Elf - Lost & Loved!
I feel greatly encouraged by my buddies Kyle and Matt to continue writing posts about movies on my blog. Yesterday, when we were watching the cheesy Christmasy movie 'Elf' with friends from Church, Matt wondered if I would write a post on it. I took the challenge to write one. I don't think I have ever written a post on any cheesy movie. I enjoy watching funny movies, but a movie without depth does not inspire me to write. My challenge with this post is to find something deep about 'Elf' for a worthy write. But it is difficult task given that you have Will Ferrel staring in a movie... just saying. :) If this post is lame, don't blame me. :P
Anyways, for the sake of this post I have gleaned two profound ideas from the movie.
1. There is a connection between knowing who we are and finding a sense of belonging as someone's beloved son/daughter.
2. There is something divine about enjoying the 'spirit of Christmas' even when it is all about the Santa, and ubiquitously Christless.
In Elf, Will Ferrel is a man who gets 'lost' at birth and ends up growing among the Elves in the North Pole. As dumb as he is, when he is 30 years old, he realizes that he isn't an Elf but a Man. He realizes he does not 'belong' with the Elves and that the Elves don't quite love him. Will starts on a quest to 'find his true self'. Will finding his real Father in New York is what the movie is about.
This 'finding your true self' presupposes that one is 'lost'. None of us perfectly 'belong' in this world. We are all misfits in some ways. We don't love right, neither are we loved right. This causes a sense of alienation, insecurity and ultimately a sense of lostness.
Broadly speaking, modern human beings have two ways of dealing with the sense of lostness. One, try to escape the angst by becoming drunk or profligate or jump headlong into the rat-race for the 'American Dream' etc... Two, try to find a deeper purpose to override the gnawing sense of lostness by becoming Zen Buddhists or artists or activists etc... We forget that the ONLY thing that truly gives us a sense of 'belonging' is to be TRULY LOVED as Someone's most beloved Son/Daughter.
In the movie, Will wisely decides to find a sense of belonging by seeking his Father's love. When Will's Father gives up his 'dream job' to show Will how much he loves him, Will feels loved and finds a sense of belonging in life. From the Christian perspective, this is what Christ did on the cross. Christ gave His life up to show us how much He loved us.
Ephesians 1 4-6: In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace
Pay special attention to the first two words 'In love'. If God's adoption as His Son/Daughter does not give us a sense of being loved, NOTHING EVER will. If God's everlasting love doesn't make us feel loved, NONE ever can. We can try everything from being a drunk to becoming an activist. We'll just be a stone rolling about that gathers no mass, moving about from one place to another or one person to another.
Moving on to the second theme - the 'spirit of Christmas'... There is something really interesting about the way the idea of the 'spirit of Christmas' is presented in the movie. In the last scene of the movie the real Santa from the world of the Elves makes his appearance in NYC. It is witnessed by two groups of people - the true believers and the sophisticated skeptics. The true believers see the Santa, the sophisticated skeptics (the members of the media) just don't get it.
In the movie, the idea that the engine of Santa's sledge will work only by the 'Spirit of Christmas' in the hearts of the true believers is very ingenious. The first among the true believers is the 'tenderly beautiful' Zooey Deschanel. When Santa's sledge loses power, she feels it in her heart and starts singing the song 'Santa Claus is coming tonight'. Everyone joins in, even the ones watching on TV. Santas sledge gets the power it needs and zooms into the night skies.
It might appear that this is another show of commercialized Santa-celebrating Christmas. But we need to remember that even in this sort of Christless Christmas there still is something that can't help but glorify God. I almost teared-up when everyone sang 'Santa Claus is coming tonight'. There is something that makes a human being tear-up upon witnessing people share something profoundly simple. In this case, the 'spirit of Christmas' is shared by one and all. Why should this make one tear-up? It is because of the Image of God in man. Apes don't tear-up upon sining. Apes can't imagine myths about Santas or reindeers or gifts in stocking. Apes do not have the sense of wonder to enjoy the 'Spirit of Christmas'.
Only Human beings can connect to myths in a deep way. It is the Image of Christ in us that makes us true believers in myths. Myths are things that by themselves, do not have survival value. But they give value to survival. In and of itself, the 'Spirit of Christmas' has little survival value. But it gives value to survival. Without the image of God that makes man special, man cannot enjoy myths that give value to survival.
