Frozen: True Love

...continued from Part 1

Ever since they were kids, Anna has known nothing but hurt from her older sister, Elsa. She doesn't remember the first time, when Elsa accidentally hit her with a magic snowball. But she does remember the "doors in her face," all those long years of being ignored. Most recent is Elsa's refusal to bless Anna's engagement to Prince Hans.

And yet, Anna is convinced that her sister, Elsa, is worth loving. Sure, she threw the land into an eternal winter, but there's still good in her, she can feel it.

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." -- 1 Corinthians 13:7

It's just going to take some convincing of Elsa. So Anna climbs the mountain with Kristoff at her side--

--and ends up stabbed through the heart by one of Elsa's icicles. Now she's dying, and the only cure is an act of true love. Well, thinks Anna, what can be more of an act of true love than true love's kiss?

But when she's this close to that kiss--and this close to dying without it--Anna runs the other way. She runs to save her sister, fearlessly putting herself between Elsa and the oncoming sword. The ice that has been overtaking her from that encounter with Elsa's icicle now takes over, crystallizing into statue. Anna is dead.

It would make some sense if she'd died for Hans, at least before she knew of his betrayal. Or Kristoff, who might just be the true love she was looking for. Olaf has been her friend; he deserves such sacrifice.

"Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good." -- Romans 5:7

But Elsa has singlehandedly ripped Anna's heart to shreds, both figuratively and literally. Elsa almost killed her--twice. She's slammed the door in her face again and again and again. Elsa is the reason the land is frozen. Elsa bears a power so strong people call it sorcery. She is feared, and with excellent reason. No one can think of a reason why she should stay alive. She ruins every thing she touches, every relationship she encounters.

And it's Elsa that Anna sacrifices her life for.

"Love covers a multitude of sins." -- 1 Peter 4:8

If you ever wanted a picture of God's love demonstrated, Anna's sacrifice is it. This blog often highlights themes of sacrifice. Will Turner trading himself for Elizabeth. Or even Flik taking one for the team in A Bug's Life. But this is different. Anna loves Elsa. And Elsa doesn't deserve it at all.

That's love. As the film points out, that is true love.

"There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." -- John 15:13

Life returns to Anna. Throughout the film, Anna is full of hopeful optimism and love. She loves love and wants only for everyone to be happy. She breathes goodness. When she sacrifices her life for Elsa's and becomes a heroic statue of ice, the very act of true love is what brings her back to life. It is her death which becomes the victory over death itself. 

"...death could not keep him (Jesus) in its grip." -- Acts 2:24

"He (Jesus) broke the power of death..." -- 2 Timothy 1:10

"...though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know...if she could have looked a little further back...She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards." -- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis

And Elsa? Elsa is free. Her powers no longer control her. Instead, she can use them--or not use them--however she pleases. No longer is she a slave.

The film is vague on how, exactly, Anna's sacrifice is the freedom of Elsa. But it hints towards one explanation: Elsa's experience of that unconditional love was enough.

We are undeserving. We have tried and tried and tried to control ourselves, to do good, but we have failed, and failed, and failed. Sin has got the better of us. We are pinned down by our mistakes and failures. We are desperate. We are trying. And, as Elsa sings, we "can't." If a good and wonderful person is going to die for someone, it's only logical that we're last on that list

But we're not. Not in Frozen, not in real life. Anna gives up her life--her good, honest, optimistic, hopeful life--and lays it down for the one person who has hurt her more than anyone else. Anna gives up her life for the very person who has frozen the kingdom, ruined her childhood, and almost killed her.

Elsa knows she doesn't deserve it. But Anna doesn't see things that way.

"But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." -- Romans 5:8

To Anna, it doesn't matter what Elsa has done. The only thing that matters is that Anna loves Elsa, no matter what. And that's how God loves you. He dies for you, knowing full well what you've done, knowing that he is good and you are not, knowing that you've broken His heart time after time after time. But that's not what matters to Him. What matters is that He loves you. That's all that matters. He loves you.

And He has come to free you. He has died to free you from all the destruction of sin.

