SERMON 6/3/12 Trinity Sunday Year BOne of my favoritefilms when I was young was “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” The central character is Charlie Bucket a poor boy living with his widowedmother and four bed-ridden grandparents in a dilapidated house in an industrialtown. Charlie supplements the meager family income by delivering newspapersafter school. One day, the family, along with the rest of the world, learnsthat the local candy maker Willy Wonka has hidden five Golden Tickets amongsthis Wonka Bars. The finders of these special tickets will be given a full tourof his tightly-guarded candy factory, as well as a lifetime supply ofchocolate. Charlie wants to take part in the search, but cannot afford to buyvast quantities of chocolate like other participants. Four of the tickets arefound by: Augustus Gloop, a gluttonous German boy; Veruca Salt, a spoiledEnglish girl; Violet Beauregarde, a gum-chomping American girl; and MikeTeevee, a television-obsessed American boy. On day while delivering papers, Charlie miraculously finds a silver coinon the ground, buys a chocolate bar and he is able to join the tour. The interesting twist to the tale is that a rivalchoclatier was covertly coaxing each ticket winner to steal the secret candy,“Everlasting Gobstopper,” with promises of great reward. Nevertheless, the central theme of the movieis the life changes these characters experience as they encounter the rather odd,and sometimes frightening world of the chocolate factory. For some of these characters, the paradigmshift they experience results in some strange outcomes.
Augustus, the gluttonous boy falls into and nearlydrowns in a lake of chocolate. Veruca,the spoiled little girl gets attacked by a band of oversized squirrels andfalls into a pit. Violet swipes somemiracle gum that makes herbthink she is eating a seven course meal, but as shebegins tasting the blueberry pie dessert, she turns blue and expands into anenormous blueberry. Mike, the TVobsessed little boy, gets zapped by a size-reducing machine and is diminishedinto a very small, TV sized child. Throughout all of these tragic events, Charlieremained the sweet, gentle, wise, and compassionate soul that he was. Everyone around him was being transformed,literally changed by their experience. Thecharacter that has always intrigued me the most though, is not any of thegluttonous, obsessed, or spoiled children, and honestly, although I admire himgreatly, not even Charlie. For me, themost intriguing character in the film is his Grandpa Joe.
Joe, who only a few days before the Chocolate factorytour began, was bed-ridden, depressed, down-trodden, and without hope. His shift, his new beginning, his re-birthhappened, when he discovered that he would be able to leave his currentpredicament behind, and go and explore the mysteries of the walled offChocolate factory with his grandson. Grandpa Joe experienced a re-birth. Margaret Hesswrote an article in Christian Century in which, she stated, “ Curiosity is thefirst step in seeing things through new eyes and can lead to a redemptiverevision of the story of one's life.” 1 She added, “Think about it: if you are born again, then you must grow upagain. Think about your life. What would you do differently if you had half thechance? How would you grow up differently? How would you re-edit the narrativeof your life? As you enter more deeply into your puzzlement . . . you'll findthat Jesus is inviting you to be curious about your life, and to rethink yourassumptions with an altered perspective.” 1 Accepting the re-birth of the Spirit, there-birth that Jesus was offering Nicodemus and is offering us, is like living life taking off the blindersand seeing things afresh
Living each day afresh,with curiosity and openness is not merely for children. No, we are never too old to experiencere-birth. When Jesus challengedNicodemus that he could not see the Kingdom of God without being born again, Nicodemusresponded to Jesus with skepticism and yet, with curiosity, “How can anyone beborn after having grown old?” Nicodemuswas only scratching the surface of what Jesus was saying. It would be like striving for a single afterthe "Everlasting Gobstopper" and yet, missing the opportunity to takehold of the big prize, a lifetime supply of chocolate. Jesus was encouraging, challenging rather,Nicodemus and us to go deeper and to experience life afresh, like a child,through the eyes of a child.
At a pivotal point in the movie,the children and parents enter a large part of the factory where everythingthat surrounded them was edible. Flowers, grass, tree leaves, and even the lake itself were all made of confectioner’streats. as they entered that huge space,things changed for child and parent alike. There was amazement in their eyes, a wash of joy in their responses, abchild-likeawe in their voices. For each guest atthe chocolate factory, they came to know in that moment that we are never tooold to experience re-birth, but we must be willing to see things a littledifferently.
