Church News 4 Feb 07

I watched one of my favorite movies the other day... "Ground-hog day" with Bill Murray. Bill Murray's character, Phil, has to live the same day over and over again. At first Phil lives each day taking advantage of other people. He robs banks, he's rude to others, and he takes sexual advantage of women, but the one woman he loves he cannot win over with his evil trickery. Then he becomes despondent and kills himself every day...only to wake up again the next day to start all over again. Finally Phil resolves to do good for others and spends his day preventing accidents, helping those in need and showing kindness to everyone. When his dream girl sees the kind of person he has become she can't help but be attracted to him. It's not until he makes that fundamental change in himself that he wins over the love of his life and wakes up in a new day. I think there's a big Christian message in this movie. We're not ever going to become the people we need to be until we quit serving ourselves and start looking out after the needs of others. Living lives of service creates a fundamental change in who we are and is attractive to the world. They see Christ living in us. If we turn our lives over to Christ we will wake up one morning in God's heavenly kingdom where we will live for eternity. Julie and I were driving to church this morning and we saw a bum lying next to the road. At first I thought he was asleep but then I noticed the grimace on his face and realized he must have fallen down and injured himself. I thought... it's just a drunken bum and I'm on my way to church. Then I thought of Jesus teaching about the Good Samaritan. I was about to turn around and go help the guy when I noticed a pedestrian had stopped and was helping. I almost messed up.