Movies and Confession & Absolution

My wife and I went to a movie on Friday night, "Love Happens." Good movie, decent morals, and a nice night away.

What I find interesting concerning movies in general is that we go to the theatre many times to get out of reality. When you look around the movie theatre, many are alone, couples don't talk to each other, and young children are glued to the screen. We love movies because it takes us out of our real world, especially when the real world is very dark. The movie theatre is a place where most of the time nobody will know you, it is too dark to judge, and no one looks around after the movie starts to see what you are eating or drinking. It is the perfect getaway.

The problem is that in 90 minutes or less, you are back to the real world. The pain, the guilt, and people. A world we do not want to confront.

When we live in this way we will never get to the real problem: sin. We will try to sidestep issues, move farther away, and act as if nothing has happened. Yet, the problem never goes away. We continue to fall farther and farther away from the reality of God and look for more things like movies to help cope.

Here is a proposal: Instead of looking to movies for a release from reality, how about going to your pastor? Your boring, simple dressed, slightly frumpy pastor. Go to him, grab your hymnal, turn to page 292 (LSB) and bring your grief, guilt, and sins to Chrst. Look reality right in the eye, repent, and hear the precious words of forgiveness. The guilt disappears, the pain subsides, and you are made clean by Christ. Then the pastor ends with the words that a movie never brings, "Go in peace."

Try it once and you will always go back! No charge and no popcorn necessary.