I started flying at the age of 15 and my flightinstructor was an amazing wiman, Evelyn Bryan Johnson who passed away about amonth ago. When I began taking flightlessons and my Dad introduced me to Evelyn for the first time, I thought, thereis no way I’m getting in the airplane with this lady. See, in 1980, Evelyn was 70 years old,appeared a bit frail, and had to have two cushions to see over the dashboard.Honestly, I wasn't certain that she could handle that little airplane. I soon learned that she was an amazing womanwho during World War II while her husband was serving overseas, Evelyn was aschoolteacher and ran the family cleaners business. During those years, Evelyn one day took a leap and made the journeyto a little airport in the next town where she later earned her pilot’s license, a flight instructor certificate, ahelicopter instructor certificate, and eventually she was type-rated in a jet. Evelyn also became an FAA examiner and shegave more flight tests to people seeking pilot licenses than anyone alive. She logged over 56,000 flight hours and wasadded to the Guinness’s Book of Records as the human with the most flight timelogged.
Evelyn was the best teacher I ever had. She taught me how to manipulate the controlsof the airplane of course, but she taught me something even more important, sheinspired me. She literally showed melife from a new perspective, a new altitude, a new vantage point. Evelyn saw life through a childlike wondermentand the excitement and joy of teaching and sharing the gift of aviation changedher. She was an amazing woman whoactively taught, flew, and managed a local airport up until her 96thbirthday and she helped thousands of men and women to see life differentlybecause she was willing to seemthings afresh. We are never too old to experience re-birth. In the Christian journey, no matter where weare along the path, even if we are nearing the latter twists and turns of thepath, there are new adventures, new discoveries, and new revelations before us.
Jesus calls us in this life of discipleship in which,every day we can experience Rebirth evey day. Re-birth is not merely a mental exercise. The knowledge of God’s amazing,life-altering, community gathering, restoration bringing Love is not merely aus saying, “Yes, I believe all that,” and that is it. Re-birth takes us from belief, which isabsolutely the beginning point, but then we move into the experience. We move from an assent to trust in Christ, tothe life change that comes from that belief. when we begin to see life afresh, when we experience re-birth, the waywe live each day changes.
In Fort Myers, there is a large homeless population wholiterally lives on the streets surrounding a large downtown park . A few years ago, Terri, three young adultsand I went down to the park in Fort Myers for the first time to share food withthe people who lived life in these despicable conditions. Nearly fifty people showed up in the parkthat night to be fed. We spent threehours listening to their stories, sharing our lives, and ministering to eachother. It was an amazing experience forall of us. For a few hours the homelessexperienced loving community, a bountiful feast, and a respite from theirdifficult lives. The group thataccompanied us to the park, experienced something as well. On the way home that night, it was strangely quietin the car until one of my young friends said, “I will never look at someone onthe streets the same way again.” “Thedifference between them and me is not what I thought it was, but all that keepsme from walking in their shoes, is one paycheck.” My young friend that night experienced whatJesus was trying to teach Nicodemus. myfriend had been reborn. Her curiosityabout the plight of others and herchildlike expectation, her willingness to face her own discomfort, brought herface-to-face with what Jesus meant about loving one’s neighbor. She that night, learned to trust in Jesus. Jesus invited her to believe in him andbring the assembly of the beloved to others. That required her to not sit back watchingfrom the sidelines and cheering Jesus on as he fed the hungry, clothed thenaked, healed the sick, or walked up the hill of Golgotha. Following Jesus meant coming along side himand doing what he does. Re-birth means ashift of thought, and then it requires a shift of how we live. In theWilly Wonka movie, Gene Wilder sings an amazing song that seemed to capture theessence of re-birth, of seeing life through the eyes of childlike wonderment.
Come with me and you'll be
In a world of pure imagination
Take a look and you'll see
Into your imagination
We'll begin with a spin
Trav'ling in the world of my creation
What we'll see will defy
Explanation
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Want to change the world, there's nothing toit
There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there, you'll be free
If you truly wish to be
There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there, you'll be free
If you truly wish to be
Christinvites us to live free, to experience grace, reconciliation, mercy, and loveand to be the means for its ongoing sharing that is, if we truly wish to be.
1 Hess, Margaret B. "ACurious Man." Christian Century 114.16 (1997): 475-22. ATLASerials,Religion Collection. Web. 29 May 2012.
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