February 17th: Exodus 28, Psalm 83-84 and Mark 13

If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading this blog and go watch Lars and the Real Girl. Seriously. Don't even finish this sentance... go. I don't care if you're at work, go. Stop. No. No. Stop it. Put down the crappy work coffee. Go watch the movie.

OK, now that I actually told people to stop reading...

The acting in the movie is fantastic, the script is brilliant, and the direction is precise. But more importantly, it's a beautiful picture of the acceptance, grace and unconditional love. If you missed it, you probably heard the premise and shrugged it off. I get that. The title character, Lars, orders a sex doll, falls in love with it and starts dating "her." Say what? Yeah, but there is so much more to the movie.

I won't ruin it for you if you haven't seen it. But let me just say that these "small town" people come along side Lars. They love him. They embrace Bianca (the doll) rather than openly rejecting the obvious misconception that Lars has so fully embraced. The entire time, your expecting people to lash out at him. To shame him. To hurt him. But it never happens.

I can only imagine what our communities would be like if we took that approach. Instead of telling people that they are wrong (that doesn't work in the film by the way), instead of bullying them into our belief system, what if we loved them? What if we sheltered them through the storm that they are traveling through? What if no matter how stupid we felt, no matter how wrong they were, we loved them?

I'm struck over and over again in the Gospels by how Jesus loved the people that had been rejected by the established religion. No matter how wrong the rich young ruler was, Jesus "loved him." He never condones what these "sinners and tax collectors" were doing. But he loved them till they come to an understanding of who he was and what he had to offer. Sure, not everyone. But it was revolutionary. Still seems to be.

I hope I can be like that.

Now what does this have to do with Exodus 28, Psalm 83-84 or Mark 13? Nothing. Sorry about that. If you want a nifty thought though from Exodus 28... imagine Moses sitting on the mountain getting the schematics for the tabernacle and the priests garments (checkered linen, bell pomegranate bell repeat...) . Cause if I got a chance to talk to God for an afternoon that's what I would want to talk about too...