In the Disney movie Moana there is a story of a people who have found a safe place to be , they have come to rest on and island and this island that provides them everything they need.
They com from a people of way-finders, explorers who pondered the horizons and questioned the status quo. They were a Spirit people seeking the new path. But in the movie such reckless urges are discouraged, dreams of new ways and thoughts are considered the fancy of the young and there is hope that they will out grow. Fear and responsible choices become the dominate themes and as resources become scarce in on the island they live concern grows for the future.
In may ways the scene played out for us in the movie Moana mirrors our current state in the Church. We recall times of creativity and community, and pass down stories of Sundays schools, fetes and picnic days. Our building’s size and structures suggest that once there were so many more of us gathering for worship of a Sunday and yet these days they lie empty.
What has happened to our wild sear faring days when we were guided by the stars on a wing and a prayer? In a world hungrier than ever for spirituality and epic heroic saviors we see movie after movie and series streamed on Netflix longing for heroes to rise and make the world better. We are called to bear the heroic fruits of the Spirit to the world which can be over come by self centered individualism. Each of us as our own small but miraculous part to play in t he cosmic struggle between living abundantly and merely surviving from day to day.
When we read from Galatians 5:19-24( the message) we see this ongoing struggle in all its complexity and simplicity.
How will you start today?
St Davids Newtown Uniting 