Everything I Needed to Know about Outreach I Learned at Because of Winn-Dixie
by Dr. Marc T. Newman
February 11, 2005
(AgapePress) - What makes a children's story worthwhile is when it can also be enjoyed by adults. J.R.R Tolkien noted that when kids and adults are both faced with fairy tales, each will get out of the experience what they are able to put in. The best children's stories make room for both. In recent years audiences have been inundated with "children's" films that are really only for children. The Spy Kids series or the remake of Thunderbirds holds little allure for grown-ups. Children's movies that feature animals rarely do better -- Racing Stripes was fine for a very young crowd, but for adults?
So when films come along that break that barrier, they deserve closer scrutiny. Because of Winn-Dixie, opening in theaters on February 18, is such a film. Children will enjoy the slapstick antics of the dog and other animals, and they will feel the pain of the main character, ten-year-old Opal, as she struggles with the absence of her mother. Looking at the film with adult eyes, what I saw flowing from the screen was one of the better illustrations of Christian outreach I had seen in quite a while. Best of all, these expressions: of childlike faith, the revelation of sin, the extension of love to the unlovable, and the need for community, all occur in an unapologetically Christian context.
Childlike Faith
Jesus told His disciples that the Kingdom of God had to be received like a child (Mark 10:15). What Jesus meant was that we are to have the same kind of faith that children possess -- the kind of faith that trusts implicitly when the object of faith is worthy -- the kind of faith that believes.
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Opal (AnnaSophia Robb) and her special friend Winn-Dixie making plans for a party. (Photo compliments of Walden Media) |
Opal is lonely. In many kid's films, we are accustomed to seeing lonely children whine -- or get caught up with the wrong crowd and then "learn their lesson." When was the last time you saw a film in which a wistful child honestly, and without affectation, prayed? Opal has moved with her father, the Preacher, to the tiny town of Naomi, Florida. In their little storefront church there are few children: a pinched-faced girl, two teasing boys, and a five-year-old who still sucks her fingers -- and none of them want to make friends with a preacher's daughter. Though God has blessed Opal with her dog -- the titular Winn-Dixie -- she craves human companionship.Alone in her bed, she earnestly asks God to send her friends. The look on her face as she prays tells us that she assumes God will answer her. And, of course, He does -- though not in the way she anticipates. This single act of prayer is the jumpstart for the action in the film, as Opal's childlike faith, brimming with expectation, is rewarded over and over again. The friends that come her way are not the picture-perfect children from Central Casting. The children -- and adults -- come with their own warts and troubles. Opal asked for friends, not merely playmates, and friendship requires outreach and sacrifice.
The Revelation of Sin
The Apostle Paul reminds us that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The Apostle John agrees, saying that those who declare themselves sinless are liars, but that if we confess our sins, that God will forgive us (1 John 1:8,9).
Every child and adult that Opal befriends carries pain -- some deep, like young Amanda who struggles with a loss of her own -- some light, like Sweetie Pie, who simply longs for a dog. What draws these revelations from each character is a special candy -- the Littmus Lozenge -- provided by the local librarian, Miss Franny.
Eva Marie Saint, the actress who plays Miss Franny, has now book-ended her film career with two roles -- 50 years apart -- that serve as a catalyst for redemptive change. In On the Waterfront, her character Edie angrily challenges Father Barry to quit hiding in his church and do something about the murder of her brother. In Winn-Dixie, her character's approach is gentler, but the results are the same. Miss Franny introduces her friend Opal to her special lozenges that are sweet, but contain a special ingredient -- "sorrow." Everyone who tastes them recognizes their sweetness, but they also evoke memories -- some long buried -- bringing them to the surface.
The Scriptures command us to confess our sins to one another, but also to bear one another's burdens (James 5:16; Gal. 6:2). The candy, like the gift of friendship, loosens the tongues of the townsfolk. Their confessions -- both of sorrow and sin -- are liberating, and lead to the extension of acceptance and love.
The Extension of Love
We are consistently warned in the Scriptures against judging others. Jesus tells His disciples that in judging we bring ourselves into judgment (Matt. 7:1,2). James explains that we are not to judge because it is God, alone, who will ultimately judge everyone (James 4:11,12). The reason these are commands is that God knows that we will not instinctively do so -- we need instruction to avoid the prideful sin of judging others.
As long as the sins of Opal's friends do not directly involve her, she is ready enough to accept them for who they are. But when the sins of the past, or of the present, seem threatening, Opal is not so sure. She consults "the nicest person" she knows -- Gloria Dump. Gloria advises Opal to look at where people are now, not at what they have done in the past. As an object lesson, Gloria takes Opal to see a tree in her back yard. From nearly every branch hangs a bottle that Gloria says represents all the things she had done wrong. Opal is astonished, but is brought to the recognition that everyone, even her own mother, had failed in one way or another. Gloria uses this lesson to show that love needs to be extended. Even the Dewberry boys, who tease Opal, are to be granted mercy.
The Forming of Community
From the beginning, God did not intend for us to be alone. He created Eve for Adam and then told them to multiply (Gen. 1:22). The Apostle Paul declared that Christ's body is made up of the members of the church (Col. 1:24). We draw strength from relationships.
Once everything is out in the open, Opal realizes how her town is filled with hurting people who would benefit from connection and community -- so she enlists the help of Gloria and they throw a small party. The film that begins with a prayer moves into its final act with a prayer -- but this time it is Opal's father, the Preacher, who prays. He asks for a blessing on the food, but mostly he is thankful for friends. This unlikely group of people has forged a bond from prayer, outreach, the sharing and bearing of one another's burdens, and the extension of love. They are a community. None of them will ever be the same. And even Opal, who has some problems of her own to work out, will gain revelation borne out of confession and love.
Sometimes we go to the movies to see a world writ large. Events of grand scale -- wars, alien invasions, political intrigue -- captivate our imaginations and provide escape from of the pressures of daily life. Other times films serve as a microcosm -- the world writ small. In these intimate interchanges we get the opportunity to step back and look at people like ourselves, or at people we think we would like to become if only we possessed the necessary character. Because of Winn-Dixie is a small film -- but the lessons it overtly illustrates, or gently implies, leads to considerations beyond this world. True outreach does not begin with great fanfare and spectacular programs, but with prayer, followed by one person reaching out to another in friendship.
Marc T. Newman, PhD (marc@movieministry.com) is the president of MovieMinistry.com -- an organization that provides sermon and teaching illustrations from popular film, and helps the Church use movies to reach out to others and connect with people.
