transformed our Church. I have asked this before – what are we willing to risk now? I would encourage all of us to feel challenged to be creative. Committees, consider the new thing. What kind of events can we have that will further connect us? There has been talk of an all church retreat. What mission do we want to take on? At Ronald UMC, they have identified homelessness as the focus of their mission, and partnering with Compass Housing, Hopelink and the City of Shoreline, they are building low income housing. What are issues that we need to take on: healthcare, the environment, mental illness? What is our next new thing?

In numerous places in the Bible it says that God makes all things new. But that doesn’t happen without us. We must open ourselves to the breeze of the Holy Spirit offering us new life. As we enter the new year, let’s ponder sights unknown and places unvisited.

John Caputo has written a number of books including The Weakness of God. I would like to share a quote from this book too:

Life is a risky business, and we worry constantly about the future,, about what is coming, for ourselves and for others – and so we must, but we should worry without worry, and do so in the name of Elohim (God). Tomorrow it may be better or perhaps is will be worse, but that is another day. Today is the day to say yes. Life is a beautiful risk, and the lilies are the beautiful part.

P.Jim