city of god

so i watched the 2002 film cidade de deus (city of god) last night with some friends. one of them, elijah, is a gifted writer and prolific blogger. i knew he was deeply affected by the film, and i expected him to blog about it, and he didn't leave me disappointed.

here it is: wish you were here

and here is my response/comment:

a beautiful lament it is.

i think our responsibility goes beyond the lament, beyond the purposeful mourning and joining our hearts with theirs. of those who have been given much, much is required. i believe we are called to be advocates on their behalf, to rise up against the structures of injustice and sin, to call life out of death and despair. a righteous anger rises up within me to fight on their behalf, to bring hope and justice to a lawless, to defend the cause of the fatherless, widows, and aliens - those who have no voice.

i think that was the purpose of the film - to show the rest of the world a bit of reality for those kids.

so what will we do next?


it's an incomplete thought, an incomplete lament, an incomplete response. definitely more searching and thinking is required, as well as a deeper invitation for the Holy Spirit to mess with me a bit.

as we talked after watching the movie last night, i kept being reminded that this is why i'm here. i'm here a fuller to learn about the sustainable holistic development ways of bringing the kingdom of God a little closer to the most desperate places on earth.

it's films like this one that well up within me with a deep emotion - the lament, the passion, the hatred of satan, the deep longing for God to move magnificently and powerfully. the desire for God's glory to break through the dark places, to be an instrument in that direction.

so, dianne, what will you do next?