The Two Mirrors
Posted by: wisdomtree on: June 22, 2009
A creative worship for young people using materials from popular culture
1.o Fun Videos
Interactive Mirror ( Conceptualized by Alpay Kasal of Lit Studios and Sam Ewen of Interference Inc)
Other fun videos
- Mirror Mirror ( by Clear Vision Drama)
- Mirror (A clip from the Groucho Marx Movie, Duck Soup! It’s the Mirror sequence with Groucho and Harpo)
2.o Song:
Your Word is a lamp unto my feet
And a light unto my path
(1)
When I feel afraid and I think I’ve lost my way
Still you’re there right beside me
Nothing need I fear as long as you are near
Please be near me till the end
(2)
I will not forget Your love for me and yet
My heart forever keeps wandering
Jesus, be my guide and hold me to you side
And I will love you till the end
3. o Reading: Mathew 7: 24 – 27 (Contemporary English Version)
These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.
4.o Video Clips: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone
Voices:
The Mirror of Erised:
“It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, more desperate desire of our hearts… However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible…It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that…” – : Aldus Dumbledore’s in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Chapter 12
The Bible:
If you hear the message and don’t obey it, you are like people who stare at themselves in a mirror and forget what they look like as soon as they leave. But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free. God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget. – (Jam 1:23-25 CEV)
5. 0 Conversations
- Why do people look in a mirror?
- The Mirror of Erised shows us ‘what we want’. Would you like to look into such a magic mirror? Why? Why not?
- What are the contemporary parallels to the Mirror of Erised? What do you think about these?
- Media (Movies, Music Videos, Advertisements etc) shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, more desperate desire of our hearts… Comment!
- What you want is what you get! In what ways do you think, Media gives us what we want? How has this changed our (dis)likes?
- Elsewhere Dumbledore contends, “It is our choices Harry that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities”. We watch what we are. We are what we watch. Comment!
- In what ways are we denied that which is real, excellent and delightful? How do you think this affects us?
- Why do you think Apostle James compares the Bible to a mirror?
- The Bible, as a mirror, shows us who we are. In fact, it’s a commentary about what is right and/or wrong about human nature? Would you like to look into such a mirror?
- James exhorts us to never stop looking at the bible (perfect law). In what ways can we profit from reading the bible? Read Ps. 119: 1-5 & 2 Timothy 3: 16& 17
- Why do you think it is important to ‘listen and obey’ and not just ‘hear and forget’? Read Matthew 7: 24 – 29
6.0 Responsive Reading: Ps 119: 1-5 & 2 Timothy 3: 16 & 17
You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me.
Keep on being faithful to what you were taught and to what you believed. After all, you know who taught you these things. Since childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to make you wise enough to have faith in Christ Jesus and be saved.
Everything in the Scriptures is God’s Word.
All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live. The Scriptures train God’s servants to do all kinds of good deeds.
7.0 Prayer:
Lord! help me learn the pattern of your righteous ways and help me do what is right and pleasing to you. Please help me to never stop looking at the perfect law that has the power to set me free. Give me the grace to listen and obey your Word. Amen!
What’s wrong with me?
Posted by: wisdomtree on: April 8, 2009
Discussion on Three days grace song The animal I have become
Lyrics
I can’t escape this hell
So many times i’ve tried
But i’m still caged inside
Somebody get me through this nightmare
I can’t control myself
So what if you can see the dark inside of me
No one will ever change this animal I have become
Help me believe it’s not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal
I can’t escape myself
So many times i’ve lied
But there’s still rage inside
Somebody get me through this nightmare
I can’t control myself
Some what if you can see the dark inside of me
No one will ever change this animal I have become
Help me believe it’s not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal
Help me believe it’s not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal
Somebody help me through this nightmare
I can’t control myself
Somebody wake me from this nightmare
I can’t escape this hell
(This animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal)
So what if you can see the dark inside of me
No one will ever change this animal I have become
Help me believe it’s not the real me
Somebody help me tame this animal
this animal i have become
The music and lyrics belong to the respective artists and company. The lyrics and video are put here to aid conversations about the darkness within each of us.
“Villains with a conscience have this sad realization of who they are, and the monster they’ve become — there’s a sense of regret. So at the end of these movies there’s a dramatic resonance that really stays with the audience.” —Thomas Haden Church (who played the part) on Sandman in Spiderman – 3
Conversations ( Discussion questions prepared by Samuel Thambusamy)
1) What is this song about?
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2) What do you think makes us become the animal we’ve become?
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3) How (un)comfortable are we with the animal we’ve become?
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4) Who or what can help us tame the animal we’ve become?
