I feel led to give a little theological reflection on the movie so feel free to read ahead, but BEWARE, i'm throwing out spoilers left and right. I highly encourage you to SEE THE MOVIE first! Seriously go see it. I'm not responsible for ruining the movie for you! You've been warned!
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ok we're safe (granted I know some of you will ignore my warning and read on!).
To me, this movie is structured around a theology of belonging. The toys belong to Andy, to their owner. They bear his mark (woody and buz's shoes). This means they have a responsibility to be there for Andy no matter what. It's not a perfect metaphor, because Andy is in no means perfect and sovereign. Andy also grows up over time. However, I do believe in a God that suffers and experiences life along with us. In this way, we belong to God and one another.
Andy has to leave, to go to college, leaving the toys behind. This moment expresses itself early on when the toys are coming to grips with the fact that they are no longer being played with. Are they not loved anymore? The toys are left to fend for themselves, eventually ending up at a day care center (kind of on accident).
The main antagonist is introduced at this day care center - an evil stuffed bear who was lost by his owner and ended up at this day care - taking over with a mob-like structure. Out of a sense of loss and abandonment, this bear was turned to evil (out of the circumstances that shaped him).
Escaping this facility requires the relationships the main toys have to one another and the guiding thought of their belonging to Andy. This journey eventually leads them to a confronting of mortality in the garbage smelter. In the face of their demise, they still recognize their loyalty to one another.
Through this adversity and a miracle, the gang makes it back to Andy.
The true power (and tearjerking) of this movie emerges in the final scene as Andy's packed car is ready to go to college. He (through the cunning of Woody) takes the box of the gang of toys to a little girl's house. Then, in a moment that sums up the full experience of being a child of God, Andy plays with each toy as he introduces them to the little girl, naming them one by one. His love for each and every one of them is evident as he passes them along to someone he is confident will take care of them and love them as he did (Take care of my sheep). Andy does not abandon those he loves. He acknowledges their value and passes them on. This process is much greater than he imagined, made evident in his hesitation to give away Woody. However, he knows its the right thing to do.
This is who we are and what we are called to. If we truly believe we are loved by God, we are called to pass that love on to one another, no matter what the time or circumstance. We are never to give up on one another. And at the end of the day, we have nothing left but gratitude, made evident in Andy's teary eyed "thanks guys" as he gets in his car to move along.
This year at BSM, I have experienced what it looks like for people who are neglected and abused by society to find a place where they experience belonging and love. Our belonging is not determined by how we look or live. It's a fact that we ALL hold in common - we are children of God and our love is made evident in our living.
We belong to one another and at the end of the day should have nothing but gratitude for one another. This gratitude means that in the face of great adversity we can gift each other with the presence of others, with community, especially down to the most neglected members of our society.
Thanks Guys.
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