Lethal Weapon with Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney
Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney close out 2021 with the Christmas movie Lethal Weapon. We discover that we always need to be on the lookout to expand our family, even when it gets messy. We often feel unqualified when God pulls us into our purpose, but retirement isn’t an option. And the real goal of doing things together is to create family and community. Go ahead, draw yourself a bath, but this time lock the door, and let’s discover God’s truth in this movie.
Quotes
At some point, we can relate to either Roger or Riggs.
There is no retirement in the Kingdom of God.
Older people have a profound sense of family to share with all of us.
We don’t feel qualified when God pulls us into our purpose.
We have one of the most fatherless generations in history, but God wants to be their Father. And we show that by showing up.
They didn’t double down on punishment and law, but they offered their presence.
Once you see someone, you are called to intervene.
I have to do something that matters.
Secrets have power in the darkness.
What if, in the things God has us do, the most important part is not the doing, but the community we build by doing it?
Themes
We should always be looking to expand our family. The outsiders need it, and we need them.
We can relate to one of the main characters at some point in our lives:
Roger: just wants his boat to work, wants things to be neat and simple, wants comfort, peace in the bathtub, just wants some privacy, he thinks he knows Riggs, he has something to go home to, grounded in love
Riggs: feels lost, either people think I’m crazy or think I’m faking and no one wants to work with me, has the feeling “If you knew me, you would reject me,” doesn’t have a safe place to share his demons, feels undesirable
Retirement vs stages of family—older people can look forward to retirement, thinking their work is over. Younger people look forward to the end of a stage, or what comes next. Both miss their purpose in their present.
Finding our purpose in what’s in front of us. We rarely feel qualified to do what God asks us to do.
Roger keeps asking the question until he gets the truth-“Do you want to die?”
We like to keep our lives neat, but people get messy.
What if the goal isn’t the act, but the community?
The real goal and victory of the movie was the family and community, Roger welcoming Riggs into his family.
Roger expanding his family was not just for Riggs, but Roger needed Riggs to rescue his daughter, and protect his family. They needed each other.
Resources
Video of the Shreveport fathers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdPaqt6RY_Q'
Link to Satisfeed: https://www.satisfeed.org/
“The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” - Proverbs 21:1
Questions
What uncomfortable family moments have you been a part of?
How do we activate the older saints in our church?
What are you hoping for next? Where do you say, “Life will be good when…”?
Does your church activate your purpose? Work? Mentors?
What is the cost of intervening? What is the cost of not intervening?
Who can you talk to about the stuff that keeps you up at night?
Who is someone you can invite for lunch, or watch a great movie with?