Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

In the movie “Castaway,” Tom Hanks plays an employee of Federal Express.

Early in the movie, he boards a jet plane and says good-bye to his girlfriend.

He gives her the keys to his car and says, “I’ll be right back.”

Well, everyone who bought a ticket to that movie knew that wasn’t going to be.

Because we all knew from the advertisements that this movie was about a man trying to survive on a deserted island after a terrible plane crash.

When the character played by Tom Hanks gave the car keys to his girlfriend, you wanted to scream out at him to keep the keys.

Because hooked to the key chain was a Swiss Army knife.

Alone on a deserted island, you could use a knife like that.

After the crash, the lonely man walks the beach gathering debris from the crashed Federal Express plane.

He opens the boxes looking for something to help him survive.

Perhaps a Swiss Army knife or two.

But no.

Instead he finds things that, at least on the surface, seem useless.

Ice Skates.

Yep, they would come in handy on a small tropical island.

Videotapes.

A volleyball.

Yet, in time each becomes useful.

Including the volleyball.

Tom Hanks draws a face on it one night and begins talking to it, in order to pass the time.

He even addresses this volleyball by name – Wilson.

At first this seems to be just a way to entertain himself.

But after five years of being alone on that island, this light-hearted source of entertainment becomes an mental/emotional necessity.

Right before making the decision to try to get off the island in a homemade boat, the character played by Tom Hanks becomes angry and frustrated and to express that anger he takes the volleyball named Wilson and throws it away, into the sea.

The marooned man watches the ball as it falls into the sea and suddenly realizes, “That was stupid.”

And he goes after the ball.

He risks his life rescuing his friend (the volleyball), swimming against the tide and among the rocky beach until at last he has in his hands his friend (the volleyball).

He looks at it and says, “Wilson.

Wilson.

I’m so sorry.

I’ll never do that again.

Forgive me!”

He says this to his friend (the volleyball).

Yep, at this point the viewer of the movie knows, this man has been alone on that island way too long.

There is a silliness in that moment, but the way Tom Hanks plays his part, it’s more tragic than silly.

We all desperately need friendships.

And it doesn’t matter whether we are the only person on an island far from anyone else, or if we are in a crowd.

Review

Ordinary people can change the world when they follow Jesus

Jesus calls us all to follow him and join in his life

The cost of discipleship is a deep commitment to relationship

reality (things will be different)

immediacy (don’t wait till some perfect future)

priority (don’t add Jesus to your cluttered past)

No Longer Servants

John 15.15

Companionship with Jesus

Not the Jesus I thought he was (Eldridge)

friends.

friends with the living God. the loving savior.

Playfulness of Jesus

Miraculous Catch of Fish -

Notice how casually Jesus enters the scene.

His best friends don’t even know it’s him.

This is the resurrected Lord, mind you.

Ruler of the heavens and the earth.

Think Mount of Transfiguration.

Jesus could have announced his risen presence on the beach with radiant glory.

He certainly could have shouted in his commanding way, “It is I, the Lord!

Come thou unto me!”

But he doesn’t.

He does the opposite—he “hides” himself a bit longer to let this play out.

He simply stands on the shore, hands in his pockets like a tourist, and asks the question curious passersby always do of fishermen: “Catch anything?”

- John Eldredge, Beautiful Outlaw

Realness of Jesus

34 The Son of Man has come reating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him!

A glutton and a drunkard, sa friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

Inside jokes with Jesus

Personality.

experiences.

shenanigans.

things you’ve done together.

John Eldredge points out that you can’t have that kind of relationship with Abraham Lincoln or Charlemagne or any other historical figure.

But you can have it with Jesus!

Ibid, p. 15-16 - Last May I had the opportunity, while in London, to visit the National Gallery.

Loving art, and being with two of my sons—one of whom was an art major—I was excited to spend hours there.