“Our need for friendly giants”

I saw Spielberg's adaptation of Roald Dahl's "The BFG" a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it very much, despite it taking a little while to really get going as a story. Mark Rylance does a tremendous job with the giant. Not only is he friendly, he is warm, funny and touching and is well matched by young Ruby Barnhill.

Jeffrey Overstreet has written a lovely appreciation of the film from the point of view of humanity's deep-seated dreams of "a benevolent presence in the cosmos".

"In a world of absent fathers, disappointing leaders, and churches betrayed by corrupt leadership, it’s no wonder that even adults get teary-eyed when they watch these childlike ideals of faithfulness and consolation. We want someone who transcends human limitations but who is also capable of intimacy. We are inclined to look for someone who will catch us when we fall—but who can also catch a falling sky... Never underestimate the power of a story about someone who watches over us. As I watched Sophie leap from a high balcony, demanding that her giant reveal himself and catch her, I leapt with her."

At Easter, we remember how fearful Jesus was before taking his leap of faith, of how whilst on the cross he cried out believing that he had fallen too far and that his father had indeed proved himself to be absent. And yet, his faith proved to not have been misplaced. A giant hand was indeed there to catch him in the depths of the abyss of death and despair.

Lord, help us to trust in you, to have that depth of faith which can sustain us even in the darkest of times, and help those whose darkness is all-encompassing at this time. Help them to feel you enveloping them in your loving embrace, bringing them light and warmth through the love and care of those around them.