Showcase: Assorted Treats

  • Paradigm Questions +

    Paradigm Questions To which of the following commands of Christ’s do you only pay only lip service? Love your enemies Read More
  • July 27 Devotional: FB Meyer +

    He suffered thee to hunger. Deuteronomy 8:3 Read More
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hugo300With God, nothing is ever wasted. Every moment, every thought, every action that occurs within his creation sustains and nurtures this reality, and ultimately brings glory to him.This is an important theme throughout scripture, particularly with Christ's miracle of the fish and the loaves. Similarly, the story of Hugo, based on the Caldecott-winning children's novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick, brings attention to the interconnectedness, and dependency, of ourselves with each other. With the film Hugo, as with Christ, everything matters.

ust as the film's namesake gathers odds and ends to revive the automaton of his deceased father, Martin Scorese, Hugo's director, skillfully uses each three dimensional frame to sustain the world of a Paris train station in 1931. Each plot point reinforces the value of even the most unnoticed life, as Scorsese subtly directs the viewer's attention to an unstated premise in the film: the thriftfulness of relationships.

Although we give lipservice to the notion in our lives, everyone is shown to have value in this film, and as is often the case in life, the main characters in the film have multiple opportunities to support someone else, even after they ignore or fail to heed the call at first . Scorsese introduces us to our interdependency in the opening scenes, as dozens of clockwork gears rotate and engage one another, all with the purpose of presenting the correct time. Whether it is Hugo's work on the automaton, Isabelle's thrilled engagement with him in their adventure, the attractive flower lady's patient, loving presence with the station inspector, Jeane Melies's devotion to her famous, but almost forgotten, husband George, Monsieur Frick's ardent pursuit of Madame Emilie, the proprietor of a busy trainstation cafe, or Rene Tabard's lifelong study and devotion to Melies' work, everyone and everything is shown to matter, and to be worthy of our time, our effort, or nurturing.

1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiber'i-as. 2And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" 6 This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?" 10 Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost." 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!" (John 6, Revised Standard Version)

 

Reflections to Consider

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Publications

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Music

  • Jesus be the centre

    Center is a song that speaks of the essence of our life in Christ, and echoes the words the Christ Read More
  • I Lift My Hands

    A powerful hymn of adoration and praise Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir. This succinctly captures the joy of knowing our savior. Read More
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Audio & Video

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Favorites

  • Transforming this World: The Hope of Glory by NT Wright +

    Wright confronts the perspective that this world doesn’t matter, and that we live only to be in heaven. He shows Read More
  • What is Good in a World that Defies Hope: a talk by NT Wright +

    This is the second part of three talks by NT Wright at Harvard University in November, 2008 on the topic Read More
  • The Stream, the Lake and the River: NT Wright +

      Acts 2.1-21; John 7.37-39; a sermon at the Eucharist on the Feast of Pentecost, 11 May 2008, by the Read More
  • Jesus in the Perfect Storm by NT Wright +

    Zechariah 9.9-17; Luke 19.28-48; A sermon for Palm Sunday, April 17, 2011, In the University Chapel of St Salvator, St Read More
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Hidden Blessings

  • Christ is a Great Savior: a review of the movie Amazing Grace +

    Amazing Grace is a historical drama about William Wilberforce who was elected to British Parliament at the age of 21 Read More
  • Wilberforce, Hollywood's Amazing Grace, Charlotte Allen +

    William Wilberforce's relentless campaign eventually led the British Parliament to ban the slave trade, in 1807, and to pass a Read More
  • Making Beauty out of Ugly Things: Grace by U2 +

    Grace, she takes the blame She covers the shame Removes the stain It could be her name Grace, she carries Read More
  • The True Nature of Grace and Love: a movie review of the Soloist +

    The 2009 movie The Soloist is based on a book by the same name, written by Los Angeles Times columnist Read More
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