So, if one has to truly believe in the Santa's 'spirit of Christmas' (even when it is Christless), then one has to presuppose a Christian worldview - that man is made in the Image of God. Unless man feels loved as a son/daughter by the One in whose image he is made, he'll NEVER feel loved, no matter where he searches. He'll never belong anywhere. He'll feel totally lost. Thank God Christ came to save the lost! Merry Christmas!
Anyways, for the sake of this post I have gleaned two profound ideas from the movie.
1. There is a connection between knowing who we are and finding a sense of belonging as someone's beloved son/daughter.
2. There is something divine about enjoying the 'spirit of Christmas' even when it is all about the Santa, and ubiquitously Christless.
In Elf, Will Ferrel is a man who gets 'lost' at birth and ends up growing among the Elves in the North Pole. As dumb as he is, when he is 30 years old, he realizes that he isn't an Elf but a Man. He realizes he does not 'belong' with the Elves and that the Elves don't quite love him. Will starts on a quest to 'find his true self'. Will finding his real Father in New York is what the movie is about.
This 'finding your true self' presupposes that one is 'lost'. None of us perfectly 'belong' in this world. We are all misfits in some ways. We don't love right, neither are we loved right. This causes a sense of alienation, insecurity and ultimately a sense of lostness.
Broadly speaking, modern human beings have two ways of dealing with the sense of lostness. One, try to escape the angst by becoming drunk or profligate or jump headlong into the rat-race for the 'American Dream' etc... Two, try to find a deeper purpose to override the gnawing sense of lostness by becoming Zen Buddhists or artists or activists etc... We forget that the ONLY thing that truly gives us a sense of 'belonging' is to be TRULY LOVED as Someone's most beloved Son/Daughter.
In the movie, Will wisely decides to find a sense of belonging by seeking his Father's love. When Will's Father gives up his 'dream job' to show Will how much he loves him, Will feels loved and finds a sense of belonging in life. From the Christian perspective, this is what Christ did on the cross. Christ gave His life up to show us how much He loved us.
Ephesians 1 4-6: In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace
Pay special attention to the first two words 'In love'. If God's adoption as His Son/Daughter does not give us a sense of being loved, NOTHING EVER will. If God's everlasting love doesn't make us feel loved, NONE ever can. We can try everything from being a drunk to becoming an activist. We'll just be a stone rolling about that gathers no mass, moving about from one place to another or one person to another.
Moving on to the second theme - the 'spirit of Christmas'... There is something really interesting about the way the idea of the 'spirit of Christmas' is presented in the movie. In the last scene of the movie the real Santa from the world of the Elves makes his appearance in NYC. It is witnessed by two groups of people - the true believers and the sophisticated skeptics. The true believers see the Santa, the sophisticated skeptics (the members of the media) just don't get it.
In the movie, the idea that the engine of Santa's sledge will work only by the 'Spirit of Christmas' in the hearts of the true believers is very ingenious. The first among the true believers is the 'tenderly beautiful' Zooey Deschanel. When Santa's sledge loses power, she feels it in her heart and starts singing the song 'Santa Claus is coming tonight'. Everyone joins in, even the ones watching on TV. Santas sledge gets the power it needs and zooms into the night skies.
It might appear that this is another show of commercialized Santa-celebrating Christmas. But we need to remember that even in this sort of Christless Christmas there still is something that can't help but glorify God. I almost teared-up when everyone sang 'Santa Claus is coming tonight'. There is something that makes a human being tear-up upon witnessing people share something profoundly simple. In this case, the 'spirit of Christmas' is shared by one and all. Why should this make one tear-up? It is because of the Image of God in man. Apes don't tear-up upon sining. Apes can't imagine myths about Santas or reindeers or gifts in stocking. Apes do not have the sense of wonder to enjoy the 'Spirit of Christmas'.
Only Human beings can connect to myths in a deep way. It is the Image of Christ in us that makes us true believers in myths. Myths are things that by themselves, do not have survival value. But they give value to survival. In and of itself, the 'Spirit of Christmas' has little survival value. But it gives value to survival. Without the image of God that makes man special, man cannot enjoy myths that give value to survival.
So, if one has to truly believe in the Santa's 'spirit of Christmas' (even when it is Christless), then one has to presuppose a Christian worldview - that man is made in the Image of God. Unless man feels loved as a son/daughter by the One in whose image he is made, he'll NEVER feel loved, no matter where he searches. He'll never belong anywhere. He'll feel totally lost. Thank God Christ came to save the lost! Merry Christmas!