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My wife and I finally made it to the new production of Les Miserables with Hugh Jackmon, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway, a cinematic version of the longest running musical on Broadway. In 1998 Liam Neeson starred as Jean Valjean in a dramatic movie version. Having read Victor Hugo’s book, written in 1862, I have long believed it is one of the greatest stories ever written.
If you’re not familiar with the story, here’s the gist. Jean Valjean, recently released from a French prison after serving 19 years for stealing bread, is a hardened, bitter and desperate convict. But, his life is transformed when a priest gives him the silver he has stolen from him. This act of kindness sets his feet on a path of grace and mercy with a heart devoted to God. Valjean changes his identity, invests the silver and becomes a wealthy factory owner who transforms his village with fairness and generosity. He is eventually elected mayor. But, he is hunted by the law and his past catches up with him. Fleeing as a fugitive, he rescues the orphan child of a prostitute whom he has previously saved from the streets.
The story reveals the power of living out Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount: “I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. ... Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:39-42,44).
When I turned 50, I set two goals that I wanted to pursue for the rest of the life. The first was to encourage the younger generation to do greater things than I ever dreamed or imagined. Many of them are doing that. The second was to memorize the Sermon on the Mount and live it out. Memorizing it is not that difficult, though I keep forgetting. But living it out is a life-long challenge and I continue to fall far short.
But I am in good company. Vitor Hugo brought to life the characters of Jean Valjean, Javert, Fontine, Cosette and Marius to help us see what living out Jesus’ teaching could look like during the French Revolution. Leo Tolstoy, after writing Anna Karenina and War and Peace committed himself to a literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount and wrote The Kingdom of God is Within You, a work that strongly influenced Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
The reason many in our day believe Christianity and Christian churches are impotent and irrelevant is simple. Most professing Christians have never seriously sought to live by the instructions that Jesus gave us. Living out the Sermon on the Mount is a story any of us, and every one of us, can write every day by the choices we make.
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Bill Tinsley is a 1965 graduate of CHS. He lives with his wife, Jackie, in Waco. For more information visit www.tinsleycenter.com. He may be reached by email at bill@tinsleycenter.com .
Opinion
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Bill Tinsley is a Daily Sun columnist.
Discussion
Faith that can change the world
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I am so cynical
Cynical: “...believing that people are motivated in all their actions only by selfishness; denying the sincerity of people’s motives and actions, or the value of living...sarcastic, sneering, etc...pessimistic implies an attitude, often habitual, of expecting the worst to happen...”
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Dumb people in the news
In the news this week was an on-line press release from the Department of Environmental Protection for the state of Pennsylvania that they’ve lost a nuclear device off the back of a truck somewhere between Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The Troxler Model 3430 is a radioactive gauge that takes measurements in the ground. The press release from the DEP states that anyone finding the box should not “tamper” with it.
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Editorial: Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
This amounts to spying on an American news organization — common practice in dictatorships but scary conduct in a democratic system that prizes the public value of an independent watchdog press. -
Flying the “Delta Connector”
I had an unfortunate fall earlier this week and wrecked my back to the point where I cannot spend much time sitting up at my desk to write. Therefore, I am recycling a piece I wrote many years ago about our first trip from Corsicana back to Denver.
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It's my job
A couple of weeks ago, some chowderheads released a study saying that the worst job in America is that of newspaper reporters because of the low pay, long, odd hours and stress.
Number two on the list was lumberjack, which makes sense because trees kill.
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Message from the Mayor: Safety first
The tragic incident that recently occurred in West serves as a stark reminder that disasters can occur at any time or place.
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Angels among us
The winds have dispersed the mushroom cloud that hovered over the small town of West. The dust has settled. The President of the United States, the Governor of Texas and other dignitaries have come to join in the memorial for those who lost their lives.
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Missing the fun
Sad to say, in the 11 years The Little Woman (don’t call me that!) and I lived in Navarro County, we never attended the annual Derrick Days festivities. We followed all the events in the Daily Sun, but we never schlepped into town to “walk amongst em.” I guess, if I were to be honest with myself, I am the reason we never went.
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Need a job? Leave the cat at home
The USA Today has printed an article this past week of advice to newly minted college graduates on how to get a job which basically boiled down to “don’t be stupid.”
This is excellent advice for any situation, but particularly that crucial job interview. -
Plenty to do
I don’t wanna hear anyone griping about “there’s not anything to do around here.”
In fact, there’s SO much to do around here, I’m not sure how anyone can get to it all! - More Opinion Headlines
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