Big Fish

Friday night I went and saw Tim Burton’s latest film, Big Fish. Big Fish is a fantastic movie about a dying man who loves to tell tall tales – fish stories, if you will. He has a son who has heard these stories every since he was a wide-eyed boy – filled with wonder, believing every tale. But that wide-eyed boy grew up and somewhere along the way lost his wonder and now is a journalist who relies on “just the facts please.” He return home to his dad when he hears that he is dying, and while he is there, he seeks to find out who his dad “really” is and separate the fact from the fiction. But he is not successful as his dad fiercely maintains that he has always told him the truth, and that those stories are who he truly is. So the son goes on a journey and finds some confirmation and he finally begins to accept the stories. And in the end, he reconciles with his dad … by participating in and telling one of the greatest stories.

As I left the theatre, I started thinking about stories. I thought about how Jesus was able to relate to the crowds of people through stories. Then I started thinking about the Bible � a collection of books filled with what so many would think of as crazy tall tales. Stories of a little boy killing a giant with a sling and pebble, of a man so strong he could push down a building and tear lions in two, of a huge flood that wiped out the whole world except for one guy and a bunch of animals, of a guy who walked on the water, of a lady that got turned into a huge chunk of salt, of a fiery bush talking to a man, of water coming out of a rock in the middle of a desert, and on and on… It has stories of conquer, captivity, warriors, battles, true love, bravery, honor, poetry, kings and queens, death and life.

I guess when I stop and think about it, it would be easy to see the Bible as a bunch of tall tales. Mythology with a message. But the Bible, written by a Master story teller, is so much more than just a bunch of nice stories. It is a transcendent book that requires us to take a leap of faith into the realm of the outrageous. It asks us to become personally involved. And that is what changes us; for that participation is what makes us a part of the big story. I have a feeling that us being a part of that “never-ending story” is part of God’s heart for us…