"Faith and Film" Series 2021

By -


 “Faith and Film” Series Overview
Movies are like “visual parables” that can help us understand our lives and the wider world.  They can also reveal something about God.  In a “Faith and Film” series for June, we will consider the significance of several recent films, including Nomadland, Minari, Moana, and Judas and the Black Messiah.  The series will be part of a United Methodist pulpit exchange among Trinity Wilmette, Northbrook, and Deerfield Christ.  The selected films invite us to reflect on how people search for meaning and struggle for dignity.

 

June 6 

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH: To escape prison, Bill O’Neal spied on Chairman Fred Hampton and the Black Panthers for the FBI, but true freedom was elusive.  In Matthew 26:14-16, Judas Iscariot conspires with the religious authorities to betray Jesus.  Neither traitor can live with his guilt.  When have you felt persistent regret? 

 

 June 13 

MINARI: Getting settled in a new community is hard for anyone.  For Jacob Yi and his Korean-American family, the move to rural Arkansas requires extra grace and endurance.  In Romans 5:1-5, Paul teaches that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.  In Colossians 3:12-17, he urges us to bear with one another in love.  What can an immigrant family teach us?

 

June 20 

MOANA: In Luke 1:26-56, Mary learns that she will be the mother of God’s Son.  Do you know who you are?  Do you know how you’re going to follow God?  Moana, her “village crazy lady” grandmother, and Mary the mother of Jesus may seem like an unlikely team of teachers, but their wisdom about following God's call when it seems impossible speaks wisdom to us. 

 

June 27 

NOMADLAND: Exiled from Empire, Fern becomes a nomad.  Like the ancient Israelites, she is a displaced person in search of the next spot to call home.  In Hebrews 11:8-16, the author illustrates how faith can help people move toward a new possibility.  When have you felt unsettled or uprooted?

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Wholeness of Being" Series 2026

By -
Image
“Wholeness of Being” Series Summary for Eastertide (April 12-May 24) Easter reveals God’s commitment to the wholeness of the world.   T heologian Ilia Delio argues that science and faith are not rivals but essential partners in understanding the mystery of life and God's ongoing work.  She says: “We are one body, and we seek one mind and heart so that the whole may become more whole, more personal and unified in love” ( The Unbearable Wholeness of Being ).   Join us this spring as we explore connections between science and faith for a season of becoming whole so that we can live as agents of love’s unfinished future.  Apr. 12 | Easter 2 - Communion  LOVE IS COMMUNITY: One is the loneliest number, according to the 60s ballad.   In Luke 24:13–35 , Jesus accompanies the disciples to Emmaus and eats with them.   Resurrection is discovered in relationships, not isolation.   Delio argues that, in an evolving universe, Christ is found in communal belongi...
Read more

"Healing Wounds" Series 2026

By -
Image
  “Healing Wounds” Series Summary (Feb. 18-Apr. 5) What do we do with wounds that won’t close—grief that lingers, shame we carry quietly, a world that feels fragile?   In Lent, we will take those questions seriously through an encounter with Jesus, not as a distant savior but as a wounded healer who knows pain firsthand.   Guided by Erik Varden’s Healing Wounds and a medieval devotional prayer by Arnulf of Leuven, we will linger with Christ’s scarred body and discover how God’s love works not by erasing suffering, but by entering it and transforming it.   Each week, we will recommend a different prayer posture.   Join us this Lent for a season of honest prayer and surprising hope as we open ourselves to the promise that what hurts most can become the place where new life begins. Feb. 18 | Ash Wednesday AFFLICTION: We are wounded people living in a wounded world.   In Mark 8:31-35 , Jesus says that following him means taking up a cross rather than chasin...
Read more

“Faith and Film” Series 2026

By -
Image
  “Faith and Film 2026” Series Summary (May 31-June 28) Movies can be modern parables that reveal our deepest longings, struggles, and hopes. They not only reflect who we are, but they can also offer glimpses of God’s presence in our world.   In our annual Faith and Film series, we will explore how some of this year’s Oscar-nominated films speak to the human desire for healing, justice, and reconciliation.   The films that were chosen by Trinity Wilmette members include Hamnet , F1 Sentimental Value, Train Dreams, KPop Demon Hunters .   They reflect the stories that resonate most with our community. Join us in June as we engage these films through the lens of faith, discovering how they challenge, inspire, and point us toward God’s truth.   May 31 | Trinity Sunday HAMNET : In the wake of devastating loss, Agnes and William Shakespeare embody the disorienting, uneven journey of grief. Their story invites us to honor sorrow not as something to rush past, but ...
Read more