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5) What did you like about the song? What can we (un)learn from the song?
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G20: Let’s move forward
Posted by: wisdomtree on: April 2, 2009
We need to take a step forward in the right direction. It is equally important to put the right foot forward too… Let us name (and shame) the evil amidst us: GREED
On the other hand, it’s love that makes the world go round. Let’s share and spread the wealth around with love
St. Paul and Popular Culture – 1
Posted by: wisdomtree on: March 30, 2009
It is interesting to see St. Paul picking up ‘word-pictures’ from the world of sport and entertainment. Read these from Paul’s letters to the Church at Corinth and to Timothy:
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.(1 Cor 9:24-27)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4 : 7-8)
Entertainment [Games (read blood sports) and Sports] was an important aspect of the Roman Empire. The Ismithian Games were held at Corinth every two years, and apostle Paul drew from the world of sports and entertainment to speak to his audience (at Corinth and elsewhere). May be, he was a sport lover. May be, he himself was at the Ismithian games. Perhaps, may be not. But nonetheless, he uses sports to connect with his audience and help them grasp a spiritual truth.
Paul draws insights from important aspects of the games such as the race, atheletes, the prize, winning, training that goes along to make it a possiblity, the rules of the game, the skill and tact required etc to explain christian life. Apostle Paul does use the ordinary aspects of everyday life, perhaps the popular culture of his day to speak divine truths. What strikes me in this passage is Paul connecting with the ‘longing’ to win the prize that is present in the (not-so-spiritual) atheletic event (and in all of Corinth by extention) and uses it to speak about ‘be-longing’ to Christ.
The bible does offer us ways of connecting to the urban ‘longing and belonging’. Using aspects of popular culture is not something allien to the followers of Jesus, and definitely not to Apostle Paul. We must likewise pick up aspects of popular culture to speak to contemporary urban audience.
Forgiveness – What does it take?
Posted by: wisdomtree on: March 28, 2009
Popular culture feeds on our instinct for anger and revenge. How do we deal with perceived ‘injustice’ and feelings of ‘getting even’. The christian message – to forgive runs contrary to the therapeutic suggestions offerred by psychologists. Is letting go one’s anger the best thing to do? Reservation Road takes us through a journey of exploration and evaluation of what we believe in, what we say, what we do and what we feel about perceived injustice.
- What is forgiveness?
- Why do we forgive?
- What does it take to forgive?
- Why is it difficult to forgive?
- Can a transcendent resolution help us?
The film gets us thinking about the making and breaking of human relationships. WATCH IT!
I found this interesting article on Reservation Road: What Would Ethan Do?: Notes on Revenge
Other helpful links
Christian Life: The Road Less Travelled
Posted by: wisdomtree on: March 28, 2009
Should life be a guessing game?
Posted by: wisdomtree on: March 27, 2009
Commentary on the song Poker Face ( by Lady Gaga)
We all seek meaningful relationships. Sadly, relationships (and friendships) have become a (poker)game. It is awful to enter into relationships purely by ‘luck’ and ‘intution’. And then, we keep the other person guessing. We love to keep it that way. We don’t want to reveal our ‘real’ face and ‘real’ intentions. we play the game of love with the poker face.
Sadly, we get see relationships through a hurt perspective. Pain colours our vision. Makes us shrink on the inside. Makes us withhold ourselves. We want to enter into a meaningful relationship and yet we want to withold ourselves. We don’t confess our love because we know it one big bluff. We like to have it as ‘game’and keep everyone guessing. We deny ourselves of true love, for what is love if it isnt real, excellent and delightful. When we deceive others we deceive ourselves too.
The hurts and aches (of failed love) we carry is addictive. We enter relationships wanting it to be ‘rough’. We honestly believe, “when it’s love if it’s not rough it isn’t fun, fun”. The more we deny ourselves love, the more we hurt ourselves. And the more we hurt ourselves, we lose the ability to love. It’s a vicious circle.
The poker face is no help at all. Love is self-giving. Of course, you become vulnerable within the relationship but if its a relationship of trust you find love, you find a new you (a me-in-relationship). There’s a lot of difference between ‘life’ and ‘play’. A poker face is of no help if you are seeking love – that is real, excellent and delightful.
Conversations
1) What is this song about?
2) Why do people rely on ‘luck’ , ‘intuition’ and ‘manipulation’ to enter into relationships?
3) “And baby when it’s love if it’s not rough it isn’t fun, fun”. Do you agree with this! Why?
4) “No he can’t read my poker face”. Can this deception lead to self deception? Why?
5) What did you (dis)like about the song? Why?
