Faith in Film, Week 1

Tonight we kick off our 10 week journey through movies together, and I couldn't be more excited. I have a passion for watching films and digging into the worldview and lessons presented, and I love sharing that passion with others. That's what we're doing through the next 10 weeks together.

And that begins with "The Peanuts Movie," which was released in 2015. "The Peanuts Movie" is based on the long-running characters created by Charles Schulz in 1950 for his daily comic strip. The strip ran until February 13, 2000, one day after his death. Schulz produced 17,897 comic strips for The Peanuts, and it's been an iconic part of American culture for decades.

Beginning in the 1960s, the Peanuts expanded to TV specials, staring with "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in 1965, a personal favorite. Though some have debated Schulz' faith, in 2013 his widow stated that his faith was deep and complicated. Many have seen religious themes in his work, and it's hard to miss the Gospel message in "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

The new film, released 15 years after his death, was penned by his son, Craig, and grandson, Bryan, and it's faithful to the characters and values that have been hallmarks of the Peanuts for decades. It centers on Charlie Brown trying, and often failing, to make a good impression on a new classmate, the Little Red Haired Girl. The deepest desire of Charlie's heart is that he be seen for who he is inside, not his external failures.

And in the end, his wish comes true. That is often a deep desire of our hearts, too — that those in our sphere would see the best in us. But when we focus on gaining the approval and adoration of the world, we'll often be disappointed. Instead, in all we do, we should focus on the only one who matters, God.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” — Colossians 3:23-24

We'll look at that and more tonight.

Discussion Questions:
1. Did this film work for you, why or why not?

2. Charlie wants to be noticed and seen for who he really is instead of people’s perception of him. Do you ever feel like that? How do you overcome that?

3. Charlie wants to showcase his skill and talent, but in a series of different circumstances things don’t go as planned. What do you do when things don’t go as planned?

4. At the end of the film, Charlie is surprised to see that the Little Red Haired Girl did see him for who he really is. Have you had a time when that happened in your life?