The first time I watched the movie Interstellar, I was completely at a loss for words. I remember the movie finishing and sitting in my seat for several minutes on the verge of tears.
It is said that the organ is the voice of God. The resounding Hans Zimmer score coupled with the visuals of seemingly limitless space left me in a place of reverence and awe spiritually. There has not been a movie before or since that affected me in this way.
I have probably watched this favorite of mine 6-7 times since it came out in 2014. That is one of my criteria for a movie to be on my favorite’s list - I must be able to watch it multiple times and be inspired or learn something upon each viewing.
So what is it about this movie that continues to touch me to my very being? In a word, it is love.
Prior to seeing Interstellar, I did not have a frame of reference for what time and space looked like. And while I don’t look at the 4th dimension of time illustrated in the movie as the example for us to base our beliefs on, it was a moving visual for my conscious mind to see.
My beliefs are Christian, and more specifically, I agree with the teaching of the Reformed Presbyterian tradition. In that branch of theological belief, is the teaching about God being sovereign over the choices of man. There are a lot of different thought paths we could travel on here, but my focus is the concept of God and space time.
For a long time I have pondered how God’s sovereignty and man’s free will coincide. While I am not here to declare that the centuries of debate are over, I do believe that this Hollywood movie has a powerful message for Christian, and non-Christian alike to consider.
In Scripture we read that God is love. There are numerous attributes about God’s character and being that begin to describe Him, but only love is used in this way. We do not read God is mercy, or God is faith. Scripture says, God is love.
This concept astounded me when I considered what Interstellar was saying. Here, in movie form, was an example of what a Father’s love for his daughter looked like transcending the boundaries of time and space. Or more accurately as we have come to learn from Einstein’s theory of relativity - space and time are one.
So how is it that a being who is outside of space time comes to love and guide us in our lives? This movie gives us a picture of that.
If we are Christians, we say we have the Word of God to learn what God is saying. At the very beginning of that book we read the words, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Or, as one of my professors was fond of saying, “In the beginning, God.”
His point was that God transcends time and space. He is not bound by the same dimensions we are. Nor was there ever a time that He was not. God is, and always has been. He exists, and all things exist because He does.
Can we put together the pieces here of what that means for love? May we see the wonder that is our human existence when we realize that we are made in the image of Almighty God?
There are so many more things we could discuss and talk about, but we will pause at this piece in time.
My prayer for you as you consider the realities of our existence, and the possibility of a higher dimension or being, is that you think about what the Scriptures have to say. Also, I pray you consider setting aside a few hours to watch the movie Interstellar. You may come away from the experience, as I did, profoundly changed by the existence of God.
Image sources: 1 2
Video source: Interstellar