20080910

Samson, Delilah, Blade Runner, and 'interesting' connections within my brain

I know this may seem an odd string of thoughts, but please bear with me. :) Last night i was watching the season premier for Terminator: SCC (The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and a few things stuck in my mind. The first was the background theme. Then there was the point where Agent Ellison was confronted by Chromartie, but was spared. Then lastly the spot at the end where Cameron was sitting in the chapel in front of the Crucifix. I've done some digging since last night (not very exhaustive due to time, etc.) and have found out that the shows 'theme song', and script was loosely based off of recording of Brice Springsteen's performance of a song called 'Samson and Delilah / If I had my way'. (Read Josh Friedman's blog entry about it here.) I was actually able to catch some of the lyrics of the new rendition of the song while watching the show and the references to the relationships within the show. It just struck me that a man of God such as Samson was brought low because of a temptation in his own life. I will not be specific here, but i drew some parallels of Samson (Judges 16) and my own life. Obviously I am no where near as strong, or influential, as he was. I was just comparing my own walk with the Lord and some of the struggles i go through. Early on in the episode Agent Ellison was the last man standing on an FBI SWAT-like botched raid. He was standing near the pool, trying to reload and get ready for what was coming when Chromartie confronts him. Anyone who knows anything about the Terminator series knows that Agent Ellison is dead where he stands, but no. As Agent Ellison readies himself for the inevitable killing blow Chromartie doesn't deliver. Instead he steps around Agent Ellison and walks off. This left Ellison to contemplate a lot of things. This character is already working through his own faith (he is a Christian in how he is portrayed within the series), but the events within the show really has him working things out. I like this character because it is a lot like how each of us will have to work through in our lives and our own walk with Christ. One of the last scenes has Agent Ellison standing outside a scene of a confrontation between Sarah, John, Cameron, and some 'bad guys' from last season - when Chromartie shows up. Agent Ellison tells Chromartie, "I will never lead you to them. If that's why you left me alive you might as well kill me now." The Terminator just replies, "We'll see." The last thing that struck me while i was watching the show (over the course of a couple of hours due to various obligations - thus i am not so sure how cohesive these really are - LOL) was when Cameron enters a street front chapel like place and you can tell that she (or would it be better to refer to her as it?) is taking in the Crucifix on the back wall. Fast forward, as i don't want to give too much away, near the end of the show Sarah comes into the room. At one point Cameron asks, "Do you believe in the resurrection?" Sarah replies something along the lines of, "with what I've seen I have my doubts". Isn't it interesting how we will use any excuse of what we experience in life to cause doubt to creep in. At one point Cameron comments, "I am not programed for faith", and yet we (human beings) are. If it's in Christ, or some other god, or science, or global warming, or evolution, or whatever. When we come to the end of our own reason and we can't explain something we believe in we rely on faith. All of this, and especially the question "Do you believe in the resurrection?", got me to thinking about not just Christ's resurrection... but my own as well. My death was not on a cross, but we are called to die to ourselves and this world and be raised in Christ. But what happens when we stumble and fall flat on our faces? Ultimately we will not be raised, or resurrected, until that final day. When we are finally able to shrug off the trappings of this world and fully immerse ourselves in the next. Lately I am seeing signs of arthritis in my hands. The pointers on both hands are twisting slightly and they have begun to ache. It looks almost like the robots from "Blade Runner", or at least it makes me think of them. How they fought to prolong their life, to try and figure out the meaning of their lives. In the end they had no hope of a resurrection - but glory to God i (we) do! \o/ Verse for today: 1 Thessalonians 4 : 13-18, ESV But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, [4] that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 comment:

Amy L Buitendyk said...

Oh my gosh - I just had a long thing typed out and it bleeped on me and is gone! ARG....

This is a very interesting post. Lots to think over.

I am sure I will probably re-read this one again...