Tag Archives: priorities

Sermons and Preaching

And Why Should I Care?

Read to start Matthew 6:25-34 and Luke 10:38-42.

Before I get started this morning, I’m going to talk about puppets and the cartoon dogs who play with them. And yes, this might seem like a strange and roundabout way to start a sermon, but I promise it’s going somewhere. Who here is familiar with the children’s show Bluey? For those who are not, it’s an Australian cartoon about a family of dogs, blue and red heelers to be specific, which is easily the best children’s show on TV at the moment. I would suggest it might be the best overall show with the widest appeal on TV by some standards. It’s mostly about the antics of a dog named Bluey and her sister Bingo and their parents Chili and Bandit, and also their friends and neighbours. One quasi-character on the show is  annoying sassy puppet unicorn Unicorse, played by Bandit, who serves the purpose of teaching lessons and getting an uncooperative Bluey to go back to bed.

Unicorse has a catchphrase, which anyone who has seen the episodes in question will no doubt remember – aaaaaaand why should I care? In the context of the show, that is intended to display how over the top annoying the puppet can be. But outside that context, the question is entirely legitimate. Why should I care? Why should you care? About anything and everything?

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Sermons and Preaching

Priorities and Motivations

Read 1 Corinthians 1:17-31 to start.

I’d like to start this morning by talking about a movie. You might be familiar with it, it was a highly successful film, although it’s certainly not recent. The movie is The Bridge on the River Kwai. It’s a war movie, set during WWII, quite a good movie, it won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, in 1958. I remember watching it years ago. While the movie is fictional, it does depict real some historical events, as it takes place during the building of the Burma Railway, which the Japanese built to assist the war effort in Southeast Asia in 1942-43. There was indeed a major railroad bridge built in the same area as the movie indicates.

If you haven’t seen the movie, or if it’s been a long time, as it has for me, here’s a brief summary. A group of British POWs are brought in to build a bridge as part of the railway. The highest ranking British officer, played by Alec Guinness, in an effort to demonstrate superiority to his captors, orders his men to build the best bridge they can. They protest, not wanting to help the enemy finish the railroad, but the officer insists. He points out this will demonstrate British ingenuity and skill, and he points out that the bridge will be used by locals for many years after the war is over. Why not built a bridge that will last? He sees this as a triumph of civilization over barbarism. Continue reading Priorities and Motivations →