Up in the Air

We managed to get to the film Up in the Air before our Montreal family took the train home. We all enjoyed the picture -- funny, thoughtful, well-acted. George Clooney does a great job as a professional "firer" who criss-crosses America telling people that they are no longer employed. He does the dirty work that most employers don't want to do and he does it well. His character essentially lives in airplanes on his way to and from assignments, and not surprisingly he collects air miles as his one and only pastime.

He assures those he meets along the way that he is quite content with the nomadic but orderly life he lives. He is much more comfortable in well-appointed hotel rooms than the spartan apartment he keeps. He has no real relationships and likes it that way. How does the story unfold? I encourage you to go see whether he has a Scrooge-like conversion.

This week I will preside at funerals on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Two of the deceased were old and lived good and full lives. The third person died far too young. All were loved and loved others. Family and friends will gather in each case to say thank you and farewell and to commend them to God's care and keeping. We don't live in isolation, even when we are tempted to think that it protects us from pain or demands too much of us. As faith communities we do our best to move beyond isolation to mutual caring and compassion. We don't always do it well, but it is better than the alternative. Even though Christian faith is sometimes derided as "pie in the sky" it is often at its best when it is "down to earth", grounded in relationships.

Have any of you seen the movie? What are your perspectives on the importance of relationships? Relationship with God?