Encanto - The Gifts of the Church

Encanto ends up being one of those movies that skirt around Christian issues and symbolism, only stopping short of actually speaking the name of God or Christ. The gift ceremony is chalked full of symbols, similar to baptism and revival: as someone walks into the light, getting their gift, walking through the narrow door, receiving their light/candle, even the 50 years can be an easy reference to the jubilee (a kind of Old Testament revival). Then you parallel that with the light that always is almost always present with the grandparents and seems to guide them together, the sacrifice of Pedro (Peter) that creates the miracle/gift/home, and how they crossed the water just before coming into paradise and the symbolism becomes hard to ignore.

I don’t pretend to know if the writers intentionally wrote this in, but what I am saying is that it is one of those movies where the Christian hope speaks in abundance. Only now the film centers on the moment after they have received their gifts (not unlike the gifts of the spirit at times) and asks some major questions: What are our gifts for? How do they relate to the community? How should we use them? How do we relate to our gifts? When do gifts become less than that? I could go on.

Most of the time the film is actually quite helpful in understanding this, telling us that we are more than just our gifts, that we shouldn’t let expectations control our truly good gifts, that we shouldn’t compare our gifts with others, that our gifts are meant to be gifts for others too, that sometimes the greatest most needed gifts are those that go unrecognized or misunderstood and so on.

There are a few things however that the film struggles with answering.

1) Individualism vs. Community Identity vs. the Image of God

Though they do try to present a mixture and more balanced approach on ideals with the importance of belonging to, working in and for community, with the need to also take care of yourself, recognize your personal worth, personal exploration, it often feels like at any one moment they are either arguing for individualism or a community identity with individualism generally becoming more prolific. The movies language and presentation of a combined existence is sometimes lacking. I think the image of God is a helpful image in this. First, we were created in God’s image and yet we are all individual’s distinct and special. We all have ways of reflecting God and being him and yet these vary by each individual. In this we are both one with God and one another and yet we are also distinct. Second, we are united in God’s community and together with our individual gifts we become a greater whole. Like each individual part of the body comes together to make us whole. Third, God himself is both 3 persons and yet one God. He is both a community and an individual. Through the loving giving of himself in perpetuity they are both present in the other and yet distinct. So we can abide in God and God can abide in us.

2) The Work of the Holy Spirit in our Gifts

Obviously, if the show does not reference God (outside of the church and priest which serve as background comedic characters), the exploration of the Holy Spirit will be limited. Yet, from the Bible’s stories we cannot separate the gifts from the Holy Spirit, whether it is the first one given the Holy Spirit to create the art of the tabernacle, or the 70 elders who prophecy, King David with his prayer and music, the disciples at Pentecost and after or the gifts of the Spirit which Paul tells us about. The Holy Spirit is the true source. He is God’s presence with us and in us, so whether our gift is apostleship (seeing Christ), prophecy, admin, or loving another, it all comes from the Holy Spirit in us. You may say the light, or the door was a reference to the Holy Spirit, but our God is distinct and so we cannot limit him to the symbols he gives us as guide posts.

3) What is prophecy

This is a misconception of practically all of popular culture and with that most Christians. If you look back at the early stories and the use of the word prophet, a prophet is primarily the one who can hear and communicate God’s words. This is why Moses is considered one of the greatest prophets, next to Jesus. Just that simple switch of understanding can help us understand their purpose. Oftentimes when a prophet comes with a prediction it is often rather a warning: “If you follow the path you are currently walking, you will end up ________”. This can be for individuals, communities, cities and nations. The most obvious example is the story of Jonah, where Jonah is called to warn Ninevah and because of that they end up being saved from utter devistation. The other side of prediction is that God uses prophets to point us towards our hope. One of my favorite prophets, Isaiah, is constantly balancing the warnings and hopes. Through that he both presents to us the awful reality of the suffering servant and the redeemed Israel.

4) Expectations aren’t always bad and change isn’t always good

This is another misconception of much popular culture. It is my experience that expectations can be very good as they challenge us to live into them, as long is there is room for rest and some personal/spiritual revelation as well. I believe God has expectations for us as he literally created us for a purpose. Without those expectations, we would likely just be random without definition.

Change kind of goes along side of that. Change is movement, but movement can often be in the wrong direction, or the wrong shape. When an artist or an athlete is learning something there are very specific actions they are learning, yes with some variability at times, but the specificity is important and often makes that sport, that athlete or that artist who or what they are. There are people who come in and change the game or art, but really they are working with the same fundamentals and often just highlighting an aspect or another.

In the end the family still builds off of what the grandparents started, even if they do say they need a new foundation.

5) The need for confession and forgiveness (though it is kind of underlying)

In the end the family is reconciled and the broken house is rebuilt. There are moments, like when Mirabel says sorry to Isabela or when the grandmother says sorry to Mirabel. So confession is still present, but in both of those cases it seems like the new experience is what brings them together. Forgiveness is hard. It takes sacrifice and coming to the other. Confession is the same, because it often requires a certain level of forgiveness as well. Mirabel’s struggle to apologize to Isabela is a very real experience many of us have had, but they do not play it out in the real way we would experience it. Through patience, hard conversation and a lot of listening, we can get past what we have done wrong and what others have done wrong to us and be even stronger for it.