"For while you were slaves to sin, you could not do righteously...but now you are made free from sin." -- Romans 6:20, 22

Sin has ruined us. It has turned everything we touch into failure. It has sabotaged our relationships. We have hurt people, vowed to do better, and done worse. It has tricked us into lifestyles that keep us from success. Sin is the cause of every bad thing on this earth: war, poverty, disease, murder, rape, abuse, cheating. All of it. All because of sin. And without Jesus' death, without the heroic sacrifice for the people who have caused Him the most pain, there is no hope.

"For the wages of sin is death--

But, like Anna, He chooses true love and dies so that we can live.

"--but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus." -- Romans 6:23

Read more...

Frozen: Can't Control the Curse

My introduction to Frozen was the song, "Let It Go." I wasn't sure what to make of it. Sure, it was heroic and heartwrenching and beautiful--not to mention the flawless voice of Idina Menzel--but the lyrics intrigued me.

"Don't let them in, don't let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know
Well, now they know
Let it go, let it go, can't hold it back any more
Let it go, let it go, turn away and slam the door
I don't care what they're going to say." -- Elsa

Sure, everyone has felt like that at some point, forced to be perfect, and there's definitely a place for us to throw off the restraints of society and be ourselves {and no one should ever be forced to be perfect}. But knowing what I knew at the time about Elsa--she spent her childhood hiding a magical ability to command the ice and snow--and being the sort of person who likes to predict things, I wondered if this newest Disney film was going to be something of a coming out story, an allegory for embracing our "true self," no matter the cost to ourselves and others. That's what I was prepared for when I sat down in the theater, settled back in my seat, and entered the kingdom of Arrandale.

I had it so wrong, so absolutely wrong. It's not that at all.

But my preconceived notions stayed with me throughout the film, and they gave me a surprisingly unique perspective on the story. A story that, if anything, is a treatise on the horrifying effects of sin...and the beauty of redemption.

Elsa is a girl born with a gift--or a curse--with which she can control and create snow and ice. However, at an early age, this power is almost the death of her younger sister, Anna. Her parents' advice: Conceal, don't feel. So Elsa does. She slams the door on her sister--both figuratively and literally--and does her best to prevent the power from controlling her.

"For I know that in me...dwells no good thing. For I have the desire to do that which is good, but I cannot carry it out." -- Romans 7:18 (paraphrase)

She fails. And, terrified of what she's capable of, she flees to a snow-covered mountain and builds a beautiful palace of ice. That is where we encounter the song, "Let It Go."

That is where Elsa sings,

"Let it go, let it go, you'll never see me cry." -- Elsa

And I realized something I had suspected from the song itself: Elsa is heartbroken. She is not happy. It may be a relief to throw of the constraints, but she is not at all happy. She is alone. She has abandoned her sister, the person she cares about most in the world. She's fled her kingdom. She's let everyone down.

"My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around." -- Elsa

And that's just it, isn't it? I was right about one thing: "Let It Go" is about giving into the curse we were born under (sin). But I was wrong about so much, because "Let It Go" is not the triumphant theme song of Frozen. It is the cry of a desperate heart, isolated, wanting only to be good but failing miserably every step of the way. Maybe, thinks Elsa, if I just give in, everything will be okay.

"It's time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I'm free." -- Elsa

Free from rules, free from worrying what people will think. But still a slave to misery.

All of us are born under a curse. We are controlled by a power called sin, and no matter how hard we try, we can't manage it. Oh, some of us do better than others. But we're all constantly one misstep away from showing everyone just how messed up we are inside.

"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory..." -- Romans 3:23

Rage. Hate. Lust.

We try, and we try, and we try. And then we fail. People get hurt, people we love, and we're left horrified by the damage we've caused. We don't know how to fix it. We can't fix it.

So we cut those people off in an effort to keep them safe. Some of us throw up our hands and give in to this power that controls us. We say what we want, hurt whom we please, sleep with whomever catches our interest. This is who we are, we say. At least we don't have to hide any more. This is freedom.

But then our past shows up on our doorstep.

