Reflections on Holy Week: Rocky Balboa, Bells, and Trumpets

I find it fascinating that Holy Week, or the week leading up to Easter, can hit me in brand new ways year after year. This has been especially heightened by the fact that our church observes Lent which only lends to a greater level of expectation and hope.

I've been going through some tough times recently and was dwelling on some of the deep themes from the most recent Rocky film, Rocky Balboa. In the most recent installment, Rocky, at the age of approximately 60, is not yet ready to throw in the towel. He wants to prove to himself that he is still capable of doing something with his life. But more importantly, he wants to find an inner peace with himself. He feels he will only obtain if he once more gets in the ring, a fight which he says "is not about getting hit" but about "how many times one can get hit and still get up."

The movie builds up to such a wonderful ending, with Rocky standing toe to toe with the defending champ, Mason Dixon. And the beautiful thing about this movie is that it's not about whether Rocky wins or loses the last fight - it's about the fact that he makes it until the last bell sounds. Rocky has finally made peace with himself and leaves the ring not even caring who actually is declared the winner. He knows in his heart that he's at peace with his wife's death, with his relationship with his son - I would even say with God at that point. It's truly a life-death-resurrection type movie in every sense of the word. Rocky experiences a rebirth at the end of the movie which reminds me a lot about Holy Week in a very transcendental way. I wish I could do a better job of connecting the dots in this blog.

Like Rocky, my hope is to keep battling evil until the final bell sounds. And you know what's great about this? Only it's not going to be a bell this time...but rather a trumpet! That's right, the Lord is going to return from the heavens with a SHOUT, with the voice of the archangels and with trumpets blasting. Just like royal trumpeters would herald the return of the king, Jesus will receive the same royal welcome when he returns to Earth to rule it.

"We have not been left on Friday" (the day of the crucifixion, metaphorically a place of defeat and despair) like my cousin Helen told me recently. We don't have to wallow in despondency like Rocky did in the 1st half of the movie. We've been given good and perfect gifts from our Heavenly Father and are fully capable of going the distance. We just have to learn how let Him do it through us.

We can't live the Christian life. No Christian on earth can live the Christian life....and no this isn't a misprint. If we're doing it in our own power, we are going to fail. We're going to fall down before the last bell sounds.

Let's be Romans chapter 8 overcomers through the power of the Spirit of God. Let's all be spiritual Russell Crowe Gladiator figures =). After all, the trumpet could sound at any moment.

=D

P.S. Sly Stallone, I'm glad you're gonna be in heaven.