Guilty but Free

I'm going to attempt an amazing feat: start and finish this blog in 30 minutes. Going to SAT practice today reminded me that I dont get very much time to write that essay they ask for. Perhaps this can be practice... bleh. I don't really want to think about it.

Last night I got to watch a scary movie with a few good friends of mine: Kelsey, Julie, Spenser, and Justin. I saw the previews on TV, and I didn't get to plan anything for my birthday, so I decided that I wanted to use that as an excuse to go. A few weeks and many invitations later, we ended up with this small group going to see this movie together, that after eating a nice dinner at Taco Bell. Personally I prayed about the movie, that it would not instill fear, but excite submission. The movie was "The Excorcism of Emily Rose" based on the true story of a girl named Emily Rose whom the Roman Catholic Church officially recognized as possessed (they officially endorsed an excorcism). Although I had a few intellectual problems/questions with the movie (If Emily really was a Christian, as they seemed to suggest, how could she have been possessed? How can demons not obey a command at the name of Jesus Christ? and the fact that there's so much catholic tradition tied up in this movie), I did thoroughly enjoy it. There was a lot of screaming by other people, and I only jumped once. I was expecting horror, and had seen all the trailers I could find, so I wasn't taken aback by a few of the scenes that others deemed "scariest moments in the movie." I suppose you'll have to watch it yourself.

I can only recommend this movie for the discerning. I can't say it would be healthy for those with strong inclinations toward superstition (Put it this way - you'll never sleep again). I did not have nightmares, nor did I lose any sleep over the idea of being woken up at exactly 3:00 am to the smell of something burning (a movie reference). The more I watched that movie, the more I was grateful for the fact that I have the power of Christ within me. It did not provoke me to fear demons, but to fear God - a possible theme of the movie that was completely left out. Actually, the power of God was downgraded, proving unable to free Emily from her demons (They did give a few explanations for this, which I was grateful for, but even those were not completely satisfying). Another encouraging part of the movie was the end when they found Father Moore, the priest who performed the excorcism, guilty of the crime he was charged with. A few people boo'ed. Perhaps its just my wishful thinking and those people were just rooting for him because they thought he was supposed to be the good guy.

My absolute favorite line in the whole movie was this one by the judge, who sentences Father Moore: "Father Moore, you're guilty. And you're free to go." I love that!!!! Immediately when I heard that I thought of the amazing grace God has given to me. Jesus Christ has interceded on my behalf, just like the jury did in the movie for Father Moore, and reduces the punishment for our sin and disobedience to simply that which we suffered as natural consequences on earth, or as the jury put it - time served. This analogy of course, like all other analogies, is not complete. The Judge doesn't find us guilty or let us go; He finds us innocent and lets us in. He allows us into a loving and deep intimate relationship with Him (John 3:16, John 17:3).

Well, that was 31 minutes. Time to go to Teen Ministers! I hope this was encouraging to you in far more ways than one.