All in all, I was quite impressed with Encanto’s ability to present the call of the Christian life (even if it didn’t mean to) in a compelling, interesting and thoughtful way. I have already used the film to explore Christian gifts and purpose with my parishioners; you can see the outline for that below with time stamps for video clips (I was using the sing-along version).

7:30 Intro: The Metaphor of the Church and The Gifts of the Holy Spirit 

1.  The intro to the gift ceremony: 17:00-17:30

   7:32-7:50 Individualism vs. community identity vs. the image of God

   1. Luisa’s song 34:00-37:45

      1. Expectations vs. Personal Needs

   2. Stars don’t shine they burn 125:00-126:55

      1. Community coming to take of each other's load

         1. They don’t see their own gifts but they know they can help

      2. Individual star shining vs. burning vs. constellations shifting

      3. You are more than your gifts, all of you are important, but grounded in community

   3. What is the image of God and how does that relate?

      1. Not just community or individual, both and a shared direction and imaging of the true light. If we are separate, distant stars shining, even separate communities our shine will shrink, we’ll grow a part. We need to move towards the light to move towards one another.

   4. Who is the gift for? Who are they for? What about us?

2. 7:50-8:05 Where does the miracle come from?

   1. the gift ceremony: 17:00-21:10

      1. The Candle (baptismal candle)

      2. Gift ceremony - step into the light

      3. The promise to serve the light

      4. The Doors/Rooms

   2. The Home

   3. The Sacrifice 1:18:10-21:10

3. 8:05-8:20 What is a gift for?

   1. Blessed to bless

   2. Caring for the Community

   3. (PS) Exploration of self

      1. They say the gift is you, but it is you empowered and guided by God - an expression of God in you

         1. Loves animals, trying to carry everyone's burden, Dolores listening, but often quiet, trying to be perfect

      2. Names - Mirabel (Miracle), Encanto (Enchantment/charm) and Madrigal (Magic), Luisa (Famous warrior), Isabela (God of bounty), Bruno (blessed)

   4. When is a gift not a gift? Misuse

      1. Comparing our gifts to others

         1. Mirabel

      2. We turn it into a burden

         1. Depending on it, need to be perfect, doing everything ourselves, disappearing behind our gifts, lacking control, or not understanding its purpose

      3. Working together and being open about our weaknesses (two of the movies answers)

   5. Growth - finding the gift within a gift - seeking the greater gifts

4. 8:20-8:40 The shape of a gift

   1. Prophecy - We don’t talk about Bruno 46:00-48:00

      1. Humbling and heavy

      2. Misunderstanding - seek understanding

      3. Caused Fear, fumbling

      4. You can stop using your gift

      5. Changing prophecy

      6. God’s prophecy is meant to help us look at ourselves and our culture and change

   2. (PS) The Weakest and Smallest (God lifts up the humble and lowly) - his strength and gift is greatest seen and experienced through these moments or people

   3. Bigger on the inside

      1. The gift of God, his presence and community is much much larger than it first appears

   4. One of the greatest gifts: “Let us in” 1:28:09-1:31:00

      1. Her door was the front door - the doorknob - at the centre of the door

      2. Create home and sanctuary

      3. Reconnecting the family (Bruno and Grandkids who all suffered in silence)

      4. Her room is the welcoming room, 

      5. Helping others get their gifts

         1. Gives the tiger toy, which becomes a reality

5. 8:40-9:00 Restoration

   1. 8:40-8:50 Sin

      1. Separation (isolated even though they are right beside each other) 

         1. Luisa not sharing worry

         2. Isabela getting married for the family

         3. Bruno hiding

         4. Grandma isolating Mirabela

      2. Hiding problems 

         1. Bruno Patching Cracks

         2. The grandma distracting people with music and drinks

         3. Carrying burdens on our own The Grandma worried 29:40-30:40 (Luisa)

      3. (PS) Expectations (kind of)

         1. Luisa, Isabela

         2. Low expectations Mirabela

      4. (PS) Refusing to change (kind of)

         1. Grandma

      5. Letting fear control you

         1. Not making space

         2. Pushing people away

         3. Hiding vulnerability

      6. Resentment/Blaming

         1. Grandma blaming Mirabela and visa/versa - Isabela

      7. The mountain was the sign of their blessing (safety/sanctuary), breaks in half becomes a symbol of their brokenness, but in the brokenness, they can let others in

      8. Their old home was destroyed and they had to flee but escaped with hope

   2. 8:50-9:00 Images of God’s work and restoration

      1. The beginning of the Encanto - crossing the river, the sacrifice and the rise of sanctuary and greater gifts

      2. (PS) 50 years

         1. Renewal - Jubilee

      3. Reconciliation (Mirabela, Grandma and Bruno)

         1. 1:21:10 -1:24:03

         2. Forgiveness (underlying but not obvious)

      4. Redemption

         1. Gifts redeemed to work and become more

      5. (PS) Healing

         1. Mothers powers to heal

      6. The resurrection of the house/family in the end as the community comes together

         1. All of their homes and the encanto is revived with it - including their gifts

      7. Grandfather’s sacrifice becomes the bedrock for the community, their gifts and life - now their reconciliation restores the blessing that the sacrifice gave