"Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another" (John 13:34).
Have you gone to see Disney's Frozen? It's a good idea. You just might catch a glimpse of Christ and the impact His love has on our lives.
I'm taking a group of young people to see it this week. And I'm instructing them ahead of time to consider carefully Kristoff's part in the story, especially toward the end. You almost miss something.
That's because the accent is on Anna's "act of true love" for her sister. You can't miss that. But (and this is the key) the thing that heals and strengthens Anna and enables her to give herself for Elsa is Kristoff's love for her. Anna: "Kristoff loves me?" Yes!
The name "Kristoff" was thoughtfully (and boldly?) given to this character. The name means "Christ-bearer," and he really does bear the image of Christ, both in his pure love for Anna and then in the transforming power of that love.
All of this is the Gospel: pure and simple, sacrificial and profound. Complete with a theologian and evangelist to help us understand it and bring it to our personal attention: Olaf!
In the words of Shakespeare, "To be or not to be, that is the question." To which I would say, "To be loved and to love, that is the answer." That is the Gospel! And that, I believe, is the real meaning of Frozen.
"We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
