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Jul 19, 2015

Shrek

Shrek

Passage: Matthew 23:25-28

Speaker: Rev. Vivian McCarthy, Pastor

Series: Faith at the Movies

Category: Faith

Keywords: faith, movies, shrek

Shrek is an ogre who is living in self-imposed exile in his swamp when the overlord, Lord Farquaad, declares that every fairy tale creature living in his kingdom is banished so that he may have a “perfect” kingdom. In the opening scenes of the movie, Farquaad’s minions are paying a “finder’s fee” for turning in any and all fairy tale creatures and then relocating them. Shrek returns home one day to find that his swamp is filled with the creatures desperate to find a new home out of Farquaad’s reach. This movie is filled with a number of faith-related themes such as God chooses the unlikely; rejection and oppression can lead to separation from God and humanity; we are made in the image of God; and transformation is possible (among others).

Faith at the Movies 3: Shrek

July 19, 2015

Matthew 23:25-28; Galatians 2:6; Genesis 1:26-28a; Ecclesiastes 4:10; Hebrews 10:25

Some of you may be wondering why or how I chose the movies for this series.  Honestly, since I don’t think this church had ever done something like this before, I was mostly looking for movies that I thought might tweak your interest.  So, I (in consultation with the Worship Teams) chose a movie to fit the scripture for July 5, a couple of movies that I knew have deep theological meaning, an unapologetic kids’ movie and one that I know is just plain hilarious.  I will confess that I had only previously seen 2 of the 5 movies that I chose.

Jesus caught people’s attention and helped them grasp important faith concepts by telling stories using themes familiar to the culture – experiences that the people recognized – to make the important points.  Movies often tell the stories of our day and it is often the arts where we find today’s issues woven into those stories.  As you may have heard me say before, one of the goals of this series is to help us all delve deeper into finding God in our everyday – in the stories of our time – rather than just letting the entertainment wash over us. 

Shrek is the tale of a disgusting, ill-mannered ogre who lives in self-imposed exile in a swamp.  He has been rejected by pretty much everyone he has ever encountered and seems (note that I said seems) to relish his solitude and some very icky habits he has picked up – like bathing in mud, using his earwax as a candle, and eating heaven-knows-what.  He does everything he can to keep others out of his swamp, putting up signs warning of threats of danger and bodily harm. 

Clip #1 – 2:40 (Cue – Shrek painting sign) to 7:30 (Cue – soldier flees after confrontation w/Shrek)

Not too far from the swamp is the kingdom of Duloc, where the maniacal and verrrrry short Lord Farquaad rules with an iron fist.  Farquaad has decreed that the kingdom will be cleansed of all fairy tale creatures – indeed of any creature that is less than perfect by his definition.  As Donkey fled the danger of “relocation,” as you saw in the last clip, he runs into Shrek and does everything he can to strike up a friendship with the ogre, seeking sanctuary. 

Shrek has no intention of allowing Donkey to invade his space.  Donkey is persistent, often aggravating, and won’t take “no” for an answer.  Despite all of the qualities that can tend to get on anyone’s nerves, Donkey shows himself to be open and accepting, seeing the best in everyone he meets – even Shrek.

Clip #2 – 8:20 (Cue – Shrek tries to scare Donkey away) to 9:37 (Cue – “Look at me.  I’m an ogre – doesn’t that bother you?  Donkey:  “Nope”)

Not too long after Donkey “adopts” Shrek, his swampy world is rocked when he is eating dinner and senses that he is not alone….

Clip #3 – 13:32 (Cue – Shrek finds the Big Bad Wolf in his bed) to 15:42 (Cue – Donkey sings first phrase of “On the Road Again”)

So Donkey and Shrek set out on a quest to find Farquaad and get the fairy tale creatures back to their daily lives – back where they belong instead of in Shrek’s swamp refuge.  They find Duloc which appears deserted until they hear a crowd roaring in the distance.  Shrek and Donkey go in search of the townspeople and find themselves in an arena where Farquaad is challenging the knights of the realm to go and rescue the lovely Princess Fiona.  When he sees what he immediately judges to be a disgusting example of “fairy tale trash,” Farquaad declares that the knight who kills Shrek will have the honor of rescuing the princess, but of course Shrek beats all of the knights he can see – with a little help from his friend Donkey.  What Shrek failed to notice as he played to the cheering crowd was the ranks of archer knights taking aim on him!

Shrek makes a deal with Farquaad that he will rescue the princess if Farquaad will just give him his swamp back, and he and Donkey set out.  Along the way, as Donkey and Shrek get to know each other, we will see a real relationship begin to develop.  We see respect and even love begin to grow and the characters’ perceptions of themselves begin to change, little by little.  I should note that there are really no cool, close-to-perfect creatures in this movie.  Every one of them is flawed in some way – just as we are.  The growth that we see is a gradual process that continues throughout the movie -- however, with bumps and bruises along the way. 

Even the open, accepting Donkey gets all tangled up in stereotyping!  In an effort to avoid dealing with a fire-breathing dragon that protects the princess, Donkey urges Shrek to “pull some of that ogre stuff” to beat Farquaad which prompts Shrek to say, “There is a lot more to ogres than people think!”  While Donkey seems to look beyond surfaces, even he has some prejudices that his relationship with Shrek make him face.

Clip #4 – 26:52 (Cue – Shrek and Donkey walking in sunflower/veg patch) to 27:45 (Cue – soldier flees after confrontation w/Shrek)

A key to becoming more like Christ is to look inside ourselves to discover places where we are holding on to non—Christlike attitudes and behaviors.  Bless Donkey’s heart, even he is holding tight to his belief that ogres are all the same while Shrek strains to tell him that he’s got it all wrong.  Christian hospitality is about the other person – learning from that person and not just finding common ground but discovering what God has to say to us in the differences between us. 

Shrek the Ogre has some remarkable insights about life and human behavior.  He seems to realize that he has withdrawn because he has been shunned.  He knows why people are afraid of him.  And instead of fighting or facing rejection again and again, he has withdrawn.  He says to Donkey, “People judge me before they even know me.  That’s why I’m better off alone.”  Whew!  Jesus had quite a bit to say about that!  He hung out with people who were outcast, unacceptable, unclean.  He even ate with sinners which was a BIG no-no in his day!  He knew that people who were shunned often develop habits that further distance themselves from others – and he sought to draw the circle of love and acceptance wider and wider.

So, after they rescue the princess, as a result of a huge misunderstanding on Shrek’s part, Shrek again withdraws, even after the little trio (plus the dragon, but I’m not going to go into that today) has begun to look suspiciously like a little family.  Shrek tells Donkey again that he just wants to be left alone and build a 10-foot wall around his home to keep everyone out.  In this scene, the indomitable Donkey begins to build his own wall.  (there is a little bit of “language” in this clip)

Clip #5 – 1:11:26 (Cue – Shrek at table, head in hands) to 1:14:32 (Cue – Donkey and Shrek fly away on Dragon’s back)

Forgiveness.  The healing power of love and acceptance.  Good overcoming evil – with rescue carried out through the intervention of an unlikely disciple answering an unlikely call.  I hope you’ll be here Wednesday night as we view the whole story together.