One of my favorite family traditions at Easter is to watch a Biblical epic.  We have a pile of animated and live action Bible stories that we choose from.  This year we chose two films to watch.  On Good Friday we watched:  The Miracle Maker.  And on Saturday we watched:  The Prince of Egypt.  One of the things I appreciate about movie depictions of familiar Bible stories is that I always see God in a new way.  This weekend was no exception.  These are my new nuggets of truth for Easter 2018.

The Miracle Maker:  It took five years and two studios to produce this film.  They used technology that allowed even the fingers of the clay to move in order to give breadth to the characters.  

I loved the way this movie depicted the baptism of Jesus.  First John backs off feeling unworthy to baptize his Savior.  And then as Jesus is submerged in the water, he emerges to the sky full of light and the voice of God expressing His pleasure in Jesus' obedience.  Later in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus cries out to His Father, pleading that he spare him the next step toward which was the cross.

The Prince of Egypt:  All of the voice actors spoke in unison to be the voice of God.  Brenda Chapman was the first woman director of an animated movie for this film.  

I was particularly moved during the scene when Moses walked into the water and the red sea separated into two walls of water.  It felt eerie watching the people walk through the sea being pursued by their captors.  It would have been the longest scariest walk of their lives.  Today feel the reality of this experience as I see obstacles standing between me and the beautiful freedom Jesus calls me to.  Sometimes in order to experience true freedom we must first take a terrifying step of faith.

As the Christian church moves toward the celebration of Easter, meditate on what obstacle stands between you and freedom.  What dream has God called you to that requires a step into the red sea?  Where do you need a miracle in your life?