Spiritual Reflections on a Red Rider Carbine Action 200 Range Air Rifle with a Compass in the Stock
12/19/2005 00:01 Filed in: Faith & Reason
Guest Blog by Ken Steele
One of my personal favorites when it comes to Christmas movies is A Christmas Story, written by Jean Shepherd. The famous gift that Ralphie wanted was “A Red Rider Carbine Action 200 Range Air Rifle with a compass in the stock.”
Now as a red-blooded boy, I too wanted a BB gun for Christmas, but my mom kept telling me that I would shoot my eye out and that was 5 years before this movie was released. I know several kids my age that had moms saying the same thing. Did I ever meet someone that shot his eye out? Well no, but it seemed like a good excuse for me not getting a BB Gun until I turned 12.
As a pastor in my 30’s, I began to look at the spiritual themes of movies at Christmas time. Having seen a good number of m these movies, they always seem to center around family and bashing the commercialization of Christmas. A bit of irony, don’t you think? So I wanted to focus on classics like Christmas Vacation, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, the Polar Express, Elf, and A Christmas Story. As a resource for spiritual themes I often frequent David Bruce’s site, Hollywood Jesus, but surprisingly, I found nothing there on A Christmas Story.
I saw a bit of spirituality in the movie with the idea that we may ask God for something, and His response would be “No, you’ll shoot your eye out.” As I was reading the Scriptures I came across the story of Israel wanting a king in 1 Samuel 8. The people came to Samuel wanting a king because all the other nations had one. God replied to Samuel telling him to let the people know what will happen if they get their request. They people rejected this answer and so God told Samuel to get them a king.
Now I saw a couple of issues here and in the movie. This is a classic battle of the wills that we all have with God at some point in our lives. You know like these requests we make to God:
Me: God get me a better paying job so I can support my family.
God: No, I think that would be a bad idea. You may end up working too much and sacrificing your family.
Me: That would never happen, I have priorities.
God: This isn’t what I want, but I’ll allow it.
Me: Thanks God. (Then we forget all about him and go into deep debt, get a divorce, screw up the kids, and then come crawling back)
So isn’t this what Israel did? They got their king, they didn’t need God to fight for them anymore, and in the end shot their eyes out.
So then my question is, what right do we have in groveling back to God after the BB hits us in the eye?
Well that’s the amazing thing about grace. He picks us up and cleans out wounds.
God isn’t Santa where we are to sit on his lap and give our demands (a.k.a. “requests&rdquo
, rather we need to go to him and ask Him what we need.
Thanks, God!!
Ken Steele is pastor of Prairie Springs Church in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
You can email Ken at ken@prairiesprings.com.
Now as a red-blooded boy, I too wanted a BB gun for Christmas, but my mom kept telling me that I would shoot my eye out and that was 5 years before this movie was released. I know several kids my age that had moms saying the same thing. Did I ever meet someone that shot his eye out? Well no, but it seemed like a good excuse for me not getting a BB Gun until I turned 12.
As a pastor in my 30’s, I began to look at the spiritual themes of movies at Christmas time. Having seen a good number of m these movies, they always seem to center around family and bashing the commercialization of Christmas. A bit of irony, don’t you think? So I wanted to focus on classics like Christmas Vacation, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, the Polar Express, Elf, and A Christmas Story. As a resource for spiritual themes I often frequent David Bruce’s site, Hollywood Jesus, but surprisingly, I found nothing there on A Christmas Story.
I saw a bit of spirituality in the movie with the idea that we may ask God for something, and His response would be “No, you’ll shoot your eye out.” As I was reading the Scriptures I came across the story of Israel wanting a king in 1 Samuel 8. The people came to Samuel wanting a king because all the other nations had one. God replied to Samuel telling him to let the people know what will happen if they get their request. They people rejected this answer and so God told Samuel to get them a king.
Now I saw a couple of issues here and in the movie. This is a classic battle of the wills that we all have with God at some point in our lives. You know like these requests we make to God:
Me: God get me a better paying job so I can support my family.
God: No, I think that would be a bad idea. You may end up working too much and sacrificing your family.
Me: That would never happen, I have priorities.
God: This isn’t what I want, but I’ll allow it.
Me: Thanks God. (Then we forget all about him and go into deep debt, get a divorce, screw up the kids, and then come crawling back)
So isn’t this what Israel did? They got their king, they didn’t need God to fight for them anymore, and in the end shot their eyes out.
So then my question is, what right do we have in groveling back to God after the BB hits us in the eye?
Well that’s the amazing thing about grace. He picks us up and cleans out wounds.
God isn’t Santa where we are to sit on his lap and give our demands (a.k.a. “requests&rdquo
, rather we need to go to him and ask Him what we need.Thanks, God!!
Ken Steele is pastor of Prairie Springs Church in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
You can email Ken at ken@prairiesprings.com.