“No, Soren, you can’t fly into fire!”
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is a children’s fantasy-adventure 3D animated film made in 2010. Directed by Zac Snyder, it’s based on a series of books by Kathryn Lasky and condenses several books. Admittedly, the film has pacing and tone issues, but it is one of the most visually beautiful films I have ever seen.
In one of its climactic moments, the young owlet Soren decides to fly into a burning forest, as part of a plan to turn the tide in a battle. He then pulls off a piece of flying that is as spectacular and graceful as it is perilous—swooping down, folding in his wings as he tunnels through rolling waves of fire, and then rising up and out again.
Visually, this moment is stunning and musically it is unforgettable. The soundtrack is resonant, arresting and majestic; the vocals are sung with the vigour of unrestrained lament, yet the music is full of hope, even though the words are indiscernible.*
Moments of storytelling like this, when Soren flies through fire, bring me a sense of wonder and awe. They give me a glimpse of something other, something beyond. And in this story, where evil is vanquished by the courage of a young, vulnerable owlet, I am reminded that the greatest story is playing out right now.
Too often, our ideas of God, life after death and life before death are much too familiar and mundane. But the story of Christmas is one that is bound up in mystery; that’s why music is so important in how we celebrate it. It’s also about how God became human and was born as a human, in Jesus; it is a beginning, not an end. There is so much more beauty to be found in the stories of Jesus’ ministry, death, resurrection and, of course, eternal life.
Jesus offers us, all of us, the chance to be a part of his story, and offers himself to come and be a part of our stories. As we come to the end of this study series, be assured, there is nothing ordinary about this.
* I later learned this scene used piece of music called Host of the Seraphim. It’s performed by Lisa Gerrard in collaboration with the band Dead Can Dance, from their 1998 album The Serpent’s Egg. Lisa Gerrard is perhaps most famous for her work on the soundtrack for the 2000 film Gladiator, where she sings the track Now We Are Free. (Also one of my favourites.) According to Wikipedia, she has a vocal range of three octaves and often sings in a self-created language. That’s why we often don’t know what the words are.
A short look at the Bible
We’re going to dip into another Old Testament prophet that we haven’t read from before: Joel. It’s Joel 2:28–29.
We’re also going to revisit John the Baptist again, but this time from Luke’s gospel: Luke 3:15–18.
This series has focussed on Jesus’ birth. Along the way, I’ve also mentioned that he lived, died and then rose again from the dead—you might be wondering what happened next!
Well, he didn’t die a second time. In the New Testament, the book of Acts records that Jesus appeared to his disciples over 40 days after his resurrection, and then ascended into heaven. Christians believe that Jesus is very much alive, just not on earth right now. (We also believe that he’ll return to earth again at some point in the future.)
What I want to touch on today is an event that happened shortly after Jesus’ ascension: the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The story of Christmas is about how God came to earth and was present as a human, in Jesus. The story of the fiftieth day after Jesus rose from the dead (a day we call ‘Pentecost’), is about how God’s presence came to Jesus’ followers, in his Holy Spirit.
It was something else.
When Jesus was baptised by John, the Holy Spirit descended—gently—in the form of a dove. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended in a great rushing wind and fire and immersed Jesus’ followers. But they didn’t perish. Instead, they were empowered.
Christians interpret the prophecy we read in the book of Joel as referring to this time of the Spirit. It’s not that God’s Spirit was absent from the earth before. Rather, there was a pivot-point in history and now the Holy Spirit is poured out much more freely and on everyone.
Perhaps it’s no surprise then, that in the stories of Jesus’ birth, there were songs song by men and women, young and old, celebrating the good promises that God has made and will fulfil.
And it might sound like the stuff of a children’s story, but God’s promises include ending all evil, defeating death, and giving an everlasting life of life to everyone who believes he’ll make good on his promises.
The people who recognised Jesus as an infant, knew they were witnessing something ancient coming into the present, something far bigger than themselves that would grow and become greater than they could possibly imagine.
In a similar way, I invite you to think of Christmas as an ancient event that can come into your present. I invite you to think of Jesus as someone far bigger than yourself, who is willing to be with you in your here and now, and who is willing—and able—to give you a future beyond your sincerest and most heartfelt dreams.
Invitation to pray
We each pray in our own way; some of the best advice I had was ‘Pray as you can, not as you can’t.’ So I offer an invitation to pray – not an instruction.
Ask Jesus to share with you (more of) his life-giving Spirit.
All posts in the series can be found via the tag Xmas2020.