Light of the World
“It is just his job to cast the nets, then we trust God to provide the fish. It is the same as trusting God’s promises. Even when we find ourselves adrift in the deepest darkest waters, even when all hope is lost, we still cast our nets and trust they won’t come up empty.”
We watched Light of the World last night with the kids and I was moved. I cannot tell you how many times I glanced over at my husband and our eyes locked both filled with tears. It is amazing how stories we have heard for years, read aloud to our children, studied in Bible Studies, experienced in Holy Week services, and read in our morning quiet times, can still stir the heart and pierce the soul. God’s word really is living and active.
Once a week the Mayberrys indulge in the classic Pizza & a Movie night. Our screentime is pretty limited, so it is something we look forward to all week long. Plus homemade pizza is da bomb.com (just hanging onto my Millennial slang to embarrass my children as they age 😉 + if you are looking for the best sourdough discard to make your pizza dough, click here, otherwise just buy the pizza dough from Trader Joes!)
We have watched countless family classics ranging from Night at the Museum (my daughter really got into history after that!) to Jumanji (we probably should have waited on that one) to Prince of Egypt (a 90’s classic!) But this week we watched a brand new movie, one that I was looking forward to when I first saw the trailer – Light of the World. The animation is simply beautiful and harkens back to ‘the good old days” of Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Prince of Egypt. My oldest daughter even exclaimed “they finally made another Prince of Egypt but with Jesus this time!” Seeing the story of Jesus come alive through the eyes of John was, like I mentioned before, moving! God’s story of salvation is miraculous and awe-inspiring. The feeling and fears of the Jews who longed for the Messiah are so relatable. The stubbornness of the pharisees, the gentleness of Jesus, the upside-down kingdom unveiling – it stirs your heart to respond. To, like John, follow Jesus when he calls our name.
I watched next to my children, alert to how the gospel would be proclaimed. It is very trendy these days to only preach the parts of the Bible that we like and things that may look good on the outside, can miss the mark and thus proclaim a false gospel. Like a good historical fiction, this movie adds content and lines that are not specifically mentioned in the scriptures, but it also packs the story with the words and actions of Jesus that we do read in the New Testament. Jesus’s life and ministry (and even the whole redemption arch) are concentrated into one 90 minute movie, but it is done in such a captivating and engaging way. I even laughed out loud multiple times (shout out to Peter and Andrew!)
Light of the World releases in theaters this weekend (TODAY) and is a great movie to finally take your kids to the movie theater. As long as your kid is old enough to sit through the movie, they are old enough to enjoy it. The story doesn’t hold back from the fact that Jesus died on the cross, but it does so in an age appropriate way. And hopefully it does open up some conversations with your kids like it did in our house when the credits started playing.
The quote I started this blog post with is from this movie (as you rightly assumed!) John’s mother shares this while attempting to encourage John to rest in the processes of the Lord even in the midst of the trials in his life. As a 37-year-old mother miles and centuries removed from the Roman Empire, I too need to be reminded that the Lord is my provider and I can rest in his promises. It is not just a movie your kids will love, but one you will too.
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