Where have I been?
Sorry that it is nearly two weeks since my last Blog. Where have I been? Possibly sleeping in the garden instead of tending to my blog, you may wonder!
Actually I had rather a "challenging" week last week. Partly this was because the stress of lockdown got to me a bit. Partly it was because I had a bad tooth.
Thanks to the kind people at Liverpool Dental Hospital the tooth was removed and the pain is improving. This is another example of the NHS being there when we need them. They continue to deal with a lot of things as well as Corona Virus. They deserve to be paid, resourced and treated properly, not just to be clapped once a week for a few minutes.
On the subject of teeth, I am reminded of a joke about the late Rev'd Ian Paisley. A lady was walking past the manse and saw Mrs Paisley doing her garden. The lady knew that Mrs Paisley had recently had a tooth out. "How's the pain?" she asked. "He's inside writing his sermon" replied Mrs Paisley".
Over the last week I have watched some films that I very much enjoyed and caused me to reflect. The first two were on the BBC2 so you may still be able to catch up with them on the BBCiPlayer. The third one was on Sky and is available on DVD - if you dare to watch it!
"The sense of an ending" (2017) starred the always brilliant Jim Broadbent, playing the part of camera shop owner, Tony. Tony comes over as a grumpy and misunderstood late middle aged man. I felt a lot of sympathy for him. For me the theme of the film is that we don't always remember things the way they really happened. We put our own interpretation on things that happen and these may not be how the other people involved saw them. Sometimes things can happen to help us see things in a new light; this was the experience of Tony in the film. In the weeks after Easter, the risen Jesus met with the disciples and helped them to see everything that had happened in a new light. He helped them to move beyond their guilt and misunderstandings and to find new life. By the grace of God the memories which were then recorded in the New Testament give us a true and reliable picture of Jesus.
"Manchester by the sea" (2016) tells the story of Lee, played by Casey Affleck. Lee is a man plagued by guilt, for the death of his children in a fire and the failure of his marriage. The death of his brother leads to Lee coming home to Manchester, Massachusetts, facing his past and becoming the guardian of his nephew, Patrick. Although this is not a welcome responsibility for Lee it does lead to a new, but not easy, chapter in life as the two adjust to and begin to respect each other. The scene where Lee's ex wife tries to put right their past mistakes is particularly moving. To me the film shows that however battered we are there is always the chance to start again - especially when we know the forgiving love of Jesus.
The third film I watched was the 2019 version of "Pet Sematary". This is based on a book by Stephen King and is the second time the book has been made into a film. I love Stephen King's novels because he is such a good story teller. He doesn't just write about horror but about characters and how they interact. My favourite Stephen King book (also made into a TV Series) is 11/22/63, about a man sent back in time to prevent the shooting of President Kennedy. Surprisingly the world is a worse rather than a better place when he succeeds. Messing with history is always a risky business!
"Pet Sematary" (the unusual spelling is Stephen King's) is about a creepy New England woods where animals that are buried come back to life again. The trouble is they don't return as quite the lovable pets that they were previously! The results are even worse when applied to human beings. The film portrays life after death as something not to be recommended. This contrasts with our Christian faith that resurrection following the pattern of Jesus is something wonderful, a positive hope for a joyful life after we die. The Gospel accounts of how the risen Jesus appeared to the disciples show him living a full life, eating, drinking and loving his friends. That is our resurrection hope, which sustains us especially when we face testing times.
Although these films dealt with "heavy" subject matter there was plenty of unexpected of humour in each of them!
At this challenging time in all our lives it is wonderful to know that the gifts of forgiveness and new life can be ours. All three films made me reflect that no matter what the past, present and future challenges we face may be, there is always hope - humour can oil the wheels of hope too.
Perhaps the answer as to where I have been is that I have been watching TV. I will try to watch less and write more this week!
Actually I had rather a "challenging" week last week. Partly this was because the stress of lockdown got to me a bit. Partly it was because I had a bad tooth.