"Arrandale's in deep, deep, deep, deep snow.
You kind of set off an eternal winter--everywhere." -- Anna

"Be sure your sin will find you out." -- Numbers 32:23

Elsa has ruined everything, and she has no idea how to fix it. She thought if she ran, everything would be okay. She thought if she gave in to the storm, it wouldn't cause her so much pain.

"I'm such a fool, I can't be free
No escape from the storm inside of me
Can't control the curse." -- Elsa

No, we can't, can we? We are born under a curse we can't control, a storm that swirls inside and lashes out at the most inopportune moments. A curse that results in destruction no matter how hard we try to protect the people that we love. No matter what we do, no matter how hard we try or how much we sacrifice, it is still there, hellbent on ruin. There is no escape. We can't control the curse.

"...slaves to sin..." -- Romans 6:20

And once we realize that, the question is painted in bold black letters on pristine white snow: "Is there truly no cure? Am I doomed to this life for all eternity? Is there nothing that can be done?"

continued in Part 2...

Read more...

Sherlock: The Battlefield

When I first watched the Sherlock series, I wasn't looking hard for allegories. I didn't find any, either. However, a couple of re-watchings have made me discover the depth of the first episode, "A Study In Pink."

Dr. John Watson is home from the war. He's trying to recuperate and assimilate back into civilian life. It's hard. He reads writing upside down and doesn't belong in this slow-paced world of small talk and lackadaisical days. His therapist tells him to write a blog. As his left hand shakes with what she says is PTSD, he tells her that he has nothing to write about.


Then John meets Sherlock Holmes, the world's only consulting detective...not to mention its most cynical, arrogant, and brilliant man. Within a day, they're sharing a flat, er, apartment. And Sherlock promptly opens up the can of worms that is John Watson:

Sherlock: Seen a lot of injuries then? Violent deaths?
John: Well, yes.
Sherlock: Bit of trouble too, I bet.
John: Of course, yes. Enough for a lifetime. Far too much.

"Enough for a lifetime."

John is saying what everyone expects him to say. Because Sherlock's next question reveals his heart:

Sherlock: Want to see some more?
John: Oh, God, yes.

It's simply funny the first time, but I've come to realize that we are not so different from John. We are a people made for war, for victory, for close calls and narrow escapes and RISK. We are made to attempt hard things. We are made for more than this provincial life {Disney shout-out!}.

And yet we, as Christians, are told to assimilate. We are told to sit down, be quiet, don't stand out, don't stand up. Be tolerant, go with the flow. We don't do risk. We're told we shouldn't want to.

There are reasons why Christians get disgruntled with the Christian
life. They were given promises of abundant life--

"I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly." -- John 10:10

--and they're rewarded with meetings and pie socials and Sunday school and small group and the occasional trek out to visit the homeless. That's the Christian life. That's the abundant Christian life we're used to in America.

No wonder we're frustrated.

"I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." -- Matthew 10:16

Somebody named Jesus told us we were going on an adventure. And then somebody from the pulpit told some funny stories and sent everyone home with a nice feeling in their heart just in time for football to come on.

As the episode progresses, John grows more and more wary of Sherlock. He's told that he can't be trusted (well, that's another blog post, right there). And he's had firsthand experience of Sherlock's callous nature. That's when he's dramatically kidnapped by Mycroft, Sherlock's estranged brother. And it's Mycroft who points out that Sherlock may be just what John needs.

"You see the battlefield."

"When you walk with Sherlock Holmes, you see the battlefield...you're not haunted by the war, Dr. Watson. You miss it." -- Mycroft Holmes

John was made for more than pie socials. He was made for the battlefield.

As were you.

"He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater than these shall he do." -- John 14:12

John's symptoms can't be solved by a therapist. Nor does he have anything to gain by trying to give the socially acceptable answer to Sherlock's bit-of-trouble question.

"And here you are."

Stop trying to blend in. You are longing for an adventure. It's okay to take it. You were meant to, no matter what anyone else thinks.

John: (accusatory) She said...You get off on this (chasing down serial killers). You enjoy it.
Sherlock: And I said "dangerous," and here you are.

