Sermon for Sunday

2019-06-30

As Brian mentioned to you last week, I’m going to be doing an “at the movies” reflection series for the few Sundays. And today the movie is… Christopher Robin. Jordan and I went to see Christopher Robin last summer when it was first released. We were in Toronto, packing up Jordan’s condo, saying goodbye to the staff at The General Council office and to Jordan’s role there with them. It had been a busy and intense three years… of being apart and managing two busy careers, family, homes and life. It was probably for this reason that I was so moved and challenged by Christopher Robin. For those of you who have not had a chance to see the movie… I’m going to give you a quick synopsis. The movie starts off in the very best of times… in the opening scene all of the 100 Acre Wood friends are gathered around the table, feasting, singing and celebrating the love and joy they have in each other. They are throwing a farewell party for Christopher Robin who is heading off to boarding school. Christopher is presented with gifts and hugs and a very touching poem by . Eventually Christopher and Pooh slip off for some time together. The moment ends with Christopher promising to never ever forget about Pooh. And then… everything changes. He promised he would never forget them… but his studies, his time serving in the war, and then his work creates a man that wouldn’t recognize if it smacked him in the face. Christopher’s wife and daughter see his life being consumed by work and his inability to have fun. They’re sad… they’re disappointed and they’re close to giving up hope. And then… Pooh shows up. Pooh had woken up in the 100 Acre Wood to discover that all of his friends seem to have disappeared. Alone and afraid he decided that Christopher Robin is the only one can help and he sets off on an adventure to find him. Now…Christopher isn’t exactly thrilled to see Pooh but is eventually convinced (by a very persuasive bear), to go back to the Wood and help. They returned to the Wood, and…while searching desperately for the friends so he can return to his very important business… and after saying some not so nice things to Winnie the Pooh… which make Pooh very sad…Christopher finds himself caught in a trap… a heffalump is the infamous creature, feared by everyone in the 100 Acre Wood… a heffalump is believed to suck the fun and joy and life out of everything. After some time in the pit trap, Christopher comes to understand that HE is a heffalump… This is when things began to change…He is beginning to see clearly; the fog is lifting… his priorities are shifting…and he whole heartedly sets off to save his friends, his family… and himself. So… there are four lessons that stood out for me as I rewatched this movie earlier this week. First… a lesson about setting priorities that align with core values Second… the need to let go of worry and embrace more readily the attitude of “one day at a time” … being here in the present moment. Third... acknowledging… and accepting… the degree to which we need each other Finally… and, connected to … we cannot save ourselves

So let’s talk first about priorities… Christopher Robin has a Very Important Job and a briefcase full of Very Important Things to prove it. As a mid-level manager working for a prominent luggage company, he’s been tasked to trim 20% out of the company budget. And even though he planned to spend the weekend with his wife, Evelyn, and daughter, Madeline at the family cottage, he’ll need to punt his plans and spend those days working instead. It’s no surprise to Evelyn, who didn’t even bother to pack a suitcase for him. Madeline, naturally, is deeply disappointed. Christopher is losing his family… date by broken date… and he knows it. And even though he says that his wife and daught