Thanks to the kind people at Liverpool Dental Hospital the tooth was removed and the pain is improving. This is another example of the NHS being there when we need them. They continue to deal with a lot of things as well as Corona Virus. They deserve to be paid, resourced and treated properly, not just to be clapped once a week for a few minutes.
On the subject of teeth, I am reminded of a joke about the late Rev'd Ian Paisley. A lady was walking past the manse and saw Mrs Paisley doing her garden. The lady knew that Mrs Paisley had recently had a tooth out. "How's the pain?" she asked. "He's inside writing his sermon" replied Mrs Paisley".
Over the last week I have watched some films that I very much enjoyed and caused me to reflect. The first two were on the BBC2 so you may still be able to catch up with them on the BBCiPlayer. The third one was on Sky and is available on DVD - if you dare to watch it!
"The sense of an ending" (2017) starred the always brilliant Jim Broadbent, playing the part of camera shop owner, Tony. Tony comes over as a grumpy and misunderstood late middle aged man. I felt a lot of sympathy for him. For me the theme of the film is that we don't always remember things the way they really happened. We put our own interpretation on things that happen and these may not be how the other people involved saw them. Sometimes things can happen to help us see things in a new light; this was the experience of Tony in the film. In the weeks after Easter, the risen Jesus met with the disciples and helped them to see everything that had happened in a new light. He helped them to move beyond their guilt and misunderstandings and to find new life. By the grace of God the memories which were then recorded in the New Testament give us a true and reliable picture of Jesus.
"Manchester by the sea" (2016) tells the story of Lee, played by Casey Affleck. Lee is a man plagued by guilt, for the death of his children in a fire and the failure of his marriage. The death of his brother leads to Lee coming home to Manchester, Massachusetts, facing his past and becoming the guardian of his nephew, Patrick. Although this is not a welcome responsibility for Lee it does lead to a new, but not easy, chapter in life as the two adjust to and begin to respect each other. The scene where Lee's ex wife tries to put right their past mistakes is particularly moving. To me the film shows that however battered we are there is always the chance to start again - especially when we know the forgiving love of Jesus.
The third film I watched was the 2019 version of "Pet Sematary". This is based on a book by Stephen King and is the second time the book has been made into a film. I love Stephen King's novels because he is such a good story teller. He doesn't just write about horror but about characters and how they interact. My favourite Stephen King book (also made into a TV Series) is 11/22/63, about a man sent back in time to prevent the shooting of President Kennedy. Surprisingly the world is a worse rather than a better place when he succeeds. Messing with history is always a risky business!
"Pet Sematary" (the unusual spelling is Stephen King's) is about a creepy New England woods where animals that are buried come back to life again. The trouble is they don't return as quite the lovable pets that they were previously! The results are even worse when applied to human beings. The film portrays life after death as something not to be recommended. This contrasts with our Christian faith that resurrection following the pattern of Jesus is something wonderful, a positive hope for a joyful life after we die. The Gospel accounts of how the risen Jesus appeared to the disciples show him living a full life, eating, drinking and loving his friends. That is our resurrection hope, which sustains us especially when we face testing times.
Although these films dealt with "heavy" subject matter there was plenty of unexpected of humour in each of them!
At this challenging time in all our lives it is wonderful to know that the gifts of forgiveness and new life can be ours. All three films made me reflect that no matter what the past, present and future challenges we face may be, there is always hope - humour can oil the wheels of hope too.
Perhaps the answer as to where I have been is that I have been watching TV. I will try to watch less and write more this week!
Enjoyed your latest blog Peter. Hope you're feeling better after having your tooth out. You might need to relax and watch some more TV to recuperate!
ReplyDeleteHi Peter sorry to hear about your tooth, but glad you're recovering. I love watching a film or drama series that leaves you thinking and considering the different characters and life lessons learned.
ReplyDelete