One of the things my family and I love to do one holiday is to go and see movies. We don't have all that much time to do this normally, so it's a treat when we get the chance. During our recent break, we managed to get to a few really great shows, and as I reflected on them, I was struck by the similarities between them. In some way, they were all about the quest for redemption. The first movie Debbie, my wife, and I saw was Michael Clayton, George Clooney's latest. It was simple story line, with great acting, that explored what happens when big business fails to acknowledge its sins. The main character undergoes a major confrontation with himself in the process, and finds something of a personal redemption as a result.
Then, we saw P.S. I Love You, with Hilary Swank, who's character finds life and redemption after the death of her husband. This was followed by Horton Hears A Who, in which the gentle elephant struggles against the odds to save the small 'Whos' even when others don't acknowledge their existence. Of course, he succeeds, and he, and those who oppose him find redemption together as a result. In Dr. Seuss's inimitable way, the basic message of the movie is summed up in these words: "A person is a person, no matter how small!"
I have an idea that there was another film that we saw that slips my mind right now, but the last movie we saw was my favourite. Juno is the story of a teenage girl who finds herself pregnant, and has to navigate the decisions she must make as a result. This was the craft of film making at its best - great images, great cinematography, great script, amazing acting, a subtle and lovely sense of humour, perfectly balanced with poignancy. And, of course, pretty much every character in the movie finds their own brand of redemption in some way.
Perhaps it's just me, but I can't help but wonder if stories like these are being told because we so desperately need redemption in our world today. In the face of the growing food crisis, the political crisis in Zimbabwe, human rights abuses, conflict, global warming, high energy and fuel prices, and economic recession, I have a sense that people across the world are looking for something beyond themselves to give them hope, meaning and way of making sense. We are searching for our better selves, and trying to find ways to address the huge problems we are now living with. And so, we tell stories of redemption to remind ourselves that redemption is real and available.
Having just come through Easter, these movies reminded me of the redemption that Christ offers, and I became convinced that every redemption is the work of Christ. Whether people know it or not, whether they acknowledge it or not, I believe that Jesus is at work in every place of suffering and crisis in our world, and Jesus is working for the redemption of humanity and the universe we call home. And every time someone finds redemption, however small, in whatever way, I believe we see the fruit of Jesus's death and resurrection.
It's encouraging to know that as we search for redemption, there is a God who has already done the work to make it available to us. Now, if I can just make God's redemptive work a more integral part of me, and respond, in whatever way I can, to the call to be an agent of redemption for the sake of others, I might just be making a small contribution to helping the world find the redemption we all seek.
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