MOIRAJO
  • Weekly Devotionals
  • Weekly Message
  • Sermon Podcasts
  • Links
  • Contact

Divine Sweetness

9/3/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
"And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'
The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."  Mark 12:30-31




"The Candyman"  from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgbdVihagWg


Earlier this past week the actor, writer and director Gene Wilder died at the age of 83.  Loved for his comedic performances, we will always remember him for the classic children's movie, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."    Based in humor, some of it a little dark, the story is really a morality tale based on the book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl.  Five children get the opportunity to visit the reclusive candy factory that hasn't been open in years.  Yet one by one the children cannot resist what they see, and one by one they fall to to their temptations - and their parents, it is noted, are no help.  In the end, even the poor boy, Charlie Bucket, fell into temptation.  In the end  Charlie is redeemed  because he returns the candy given to him earlier -- candy he could easily give to Mr. Wonka's competitor, Mr Slugworth (who had offered a substantial bribe to Charlie earlier). 


While not quite a Judeo-Christian tale, "Willy Wonka"  reminds us that the things that are sweetest to us and attract us the most can be our downfall.  One child loves chocolate and falls into the chocolate river:  another child can't stop chewing gum and snatches a pieces of untested gum and turns round like a blueberry.  So it goes for each child.   They encounter something they cannot resist and it becomes their downfall.  The movie asks us to examine what our downfalls are, where are we most tempted?   Not by chocolate or gum, but perhaps by money, power, control -- by an image of success. All these things can cause us to become blinded to what is important in life:  to love God and our neighbor.


The difference for us is that while we too often fall down, we can get up again and start over.   We get a sense of this at the end of the story that hopefully the children have leaned their lesson.   God in Christ forgives us and is there to pick us up again.   God would "tempt" us differently:  to find sweetness in serving our neighbor.  There is nothing more scrumpdillyicious than the concoction of love, forgiveness, mercy and kindness. The best thing is that we can make it more delicious by the good things we add:  patience, forbearance, joy.   It's what makes the world taste good -- and we are called to be helpers in this masterpiece.  Let us each add the ingredients God has uniquely give us to make our world a more delectable place.  


We can even lick the spoon too.


 Prayer:   God of  Divine Sweetness,  show us that love what we are all searching for and what satisfies most.  Teach us to create love and pass on your love throughout our day.  

​

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Moirajo is a minister, social worker, wife, mother, writer and animal lover. That's just for starters. Join the story, there's so much we can share together! 

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    Categories

    All

    Bible,  Living life on life's terms, spirituality

    RSS Feed

© Moira Ahearne 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.