House-to-House
Family of Hope House Church April 2021
A Parable For Good Friday and Easter
I first saw the short film “Parable," when I showed it many years ago when I taught Bible courses at Eastern Mennonite High School. It was produced by the Lutheran Council of New York and was widely viewed at the Protestant Pavilion at the New York World's Fair in1964.
Directed by Rolf Forsberg, the film was highly controversial at first in that the Christ-figure in it is introduced as a silent, white-robed and chalk-faced clown riding a donkey, quietly trailing an elaborate and noisy circus procession coming into town. This Christ is then shown moving among the abused members of the circus crew, where he reaches out to them and rescues many of them in the oppressed state they are in under the rule of Magnus, the circus director and a puppeteer who strings up human beings as living marionettes and in other ways literally controls their lives.
The Christ figure in the Parable (Clarence Mitchell) is then cruelly murdered by Magnus after his circus enterprise is totally disrupted by his workers finding freedom from the domination under which they lived. In the end, a repentant Magnus smears his own face with white paint and rides the clown's donkey behind the circus parade as it leaves town.
Here's a link if you want to view this sometime over Good Friday and Easter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHIIlv1NiPc - Harvey Yoder
Notes, Prayers and Praises
WE CONTINUE TO MEET ONLINE from 4-5:30. For a phone connection dial 646-876-9923. For video: https://zoom.us/j/2849269967.
“DEAR FAMILY OF HOPE MEMBERS, I want to take a moment to express my thanks for the money you gave me for the purchase of my car. I am deeply touched by your kindness and generosity. Thank you so much.” - Emily Vandevander
LEWIS AND MARY ELLEN OVERHOLT plan to be in Florida the first three weeks of April. Pray for safe travels and a blessed time with family members.
WE INVITE YOUR SUGGESTIONS for Bible books or themes for our future Bible studies. For April we will continue to list texts from the Narrative Lectionary readings, but Bible study leaders are free to choose any other texts or themes they wish until the group decides otherwise.
SHOULD WE START HAVING IN-PERSON church gatherings once or twice a month after we are all immunized?
April Lectionary Texts
April Services, 4-5:30 pm
Harvey, I also saw Parable with our family at the 1964 World's Fair when such movies were cutting edge for people of faith. As a ten year old, I probably did not grasp its full meaning. Yes, the Christ figure was compassionate with other circus people being exploited and his death was graphically difficult to see but, of course, so was Jesus's. It does provoke thought on the parallels with Jesus.
ReplyDeleteminor correction: We saw the Parable at the World's Fair in 1965 when I was close to thirteen.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this.
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