One series I like to preach each summer is called God at the Box Office. During this series we uncover and then study the biblical themes within some of Hollywood’s biggest summer blockbuster movies. This is a series where faith and film collide! I think we’ve done this series 6 out of the 8 years we’ve been in existence as a church (covering new movies each year of course). In this post I want to explain the benefits of doing this series as well as how to pull it off.
THE BENEFITS
- It’s fun
- It brings people out to church during the summer months when attendance is usually down
- It gives your people a great opportunity to invite unsaved friends and family
- It keeps your preaching calendar fresh since the themes are different each year
- If gives people something to look forward to
- It brings out as many, if not more, first time guests than on Easter Sunday!
HOW TO PULL IT OFF
First: Find out what movies are coming out. Visit www.movieinsider.com a couple months before you start the series to find what movies and coming out and when they will be released.
Second: Read the storyline of each movie and compile a list of possible movies to cover. For example…
- Angry Birds, May 20th. The movie takes us to an island populated entirely by happy, flightless birds – or almost entirely. In this paradise, Red, a bird with a temper problem, speedy Chuck, and the volatile Bomb have always been outsiders. But when the island is visited by mysterious green piggies, it’s up to these unlikely outcasts to figure out what the pigs are up to.
- X-Men Apocalypse, May 27th. Since the dawn of civilization, Apocalypse was worshipped as a god. He was the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, and amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto, to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven with the help of Professor X must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.
- Warcraft, June 10th. The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: Orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people and their home. So begins a spectacular saga of power and sacrifice in which war has many faces, and everyone fights for something.
Third: Prayerfully set the preaching calendar. Determine how many movies you’ll cover (we usually do 4-6) and which movie you’ll do on which date.
Fourth: Determine the theme of each movie. Sometimes you can only do this once you see the movie, while other times you can do this based solely off the storyline from movieinsider.com
Fifth: Study what God’s Word says on that theme and write a sermon based off what you study.
To check out some of the sermons we did last year during God at the Box Office, simply click here.
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