Read more...

My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Above & Beyond

Toula has done the unthinkable: she's chosen a non-Greek as her husband. Her father is devastated. Beyond devastated. He takes it personally. He can't believe his daughter would do this to him, that she would even think of welcoming a non-Greek into her wonderful Greek family.

The family, however, welcomes him with open arms. And soon Dad gives his blessing. Yes, if it means that much to her, she can marry Ian.

But don't expect him to like it.

Things are progressing as smoothly as can be expected. Wedding invites sport errors, zits appear, and the bridesmaids' dresses look like something out of a really scary movie. But after it's all said and done...Toula and Ian are married, and ouzo is served. Then Dad approaches to give the bride and groom the customary wedding gift. It's in an envelope.

A nice letter? A baby-name request? Cash? Gift cards to Bed, Bath, and Beyond?

Or, you know, A HOUSE. Dad has given them the title deed to a house. And not a house on the other side of the country, but the house next door.

That scene, more than any other in the film, brought tears to my eyes. In that moment, the Father's heart was on display.

Like Ian, we Gentiles don't belong to the Hebrew family. We don't understand the customs, and we botch every attempt at blending in. But with Jesus' death and resurrection, we are adopted, grafted in...we are welcomed.

"...come out from among them and be separate...I will receive you, and will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters." -- 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 (paraphrase)

"Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us that we should be called the sons of God." -- 1 John 3:1 (paraphrase)

That in itself is pretty amazing when you think about it. But Toula's Dad--like God--goes one step further. He lavishes. Not only does Toula's dad agree to call Ian his son-in-law, he gives him a house. Not only does he give him a house, he gives him the house next door.

God is like that, too. He doesn't call it a day after saving us from hell and adopting us into His family giving us a spot in heaven and sending the Holy Spirit to comfort us. He could. He'd still be deserving of 100% of our worship. He'd still be the best ever. But He doesn't stop there.

"He is able to do exceeding abundantly [try getting your mind around that turn of phrase] more than we can ask or think..." -- Ephesians 3:20

I think a house falls into that 'more' category. He is a God of the above and beyond. Not only will I let you marry my daughter, I'll give you a house. Not only will I adopt you, I'll give you more than you can think of. Not only will I die for you, I'll live with you. Not only will I save you from hell, I'll give you a mansion in heaven. Not only will My words last in the Bible, I'll send you My Holy Spirit.

He is the God of the above and beyond.

Read more...

Tangled: Kingdom Identity

Rapunzel is a princess. A lost princess, with not a clue about her true, royal identity. As far as she knows, she's Mother Gothel's daughter. The world beyond is dangerous and forbidden. The kingdom she was born to rule is nowhere to be seen.

You are a royal, a prince or princess child of the King of kings. Stolen by the fall. The true Kingdom, the one in which you should reign, remains invisible to your eyes.

But royalty is the last thing on Rapunzel's mind. And when it practically invades the tower in the form of Flynn Rider's satchel - the one that carries her rightful crown - she hasn't got a clue. She's not sure what to do with the crown. It's foreign to her, as foreign as the man she just stuffed into her wardrobe. She tries wearing it on her arm, but that's definitely not a fit.

Our royalty is foreign to us when we are crowned. We treat it clumsily. There are times when we feel it fits, like the authority granted to us by Jesus Christ (John 14:13) is really ours to own. Even though it's our right, even though it's what we were born for, it doesn't come naturally anymore.

And then she puts it on her head...the music swells...her chameleon friend gawks at the change, then shakes his head. With his disapproval, she takes it off and thinks no more of it.


Our kingdom identity is different. It's different from what we're used to, and it's different from what our friends are used to. And if they don't know what we've been called to, our grasp on our royal calling seems funny to them. They'll tell us that we're pretending, that it's not really us.

Put the crown where it belongs. It's yours. Accept that you are the child of God, and live in your identity. You're a prince. You're a princess. Don't dismiss it just because it doesn't feel right, or because you mess up the first time. Because this is who you were born to be.

Read more...