20 Nov, 2009

Crowds Have Gathered

"New Moon" aims for big bite from box offices

The stars of TwilightLOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Hollywood watchers think vampire romance "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" could take a nearly $100 million bite from movie theater box offices when it debuts this weekend, and score one of the biggest openings ever for a non-summer film.

"New Moon," which debuts in the United States and Canada on Friday, is independent studio Summit Entertainment's sequel to last year's "Twilight," which surpassed expectations by making $69.6 million in its first weekend.

Exactly one year later, no one will be surprised if "New Moon" has a blockbuster opening in domestic markets, but the question is just how big it will be.

... The film is slated to debut in 4,024 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, which is not a record but is far more than the roughly 3,500 theaters in which major releases normally open.

Editing by Bob Tourtellotte.
Story and Photo found at news.yahoo.com.

Matthew 4:23-24 (ESV)

Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds

23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.

What does God's Story teach us about crowds gathering?

By the time this DailyBide posts, opening night will have come and gone for "New Moon."  It will most likely be the talk of the entertainment news, along with many conversations on middle school and high school campuses across the U.S.  Stories will be told of how long folks waited to get the best seat.  The fame of the actors in the movie will have most likely grown even larger than before.  

Jesus, too, drew massive crowds, but not for the sake of entertainment.  Jesus drew crowds because of his message - a message of true hope and healing.  Look at what the Life Application Study Bible notes have to say about today's God's Story Scripture ...

Jesus preached the gospel - the Good News - to everyone who wanted to hear it.  The Good News is that the Kingdom of Heaven has come, that God is with us, and that he cares for us.  Christ can heal us, not just of physical sickness, but of spiritual sickness as well.  There's no sin or problem too great or small for him to handle.  Jesus' words were good news because they offered freedom, hope, peace of heart, and eternal life with God.

Now that is news that is worthy of drawing a crowd!!

Connecting My Story to God's Story

  • Read through the life of Jesus in Matthew this weekend and note the number of times that Jesus drew a crowd.
  • Grab a journal and write about Jesus' teaching and response to the various types of crowds that he experienced.
  • Pray for the crowd that will gather at your place of worship this weekend to experience Jesus in mighty ways.

Connecting Today's Story, My Story, and God's Story to My Friend's Story

  •  As people you know begin to share their experiences with crowds waiting to see "New Moon," strike up a conversation about events that are worth waiting for.
  • If you find yourself in a discussion about the movie, be ready to test it's themes in light of God's Story.  Be ready for some great discussions about how only Jesus' offers true "freedom, hope, peace of heart, and eternal life with God."
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