So it’s not a new story.

OK, tell me – Everybody has at least one friend who’s a movie critic, right? Well, our movie critic friend used to live in LA, has friends who are producers, and has worked in movies and on television productions himself. He considers himself the expert – so who are we East Tennessee nobodies to argue? Actually, the dirt he dishes about Hollywood is often fun celebrity gossip, and his assessments of movies are usually right on target – though I wouldn’t want to tell him that for fear that it would go to his head.

Well since it is that movie-going time of the year, Friday night I went to see a movie with my friend Christy and her brother, who happens to be the previously mentioned movie critic friend. One of the frequent comments I’ve heard about the movie that we saw is that it’s not a new story. The story-line was predictable, the foreshadowing obvious, the pre-destined couple of the story falls in love, and in the end, the good guys win. But in the post-movie discussion, it may have actually been Christy who said: “Isn’t that why we go to the movies? We want to hear the same story again, and again, and again.”

I think she’s right. Though we could have imagined different endings, some of the kind that might happen in real life, there’s something about being human that draws us into those familiar stories of hope and transformation. We want to know that love endures, that courage is rewarded, that people can change for the better, and that in the end good triumphs over evil. Whether it’s a romantic comedy, fantasy, sci-fi, or an action film, some of those formulaic elements seem to appear over and over again. Even in stories about the lives of real people, we want to know more about those unique individuals who have experienced revelations that have led to transformations. These are the spiritual elements of a good story that never grow old or tired.

We really do need to hear repeatedly those stories of darkness turning toward the light. We need to know that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t overcome it. We love stories in which the Word becomes flesh, and through that we experience a connection to the holy. God’s Word, God’s story that lives on in us and through us, was fulfilled in grace and truth through the person, Jesus. So rather than being a date by date history or a moral code of laws and obligations, scripture, as I see it, is a collection of prophesies, prayers, and story after story of people who were searching for light in the darkness. The same thing could be said about the Bible as was said about my movie. For the thousands of years spanned in its pages, there’s not a new story in there. It is repetitive, character-driven, and for the most part, pretty predictable. Love, God’s love, endures. Don’t be afraid; courage is important. Even the most hard-hearted people can change for the better. And in the long stretch of time, good always wins.

The prophet Jeremiah speaks of this transformation by saying that God will turn mourning into joy, give gladness for sorrow, and fill the priests and their people with great bounty. For Israel, he predicts there will be a “good ending.” The story of Jesus is simply the same old story of salvation told through the life of one incredibly faithful human being. Life gets hard, sometimes incredibly hard. We face evil every day. Even for our perfect model Jesus, it will look like all hope is about to be destroyed, and yet, and yet even the very worst of all possible outcomes will be transformed by a great sacrifice and bring us all hope for a new life.

Perhaps in certain circles, talking about the “stories” of the Bible and then comparing them to the stories found in popular entertainment like movies would be sacrilege, or at the very least considered disrespectful. But instead, knowing that we almost can’t help ourselves but to tell the same old stories shows me that there are truths we hold in common simply from our experience of being human. We know the good guys from the bad guys in our movies. Why can’t we recognize good and evil more clearly in our world today? I know that we are plagued with more gray areas in the muddle of everyday life, but telling the stories helps us remember and clarify who we are and who we want to be. A good movie can change our perspective – at least temporarily. A great movie may inspire us to change something about our lives. The truth about God’s love certainly can be read directly from the Bible, but it can also be told through a good plot line and great computer graphics in a seemingly unrelated tale of hope and transformation. When we limit God’s truth to only what can be found in scripture without perceiving the truth all around us, I think we’re missing big pieces of God’s activity in our world today.

I can’t say that I’m suggesting we spend all of our time at the movies hoping for God’s Word to be revealed. For every good movie out there, there’s probably another three or four not even worth the Netflix price. I’ve wasted my time on some of those too. But I will encourage you to look for those classical spiritual elements in movies, in b*ooks, in the news that you read or watch. Is love expressed mutually, graciously, and supportively? Do difficult events lead the characters to new insights and spiritual renewal? Does courage make a difference? Does the good prevail? Is the darkness scattered by the light – no matter how small the light may appear to be? Perhaps in those themes, we will recognize the best in ourselves and see God’s hope for us more clearly.

So the story isn’t new. So what? Those old, old stories inspire us, renew us, and give us far more hope than we ought to have knowing what we know about the tragedies of our world. I’d like to think that the good books I read, and the good movies that I watch are making at least a small dent in how we humans think about who we are. I wish they were more motivating to action as well. I wish they would lend us some of that courage so we would be more likely to point out the darkness in our world and give more of our energy to supporting the light where it exists. We call the ancient stories holy in hopes that they will do just that – connect us to the grace and love that makes transformation truly possible. So love deeply. Have courage. Grow through the challenges of your life so you will change for the better. Hope for the future, and root for the good guys. Pay attention to the stories we tell over and over again.

Amen.