Tip of My Iceberg

I’m particularly fond of old movies. When producers try to update them, I’m often disappointed with the addition of computer graphics and other up-to-date gizmos to make a movie more exciting for our current screen-obsessed culture.

One of my all-time favorite movies is “The Wizard of Oz”, starring Judy Garland as the small-town girl from a Kansas farm who finds herself in Oz. What makes the movie so wonderful is that the beginning and end are filmed in black and white, a statement on the boring normalcy of life, while the time in Oz is in Technicolor, with brilliant hues splashed all over the screen.

One of my favorite lines in the movie is when Dorothy leaves her house, which has fallen from the sky, lands on a witch, and comments, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” The bright colors, the quirky Munchkins, and finally the appearance of Glinda convince her that this isn’t home. A new environment, a change from what life had been, and nothing she could have anticipated added to her curiosity.

Some dear friends of mine just moved to Europe, landing in a climate quite unlike their previous home in Florida. Leaving the heat and humidity behind, they’ve encountered winter in a way they haven’t experienced it before. They have experienced snow, which, for their four boys, was an enjoyable adventure.

My friend feels cold most of the time. Her appreciation is a bit more measured.

Both my friend and Dorothy experienced a dramatic change that they hadn’t expected. Both were changed by these experiences.

Change isn’t a broadly appreciated issue. Many are content with living a life without surprise, without the upheaval of transition, without needing to adjust the comfortable rhythms they’ve become attached to.

However, avoiding change isn’t realistic. We are constantly growing and evolving as people, and with that growth comes an expectancy of change in how we act and think. We may complain about change, but no one wants to go back to a life with no computers or smartphones.

The religious rulers in Jesus’ day didn’t appreciate the changes He was bringing when He preached a gospel of grace and mercy based on forgiveness. They were all about following rules and having the people follow their lead.

Jesus was a change agent who disrupted their lives.

He taught people that God loved them unconditionally, and the rules the religious leaders wanted everyone to follow weren’t sustainable. Everyone messed up, so Jesus told them that He had come to take on the burden of paying the price for the wrong things we do, no matter how awful they are.

The apostle Paul said it succinctly: “Because of this decision (those who choose Jesus to pay the penalty for their brokenness), we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at Jesus the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at Him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with Christ gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges.” 2 Corinthians 5:16-17. Having Jesus in our lives saves us from having to pay the penalty for the mess we’ve made of our lives.

Freedom.

That’s a change we can all embrace, choosing not to be mired in the pain and misery of the wrongs we’ve committed, but make the choice to be new in Jesus. What Jesus offers us with a life in Him is the promise of heaven, with all its glory and beauty. A guarantee of a new life in Him.

Definitely not Dorothy’s Kansas.