On Reflection
From the manse window
SEEN any good movies recently? My wife and I went to the cinema not long ago for a birthday treat. We saw the Oscar-winning “La La Land”, a charming, romantic musical with a fantastic jazzy score and brilliant performances from Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. And a serious twist towards the end!
Some readers may remember “going to the pictures” years ago when there would be a break partway through the feature and the “ice-cream lady” would appear at the front of the theatre selling her wares.
Some readers may remember Cubby Broccoli starting the iconic 007 franchise back in the Sixties with the young Sean Connery as the enigmatic secret agent James Bond.
I was too young to see films like “Dr No” first time around, but fond childhood memories include Mum and Dad taking my brother and me to see Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in “The Sound Of Music”, and the admittedly more appealing at the time “Jungle Book” by Walt Disney.
“The Jungle Book” has recently been remade with all the latest dazzling technical wizardry, but the 1967 colour animation remains a true classic.
It was one of the favourite videos we watched with our own children, and if we’re spared we may even get to enjoy it with grandchildren some day.
It still works its cinematic magic as the man cub Mowgli is briefly adopted by Baloo the bear, prompting the unforgettable duet “Bare Necessities”.
Another part which still makes me giggle is where the social-climber orang-utan King Louie asks Mowgli for the secret of fire so he can be more manlike.
Isn’t that ironic? For human beings are the greatest copycats of all! People model their hairstyle or clothes on the Hollywood stars or other celebrities we see on TV.
Possibly lacking confidence in ourselves, we like to imitate someone else’s style.
There’s actually a place in the Bible where imitating someone is not only condoned but positively encouraged!
In his letter to a Christian church fellowship in Ephesus, the apostle Paul wrote, “Be imitators of God therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us.”
Now, we can’t create a universe, walk on water or instantly multiply food to feed thousands. How can ordinary, and often flawed human beings like us hope to imitate God?
The key is in the word “love”, repeated three times here in just two verses. God loves us deeply and sent his Son Jesus to save us with the greatest personal sacrifice of himself.
Touched by this, and ashamed of our wrongdoing, we love him back, learning to trust God as our Father, Jesus as Saviour and Master and the Holy Spirit as living daily Guide.
Result: we are learning to live a life of sacrificial love and kindness, just like Christ.
If we “wanna be like” someone, let’s imitate the best!