One of the most surprisingly enjoyable movies I've seen is "Babe." Set on the Hogget Farm, viewers are given a glimpse of conversation -- complete with prejudice and social assumption -- among barnyard animals. Throughout the film, the narrator says, "Everyone knew that the sheep were stupid and there was nothing in the world that would convince the dogs otherwise."
The irony, of course, is that every species felt that way about the other, while the viewer can clearly see that each animal is intelligent in its own way. They talk to each other, reason with each other, and respect each other, at least when they are associating with their own "type." When conflicts arise between groups of animals, Babe -- the pig who thinks he's a sheepdog -- forces the groups to communicate. When they do, they transform life on Hogget Farm.
The beauty of the movie is its capacity to reveal -- through humor, narration, and animals -- the assumptions that structure, limit and restrict a society. It also reveals how one who fails to accept externally assigned identity leads the group members to a new understanding of themselves and how they can relate to one another.
This weekend, we'll continue our sermon series
Why I'm Christian: Thoughts on the Life Abundant by looking at a passage (
read it here) that proposes a new way of understanding the structures that order faith and society.
It casts a compelling new vision that transcends division, erases boundary, and invites participation in a realm beyond nationality, race, religion and all the other markers often used to divide our world. It will be a challenging and hopeful message.
Come, and bring a friend.
