Monday Monday. I've got my coffee, my laptop is booted up (and running way slow - what's up with that?), I'm settled into my cubby-hole cubicle, and I'm ready to tackle the day. Or maybe a nap first? Actually, I'm looking forward to this week. There's a feeling of "big things" somehow, tied in with the release of THE PASSION and things that need to get done at work. On top of that, I'm hoping my wife will find out what's causing the pain in her side - either an infection or kidney stones, neither of which sounds like much fun.

Why is THE PASSION such a big deal? I was listening to CNN on XM on the way to work, and the morning show crew was discussing seeing it vs. not seeing it vs. already seen it. One guy said that he couldn't recommend it to anyone, that it was so violent - while he was excited to see it, by the time he left it was so draining and appalling. He said there wasn't any anti-semitism, just alot of blood and ribs showing through the carnage. Another on the set said she wouldn't see it, just couldn't stomach gory films - and I thought that it would be bad if this was put into the same genre/league as most of the 80s slasher flicks. Someone else said she was seeing it tomorrow, looking forward to it, but also taking in all the hype and protest to see what this was really all about.

What if I see it, and then can't recommend it to people? I'm getting the feeling that Christians will be challenged, because we're not too sure of the extent of what Christ went through in this drama. But for unbelievers - will this draw them in, or will it be a repellent? I feel like telling people to not go unless they're willing to have everything change, unless they're open to having their lives ripped apart and replaced with something else. How much repentance will be required on my own part first, dealing with the log in my own eye before marketing the film as an evangelistic tool?

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
- Romans 8:18-21 NIV

"Our present sufferings are not worth comparing..." - somehow, I feel that this passage needs to be pasted above and below all the movie screens showing THE PASSION this week.

We'll see... Wednesday, 10am.
- posted by Rick @ 08:46