Breaking News: Actors Attend Church on Easter

In 1st John chapter 1, the writer encourages us not to keep what we've experienced to ourselves - our
relationship with God should, I think, be evident to those with whom we interact:
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life--
2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us--
3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

John had first-hand experience with Jesus - he had walked with Him, and had seen Him do incredible things.  But, you know, we also walk with Jesus - not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.  And, He has placed His Spirit in our hearts as a testimony of His presence, a confirmation of the new birth which we have experienced.  God is doing incredible things in the earth today, and we can approach life with a sense of expectation of how He will show up today.  When He does, we can be careful to give Him the glory.

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We can always be enthused about the opportunity to share what God has done in our lives and what He is doing.  The power of a faith story cannot be underestimated.  In Luke 7, we see Jesus speaking to two of the disciples of John the Baptist:
22 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.
23 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."

It wouldn't necessarily be considered news that a couple attended church on Easter Sunday - why, I would dare say that millions of Christians did it less than two weeks ago.

But, when Hollywood power couple Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck do it, well, that's a different story.  Let's rewind just a bit: after starring in the role of Christy Beam in the faith-based film, Miracles from Heaven, Garner made the decision to start attending church - again.

The film depicts the real-life story of Christy's daughter, Annabel, who had been suffering from a debilitating stomach disorder, which was corrected as the result of her fall 30 feet into a hollowed-out tree.  As she lay unconscious after the fall, she relates that she visited heaven.

Garner doesn't doubt the young girl's account.  She said, according to the TODAY Show website: "Nobody who meets this child, with her sincerity and her frank honesty and faith, would ever think for a second that this child is making anything up or is being sensational," adding, "She is just true to the bone. That's just who she is.”

That article also relates what she said in an interview with Good Morning Texas: “When I did move to L.A., it wasn't something that was just part of the culture there in the same way, at least in my life. But it didn't mean that I lost who I was...”

The story also says that:

While shooting the movie, Garner said she was encouraged to talk to her three kids about faith and religion.

“There was something about doing this film and talking to my kids about it and realizing that they were looking for the structure of church every Sunday,” she said. “So it was a great gift of this film that it took us back to finding our local Methodist church and going every Sunday. It's really sweet."

And, husband Ben has also been attending.  A story on AOL.com from late March said:

The couple was photographed getting into their car together after attending the church service. Their outing comes after Affleck revealed on Facebook that he had completed treatment for his alcohol addiction and thanked his "co-parent Jen" for supporting him during his struggle.

That brings us to Easter Sunday.  The New York Post's entertainment section, Page Six reported:

Just three days after their divorce filing went public, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck put on a united front for Easter.

Affleck, 44, and Garner, 45, attended services together at the Community United Methodist Church of Pacific Palisades on Sunday. The estranged couple beamed at one another and were flanked by their three children, daughters Violet, 11, and Seraphina, 8, and son Samuel, 5.

The pair, who announced their separation in 2015, remain amicable, with Affleck still living on the family property. A source told Page Six, “He’s still at the house. They strive to be the best parents they can be. There’s a strong mutual respect for each other, which you don’t typically find with couples divorcing.”

I am thankful for this kind of coverage, and when you consider the influence that an A-list star can have, perhaps it can encourage fellow actors and fans to follow suit.  How her faith informs her approach to policy issues, though, might raise some concerns.  LifeSiteNews reported that:

Hollywood is using a film with pro-life themes to fund abortion giant Planned Parenthood.

On April 8, the makers of Juno are hosting a live read of the movie’s script as a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood. The Los Angeles reading will feature an all-female cast, including original Juno stars Ellen Page and Jennifer Garner. The hit 2007 movie followed the story of a teenager who gives up her baby for adoption following an unplanned pregnancy.

The article points out that the director had told Entertainment Weekly, that he wanted the reading to “resolve one point of debate” about the film: that it was about choice, not life.

And, Townhall.com points out that Garner has been known as politically liberal, but she breaks with some in Hollywood, saying she'd like to work with President Trump on the issues of early education for the rural poor.  The article says:

“I’m looking forward to helping him make good on what they saw as promises, a mandate from him, that he was going to make their lives better,” the actress told The Washington Post.

Garner acknowledged that she stands out among her friends in her desire to engage the new administration, many of whom “want to turn their back to this administration.” But to her, political preferences take a back seat to her advocacy efforts.

“If he’s willing to help the poor kids who got him elected, then let’s do it. They certainly think he’s going to,” she told the Post.

The actress visited D.C. recently to meet with political leaders and to address the National Governor's Association.

Jennifer Garner, like the President, received news coverage for the simple act of attending church on Easter Sunday.  And, as I said before, I hope these stories can inspire people to think about not only going to church, but impressing faith principles on their children.

Yes, I was concerned that an actor who has gained some standing in the Christian community would appear at a benefit for the nation's largest abortion provider.  It does remind us that some people whom we hold up to be faith examples do not always do what we would like for them to do. But, you know, each of us needs to check ourselves to make sure that we are associating ourselves with organizations and causes that are consistent with our own faith proclamation.  Our associations can communicate quite a bit about our own faith perspective and practice.  And, I have been known to reject guests from The Meeting House because of their associations.  Keep in mind, also, that none of us have arrived, and we may have blind spots in our own spiritual lives that need to be addressed.

Finally, the Garner story reminds us of the power of a faith story.  She connected with what the Beams had been through, and it affected her life - now, it has the chance to affect others; it may even preserve her marriage.  It certainly can affect her children.  Our willingness to share what God has done in our lives can impact the hearts and minds of those with whom we share it.