No Greater Love
This was a lazy weekend. Miss Couch Potato was my name. I traded in one box for another. I’m normally on the computer all the time, but I needed a break so I chose to sack out in front of the TV. I rented a few DVD’s and saw a few movies on TV.
I cried at least three times over the weekend, two times at the end of two very different movies and this morning during service. It occurred to me while each circumstance was different, the tears were shed over distinct similarities.
The first movie that brought the tears was Memoirs of a Geisha. Here is a description…
“In 1929 an impoverished nine-year-old named Chiyo from a fishing village is sold to a geisha house in Kyoto’s Gion district and subjected to cruel treatment from the owners and the head geisha Hatsumomo. Her stunning beauty attracts the vindictive jealousy of Hatsumomo, until she is rescued by and taken under the wing of Hatsumomo’s bitter rival, Mameha. Under Mameha’s mentorship, Chiyo becomes the geisha named Sayuri, trained in all the artistic and social skills a geisha must master in order to survive in her society. As a renowned geisha she enters a society of wealth, privilege, and political intrigue. As World War II looms Japan and the geisha’s world are forever changed by the onslaught of history”
Now I don’t want to give away too much if you have not seen the movie, but this beautiful geisha, Chiyo, is inspired to become a geisha after meeting a stranger one day. It was through his kindness, that the little girl grew up to become the most well-known geisha in her society. Her ambition was actually driven by her love for the “Chairman”.
It started me thinking about when a believer has his/her first encounter with Jesus. From the moment of acceptance of Jesus in our heart, our lives should be driven to please the greatest love of our lives. His act of love was not mere kindness, but full of grace and mercy we did not deserve. Through reading God’s Word which in a sense is God’s memoirs of the human experience, we have a guide to how we can become more like Jesus.
Speaking of becoming more like Jesus or an imitiation of Him, the next movie I saw was a classic. I have seen Imitation of Life several times over the years and it is definitely one of my favorite movies. The movie description …
In 1947 at Coney Island, down-on-her-luck actress Lora Meredith and her young daughter Susie meet coloured Annie Johnson and her daughter Sarah Jane. Annie is desperate for a place to live and offers to work as Lora’s maid for food and lodging. Lora’s luck begins to change as a result of their meeting and their two stories unfold across the years. However, Annie’s problems start when Sarah Jane tries to pass as white.
I think what strikes at my heart the deepest is the end. Annie had a tremendous love for her daughter. Like any mother she wanted the best for Sarah Jane. Even though Sarah Jane wanted to separate herself from her “colored” mother, Annie never stopped loving her daughter. Her love reminded me of the unconditional love of the God the Father.
Have you ever pondered how often you rejected God before you accepted His gift of grace? Have you ever pondered on a day like this the number of people who never even consider going to a church – even on the day the church globally celebrates the Resurrection? Does it cross your mind, where are these folks the other Sundays of the year that pack the church on this particular Sunday? God is so awesome in the grace that he extends to us. His love is totally unconditional!
As the choir sung…
There is no greater love,
Then a man who lays down his life for a friend…
They hung him high, stretched him wide, he hung his head, and then he died,
That’s love, That’s love…
That’s not how the story ends, three days later he rose again,
That’s love, That’s love…
Praise God! There truly is no greater love!
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. — John 3:16
