“‘I am the Alpha
and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the
Almighty.” – Revelation 1:8
Sometimes
the movie is disappointing because it’s nothing like the book.
Sometimes it’s the other way around.
As a kid, I saw Frankenstein in black-and-white,
the horror movie from 1931 with Boris Karloff playing the monster.
If he had said a word in that movie, I would
have recognized the actor’s voice as that of the Grinch from the Christmas
cartoon.
But no, the monster in that
movie, with a body patched together from parts of corpses and the brain of a
murderer, could not speak.
This
year, the original novel Frankenstein which would become the basis for dozens
of horror movies, turns 200.
Written in
1818 by an 18 year old Mary Shelley, you could say it was the runaway monster
hit of the time.
I read through the book
this month expecting to find Igor and the scientist capturing the power of
lightning in the lab, expecting the same silent creature with the flat head and
bolts in his neck, the same simple plot of hapless humans trying to destroy a
murderous monster.
But I found that the
book is much different from the movie.
Far from
being a simple horror story, Frankenstein the book is considered by some the
first true work of science fiction.
It points
towards a future where humans are able to harness the very forces of life – to
create it through technology.
Questions
that we face today about the ability to modify genes, to clone living beings
and develop new species, to grow organs and tissues in labs, to do research
that may have unsafe consequences for society… are all related to this 200 year
old tale.
The fact
that the first play based on the book was called “Presumption,” gives us a clue
to the book’s foundational theme.
The
original Frankenstein shows us how our use of technology is a moral issue.
In creating a living being, Victor
Frankenstein has taken on godlike power without godlike wisdom or
compassion.
What about our own use of
technology -- just because we can do something amazing, should we?
Is it right to play around with forces of
creation which we can’t control?
What is
going through the head and the heart of someone who creates a monster?
There is
no Igor in the book.
The monster is the
creation of one man, working alone in his lab.
He tells no one what he has done, not even his bride-to-be whose life is
clearly threatened by the creature.
This
monster can talk, and has a lot to tell his creator.
He tells him how lonely he is, how he is constantly
rejected because of his ugliness, and how much he longs for a single
companion.
Despite so many signs of
humanity in the creature, the scientist rejects his pleas and treats him as an
outsider to the human race.
It is not
hard to understand why the creature would resort to violence and threats to get
his way, nor is it hard to see the scientist who created him as the real monster in this story.
Like the
novel Frankenstein, the Book of Revelation uses images of monsters and violence
to portray the presumptions of humanity.
It was written for a community that felt overwhelmed by the chaos of the
world.
Presumptuous Roman Emperors were
declaring themselves gods on earth, and demanding worship from all their
subjects.
Armies were invading sacred
lands and symbols of earthly powers were set up in holy places.
The very lives of those who resisted the
power of the Empire were up for grabs as leaders turned persecution into a
public policy.
But
above all the chaos, a voice echoes: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” – the
first and the last, the beginning and the end.
This Jesus declares at the beginning (Rev. 1:8) and the end (Rev. 22:12)
of the book.
This is the truth that we
can be sure of, despite the rumbling earthquakes and wild hurricane winds that
try to frighten and unsettle us.
We can
trust the word of Jesus over that of any other words people throw at us.
We can know his love is with us no matter how
we are rejected by the rest of the world.
We can be sure that all the power and might of Almighty God is with him,
even if it is hidden in gentleness and the way of the cross.
Our Lenten
journey on Sundays this month takes us through the “I ams” of Jesus.
These are statements he made to reassure us
that he is there for us in many ways, protecting us from evil and leading us to
God.
He told Thomas, “I am the way, the
truth, and the life” (John 14:1-12);
He
tells his disciples, “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11-18); He tells us He
is the Light of the World (John 9:13-39), the Vine and the Branches (John
15:1-8), the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8), and the Bread of Life (John
6:41-51).
Finally on Easter, we hear his
pronouncement to Martha: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.
Those who believe in me, even though they die,
will live” (John 11:1-27).
It is
this promise that pulls us forward through Lent and lights up the darkness of
the world’s chaos.
It is the life Jesus
gives that brings us into God’s community and turns us restless creatures into
children of God.
Easter makes it known
that God is in control, that death does not have the last word, and that our
present struggles have purpose and meaning.
Jesus gives us strength to carry on to carry his message of hope through
this presumptuous world.
We hope you
will join us in worship this season as he gives us the means to know our true
creator and experience the true life he gives.
Peace,
Pastor Scott
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