Pollyanna Got It Right ! ! !

            The movie character, “Pollyanna,” has taken a special place in American culture. 

“Pollyanna” refers to Pollyanna, the 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter, which was developed into the 1960 film by Disney Studios, starring Hayley Mills.  In the film, Pollyanna is a 12-year-old orphaned girl, who arrives in the small town of Harrington to be adopted by her aunt.  As the story unfolds, Pollyanna captivates and transforms the town with her sunny optimism and the “glad game” which her father taught her before his death.  The point of the “glad game” is to find something to be glad about, even in the saddest and most disappointing circumstances.  The game is basically the attitude of finding a “silver lining in every cloud.”

            Over the years, however, the word, “Pollyanna,” has become a derogatory adjective, referring to someone who is unrealistically optimistic and somewhat childish.  To describe a person as “Pollyannish” means that they are not well grounded in reality and that they are naïve. This caricature in contemporary culture overlooks the context of the Pollyanna character’s philosophy. 

In the film, Pollyanna’s joy and optimism are firmly rooted within the context of her Christian faith.  This becomes clear in the climactic scene in the film, when Pollyanna and the village pastor have a one-on-one conversation.  In the scene, Pollyanna explains that she always tries to look for the good in people.  Further, she claims that there are 800 verses in the Bible that call upon the faithful to rejoice and be glad.  So, she concludes that so many repetitions about rejoicing and being glad must mean that they are very important to God.

            In my Easter proclamation this Sunday at Christ United Methodist Church, I will suggest that the character, Pollyanna, provides an excellent model for how we should think and live as followers of Christ in the post-resurrection world. 

The Incarnation and Resurrection of Christ reveal important aspects concerning who God is.  In the Incarnation, the Transcendent Divinity becomes enfleshed as the man, Jesus of Nazareth, because of God’s profound and incomprehensible love for all humans and their world.  The Incarnation signals that God continues to be very active in the world, working to redeem the world—especially human persons.  The Resurrection of this same Jesus of Nazareth marks a cosmic tippling point in natural history.  With Christ’s Resurrection, we receive the divine guarantee that, ultimately, God will prevail.  God will establish God’s Kingdom here on Earth.  When God’s Reign is fully established, then we will be fully redeemed as part of God’s New Creation.  The prophet in the Book of Revelation describes this New Creation, based upon a vision which he has had:

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:1-5a)

The Resurrection of Jesus marks the beginning of God’s Reign, even though that Reign is only partially established and not yet fully complete.

            As followers of Christ, we live in an intermediate time between the Easter Resurrection and the final completion of God’s redemptive Reign as described in Revelation.  In this interim period, God calls us to be a Resurrection People.  It is in this context that I believe the movie character, “Pollyanna,” teaches the followers of Christ how we are to live as a Resurrection People.   Just as Pollyanna, God intends for us to live lives filled with hope and joy. 

            We live lives filled with hope because we trust that ultimately God will prevail, and the world will be redeemed.  This hope is akin to watching the recording of a ballgame, already knowing the game’s outcome.  If we know in advance that our team won the game, then we can watch the recorded game, confident that our team will ultimately prevail, even if in the middle of the game their defeat seems all but guaranteed.  Similarly, we can live lives filled with hope and joy because of God’s guarantee, through Christ’s Resurrection, that ultimately God will prevail and the world will be redeemed.

            Of course, when we live lives filled with joy and hope, then we may appear as being slightly “Pollyannish” to those around us.  Regardless, our hope and joy are firmly grounded on the guarantee provided through Christ’s Resurrection and not on any whimsical fantasy.

Come and celebrate Easter with us this Sunday, April 21st.  Christ United Methodist Church is located at 4530 A Street.  On Easter Sunday, we will have two classic worship services at 8:30 and 11:00 in the morning.  In between the two services, we will have an Easter Brunch in our Family Life Center (gym) from 9:45-10:30.  Everyone is welcome.  Come and join us for both worship and the Easter brunch.

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.