Coming Up Sunday, July 8

This Sunday, we begin the Summer Blockbuster Sermon Series, which look at religious themes in some of this summer's movies.  I cannot lie -- this began as a lark one summer, but has grown into an annual tradition that I greatly enjoy.  It is a challenge, for many reasons, but it is also fruitful because it often reminds us that the themes of the Bible are not ancient artifacts, but are alive -- if sometimes hidden -- in the stories that entertain us.

First up is Tim Burton's movie version of a 1970s syndicated soap opera, "Dark Shadows."  The movie features the story of a man cursed to be a vampire, Barnabas Collins, who is unearthed after almost 200 years and returns to his family home, where he discovers his very dysfunctional descendants.  Here is the trailer:



Rest assured, I will not claim that there are vampires in the Bible on Sunday.  However, the undying character of vampires allows them to be time travelers.  In this case, Barnabas brings an 18th Century sensibility to the 20th Century, which impacts his heirs in mostly positive ways.  This, then, is a story, in a costume drama, of a reform or a revival.  As such, we will compare it to a key religious reform movement in the Bible, led by King Josiah and described in 1 Kings.