St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

Bruce Almighty

Neil had his first night away from his Mum and Dad a fortnight ago (he’s our 5-year-old with autism), so we decided to take the other two out to see something. Something with enough action in it to keep Peter’s attention (he’s our 14-year-old with Down’s Syndrome). Not Cats again - brilliant but pricey, we’d seen that with the church trip. What else is on? After considering options, we chose the film “Bruce Almighty”. Not my first choice for a night out, but it seemed the best option at the time.

I was very pleasantly surprised. The story is about Bruce who rants at God (who he doesn’t believe in) about why has God ruined his life? (Except it’s obvious Bruce has ruined it himself.) “God, I could do your job better than you,” says Bruce. So God shows up and gives Bruce almighty powers: “But two rules - you can’t tell anyone you’re God, and you can’t interfere with anyone’s free will. Bye for now,” and off God walks across the sea.

A lot of slapstick results. Bruce tries out his powers by parting his tomato soup just like the red sea. He miraculously divides the cars in the rush-hour so that he can drive to work on time. He confuses the speech of his rival at work, so that he gets the job he wants. (I never knew Exodus 14 and Genesis 11 could be rewritten like this!) But he can’t stop his girlfriend from coming to her senses and seeing that, fundamentally, Bruce is a self-centred twit who isn’t worthy of the love she wants to give him.

After a week, God shows up. “How much good have you done for other people?” he asks. Bruce is on the defensive. “I had a lot of things to sort out for myself before I start on solving others’ problems. Besides, this rule is a real pain. How can you make someone love you if you’re not allowed to interfere with their free will?”

By now, I was beginning to realize that this is a film to make you think about a lot of questions. What is love? How should God answer prayers when lots of people just pray to win the lottery for themselves? Is it really God’s job to clear up the mess people make of their lives - a celestial janitor? It amazed me that I could live with the way God comes across in this film - because when you ask basic questions, you begin to see why the God of the bible makes sense.

It’s not a “Christian” film - there’s no Jesus in it, no “incarnation”. I won’t tell you how it ends. But it’s a film with a lot to say about prayer, unselfishness, miracles, and what’s really important in life. If you get the chance to go out for an evening, you could do worse than watch it for yourself. (And they aren’t even paying me to say so!)

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. August 2003, Page 1.
Home Page. Index of articles. Vicar's Letters: index, Basics in Lent, Resurrection, Who to vote for? Who's Jesus? Bruce Almighty, What's a wedding? In this issue: (August 2003) Bruce, 4-cup HC, Song, History, Homosexuality, Bradford Logo.	Bruce Almighty Neil had his first night away from his Mum and Dad a fortnight ago (he’s our 5-year-old with autism), so we decided to take the other two out to see something. Something with enough action in it to keep Peter’s attention (he’s our 14-year-old with Down’s Syndrome). Not Cats again - brilliant but pricey, we’d seen that with the church trip. What else is on? After considering options, we chose the film “Bruce Almighty”. Not my first choice for a night out, but it seemed the best option at the time. I was very pleasantly surprised. The story is about Bruce who rants at God (who he doesn’t believe in) about why has God ruined his life? (Except it’s obvious Bruce has ruined it himself.) “God, I could do your job better than you,” says Bruce. So God shows up and gives Bruce almighty powers: “But two rules - you can’t tell anyone you’re God, and you can’t interfere with anyone’s free will. Bye for now,” and off God walks across the sea. A lot of slapstick results. Bruce tries out his powers by parting his tomato soup just like the red sea. He miraculously divides the cars in the rush-hour so that he can drive to work on time. He confuses the speech of his rival at work, so that he gets the job he wants. (I never knew Exodus 14 and Genesis 11 could be rewritten like this!) But he can’t stop his girlfriend from coming to her senses and seeing that, fundamentally, Bruce is a self-centred twit who isn’t worthy of the love she wants to give him. After a week, God shows up. “How much good have you done for other people?” he asks. Bruce is on the defensive. “I had a lot of things to sort out for myself before I start on solving others’ problems. Besides, this rule is a real pain. How can you make someone love you if you’re not allowed to interfere with their free will?” By now, I was beginning to realize that this is a film to make you think about a lot of questions. What is love? How should God answer prayers when lots of people just pray to win the lottery for themselves? Is it really God’s job to clear up the mess people make of their lives - a celestial janitor? It amazed me that I could live with the way God comes across in this film - because when you ask basic questions, you begin to see why the God of the bible makes sense. It’s not a “Christian” film - there’s no Jesus in it, no “incarnation”. I won’t tell you how it ends. But it’s a film with a lot to say about prayer, unselfishness, miracles, and what’s really important in life. If you get the chance to go out for an evening, you could do worse than watch it for yourself. (And they aren’t even paying me to say so!) John Hartley
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