The King of Kings
He is risen! Hope everyone had a great Easter Sunday.
Jesus is having quite a moment in the cinema. The Chosen came to theaters with Last Supper. Mel Gibson is gearing up to shoot his sequel to The Passion of the Christ. And this week I had a chance to check out the latest feature from Angel Studios: The King of Kings.
Despite an all-star voice cast and a charming animation style, I’ll confess, I didn’t get much out of King of Kings. Don’t get me wrong. I'm glad it exists, and it’s great for young children. The story plays like a highlight reel of the major events in Jesus’ life. But as on-screen characters stared in wonder at His miracles, I caught myself yawning. Maybe I’m too old or I’ve just seen too many movies.
How could I feel this way? The Resurrection means a great deal to me. My church spent months planning special programming and activities for Easter. We dressed up and rehearsed and covered every corner of the building with beautiful decor. The seats were packed, and the music was bumpin’. We heard a great message about The Cross, and some gave their lives to Jesus. It was a monumental occasion for many.
What did we do a couple days later? We cleaned up. We took down the signs, recycled the leftover invitations, and gathered up all the decorations we’d spent so much time on. Most of them got thrown out, but a few pieces were kept “just in case” we decided to use them again next year.
I know it’s silly to think we’d leave up seasonal decor all year round, but it didn’t feel right stuffing The Cross into a dark closet. I kept telling myself, "It's just a piece of foam. It doesn't mean anything." But it made me realize how I can let everything else take priority over my relationship with God. I bury the Scriptures in the back corner of my mind, under everything from shopping lists to reality TV stars. I'm excited for The Playoffs, but not my salvation.
Having grown up in church, I know the Bible pretty well. I’ve heard the stories a thousand times. And maybe that’s why it’s hard for me to get exhilarated for it all these days. The child in King of Kings jumps for joy when he learns about Jesus' victory, but we treat it like old news, a distant memory.
Of course, not every media interpretation will send us running down the aisles like a Pentecostal revival, but we should get a thrill any time the Gospel reaches a new audience. If we meditate daily on the miracle of salvation, our enthusiasm will be rekindled. We'll be compelled to spread the word. But if we only dust off our spirituality once a year, we're destined to grow lukewarm and indifferent.
Don’t put The Cross in storage. Keep it front and center in your heart and mind.