Sermon Scraps - Jesus Christ and Harry Potter

This week’s preaching text is Mark 2:13-3:6. These passages portray the beginning of the conflicts between Jesus and the religious authorities that lead to the initial plot to kill Jesus. The difference between Jesus and the religious authorities is that Jesus is willing to break the rules for the sake of relationships. Jesus places a higher premium on people than religious practices. He cares more about reconciliation and the restoration of people's relationships with God and one another than he does about religious regulations and restrictions. Jesus is not concerned with limits, but with the limitless love of God.

So as I considered how this message might relate to us today, I couldn't help but compare Jesus Christ to Harry Potter. For those of you who know me well, you probably aren't surprised. And for those of you who don't know me as well, I am a huge Harry Potter fan - the kind that would have dressed up and stood in line for hours to receive a book if he thought his wife wouldn't make fun of him for the rest of our lives.

In some Christian circles the Harry Potter books are criticized for using witchcraft and wizardry as its literary device. I can understand why people might fear that these books could create an unhealthy interest in witchcraft, but I think people are attracted to the characters and the plot more than the literary device. In the books magic is neutral – it is how the characters use their magic that determines whether it is used for good or evil. In many ways magic stands for our own power and how we choose to use the power we have been given.

I have also heard people critique Harry's tendency to break the rules, suggesting that it sends the wrong message to children. As for myself, I am looking forward to using these books to demonstrate to my own children how building and sustaining healthy relationships is more important than always following the rules. The books demonstrate that Harry is willing to bear the consequences for breaking the rules for the sake of his friends and the pursuit of truth.

Jesus and Harry both befriend and defend those who others look down on. Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners while Harry befriends mudbloods (someone who is half wizard and half muggle - non-wizard) as well as the likes of Luna Lovegood (an interesting young lady) and Neville Longbottom (an akward young man). Both are willing to endure public disapproval for the sake of their friends.

Rules are often necessary and beneficial, but when they stand in the way of doing good and saving life they should be broken. Harry Potter is constantly breaking curfew for the sake of helping his friends and seeking the truth. Jesus breaks the Sabbath restrictions in order to demonstrate that the Sabbath was made for people and not the other way around. Jesus breaks the Sabbath again in order to heal a man's hand because that is the right thing to do.

Harry is not perfect and is not meant to represent Jesus allegorically, but he is Christ-like in many ways. Harry genuinely cares about people and their well-being. His scar is a constant reminder of the sacrificial love of his parents. In the end of the series Harry is willing to die in order to protect his family, friends, and others. Jesus claims that one's willingness to die for his friends is the ultimate sign of love. In the end that is what Harry Potter is all about - the power of love and its ability to overcome death. And as you all know, sacrificial love is what the good news of God's love is all about. In Harry Potter a phoenix rises from its own ashes - a symbol of ressurection. In scripture we encounter the good news that Jesus Christ rose from the dead in order to reconcile the world to God.

Preaching Through Mark

I chose to begin my preaching career with Mark because this gospel vividly demonstrates the power of God. The gospel of Mark demonstrates the power of God as Jesus heals the sick, casts out demons, forgives sins, teaches with authority, serves with sincerity, and is ultimately crucified and raised from the dead for the sake of the sinners he loves so dearly. Some of us are inclined to forget that God has given all authority in heaven and on earth to Jesus Christ. This gospel reminds us that with God, all things are possible. Jesus Christ is pronounced as the Son of God in the first verse of the book, but it takes eight chapters for his disciples to recognize who Jesus truly is. It then takes eight more chaptes for them to find out what the Son of God came to do and how they are to respond to the good news of God’s love displayed in the saving death of our risen Lord. The disciples are so blinded by what they think they know about the Messiah that they have a hard time picturing Jesus as the Messiah. Then when they recognize him, they cannot fathom the idea that the Son of God would die and rise again for the sins of the world. Sometimes I think we can become so blinded by what we think we know about God that we have a hard time seeing Jesus for who he really is and following him where he is leading. As we make our way through the gospel and as you start this next day I hope you will consider asking the questions – who is this Jesus of Nazareth and how is he calling me to follow him? If you ask the question and get the same answer you probably haven’t wasted a lot of time and energy. I have a hunch that if you ask, God may be revealed to you in new and powerful ways. Who knows? With God all things are possible.

Becoming a Blogger

While my wife is an experienced blogger, I have only written one post on our family blog. So it is with great fear and trepidation that I have begun my own blog. It is my hope that I will be able to use this medium to formulate my own thoughts and bounce ideas off of those who read and comment. I hope to include some of the details that I discover in my sermon preparation that interest me but would probably make a sermon long and boring. And sometimes there is just so much information that it all can't fit into a single sermon - hence the title "sermon scraps."