Did you see Nicole Kidman's dress?!

I recently heard a sermon on Luke 13 and the parable of the diminutive-but-soon-to-be-huge mustard seed. One of the upshots of Jesus telling us that the Kingdom of God is steadily growing is that we need to get a right understanding about what is really important and cultivate a ‘healthy disrespect for the rich and powerful’.

I assume that an unhealthy disrespect for the rich and powerful might be some sort of shallow critical attitude that licences feelings of prejudice and moral superiority. A healthy disrespect, meanwhile, recognises that although some people have the privilege of great wealth and power, it is not an enviable privilege. The mustard seed teaches that, eventually, having material riches and power will count for nothing if they are not invested in the growth of the Kingdom of God.

In praise of business

The Oscars, held a few weeks ago, were, as always, the consummate homily to riches and power. The business of the Oscars is quite unashamedly self-publicity and making more cash. Although the headlines were about people, Helen Mirren and Martin Scorcese in particular, the awards were really praising the successful business ventures and box office figures behind the films. Even the official Oscar website is packed with adverts, pushing the actual content to a thin column on the right hand side of the page and rudely interrupting photo galleries and video clips with car and moisturiser promotions.

Other media sectors benefit hugely too. The sales figures of gossip magazines such as Hello shoot up every year for the post-Oscar edition, boosted by none other than myself and many others wanting to see the glamour of the beautifully preened and garnished stars. The temptation is be unhealthily disrespectful; to critically comment on the hideous amounts of money spent on the often hideous dresses, to despise the botox and decry the morals of the latest couplings. The Oscars this year were a triumph for those longing to expose the emptiness of Hollywood. Commentators suggested that there should be Oscars for navel-gazing and boredom, generally regarding their night watching the ceremony as utterly wasted hours of their lives. Andrew O’Hagan in The Telegraph said, ‘Hollywood is a very small community of wealthy and successful people, devoted to the high-gloss business of congratulating itself’.

Restless and unsatisfied

Yet film stars are real people made in God’s image who need to know about the mustard seed — who need to see the truth of God’s real, growing kingdom so that they put their riches and power in perspective. Apart from anything else, their wealth is not something to covet since it comes at a price. Fame and loneliness are often found together. Marilyn Monroe said famously that Hollywood is a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and 50 cents for your soul. Stars often comment in interviews that they are restless and unsatisfied and the truth of that can often be seen in immoral lifestyles, greed for increased wealth and status, devotion to religious cults and new spiritualities, diets and remedies. They also love to be associated with charity and global concerns. The nominated films covered a range of important topics raising awareness of all sorts of issues.

Al Gore’s ‘best documentary’ Oscar has brought massive attention to the issue of climate change, and many stars, including Leonardo de Caprio, turned up in plug-in hybrids or all-electric cars designed to emphasise the need to be aware of climate change. Forest Whittaker, who won ‘best actor’ for his portrayal of the Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin, led to his thanking the people of Uganda for their courage in the face of persecution. They are important passions, but they can sidetrack passionate people away from the devotion that the Bible says belongs to God.

A healthy response

There are, thankfully, stars who keep their heads in the midst of the clamour for attention. Antonio Banderas once said, ‘Personally, I’m not much of a one for Hollywood parties. I like my work and when I’m done, I like to enjoy the privacy in my house with my wife and daughter. To me, being at home with them is glamorous.’ Others recognise the regrettable sacrifices that they have made to stay in the movie industry. Marlon Brando said, ‘The only reason I’m in Hollywood is that I don’t have the moral courage to refuse the money.’

What is the healthily disrespectful response to all this? How about praying that the rich and powerful people we love or envy might understand the truth of the small but growing mustard seed; the present and future reality of the Kingdom of God and the riches and power of its King, Jesus.

Eleanor Margesson

© Evangelicals Now - April 2007
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