How Do We Fight Despair?

Written By Paul McDonald

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Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, Britt Mooney and I discuss Children of Men, which he argues can be seen as a Christmas story. We see a broken man, in despair, with no purpose and no hope. Until he encounters a miracle and realizes that life is holy and children are the most important work.. Happy Easter, and join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

The Quotes

  • One goal of a dystopian movie is to make a comment about the society of the day.

  • Some people see the miracle and wonder. Some see the miracle and turn violent.

  • When people encounter a miracle, they walk away transformed.

  • It wasn’t the idea of a pregnant woman that gave Theo hope. It was an actual pregnant woman that awakened hope within.

  • No one cared about the stories in the Bible during the time it happened.

  • The gospel is for all humanity.

  • The family is the model of the church.

  • The mark of a great leader is how they respond when things fall apart.

 Themes

  • How do we move from despair to hope?

    • Theo is a broken man with no purpose. His marriage has been broken, his child died—he lives in despair.

  • Why is this a Christmas movie?

    • It’s about finding hope in darkness

    • Escaping the oppressor

    • After a period of silence

    • People encounter a miracle, an unexpected child

    • Opposition against this child who brings hope

    • A man who’s not the father travels with a girl to protect and watch over the child within her.

  • The collateral damage of ideologies

    • Each group thinks they know the right way to move forward, and want to use the baby to advance their agenda.

    • In the fight, you see bystanders, non combatants get shot and taken down by a fight that is not theirs.

  • Life is holy

    • Raising children is our most important work

    • The family was established before the fall

Resources

  • “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

  • “Long lay the world in sin and error pining
    'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
    A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
    For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.” - O Holy Night

  • “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” - 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

  • Joe Rogan Experience: Wesley Huff

  • “nd if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15 And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.” - 1 Corinthians 15:14-19 (NLT)

  • Simply Jesus—“Palm Sunday—as Jesus was going along…as well as for the kingdom that was.”

  • Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work. - Dr John Trainer (not C.S. Lewis)

  • “After Tozer died, Ada remarried a man named Leonard Odam. Later, when she was asked about the difference between her marriage to The Great Man of God and her current husband, she candidly said, “I have never been happier in my life. Aiden (Tozer) loved Jesus Christ, but Leonard Odam loves me.” - from an article at Fathom Mag by Sarah Bessey

Questions

  • What situations feel hopeless?

  • Where do you feel darkness winning?

  • Where do you find hope?

  • What are you pining for? What do you long to see? What is your greatest and deepest desire?

  • What is your response to seeing a baby?

  • What is your most important work?

More info

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Edited and mixed by Grayson Foster

Logo and episode templates by Ian Johnston

Audio quotes performed by Britt Mooney, Paul McDonald, and Tim Willard, taken from Epic (written by John Eldredge) and Song of Albion (written by Stephen Lawhead).

Southerly Change performed by Zane Dickinson, used under license from Shutterstock.

Links:

Paul McDonald
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The Reason for Roadblocks