The film ‘Sinners’ revolves around a character named Sammie aka Preacher Boy and his love for the Blues. Being the son of a Preacher, his father did not approve of him using his musical talent to play what many believed at that time to be the devil’s music. When one of Sammie’s cousins rolls by to invite Sammie to play at his juke joint, Sammie jumps at the opportunity without hesitation. Sammie’s father warns, saying, “You Dance with the Devil, One day he’ll follow you home.” His father’s words would be confirmed that evening as the juke joint that Sammie plays at gets attacked by vampires. In the end, Sammie is the only one who makes it out of the juke joint alive. He heads back to his father’s church scarred and bloodied from the night before. What takes place when Sammie steps through the doors is the most important scene of the entire film, in my opinion.
To me, Sammie’s journey in the film is an alternative telling of the parable of the Prodigal Son. In Luke 15:11-31, Jesus tells of a man with two sons and the younger one demanding his inheritance. Once the son was given his share, he sets off for a distant country and there squanders his wealth in crazy living. After spending all his inheritance, a famine broke out over the country. With no money left and no food, the son had to find work in the countryside feeding pigs. His hunger became so great that he was willing to eat the pods the pigs were eating. The scriptures says,
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.”
And goes on to say,
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.”
“Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.”
“Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.”
“For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
“So they began to celebrate.”
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the father saw his son from a distance, and ran to embrace him. In Sinner’s, Sammie’s father sees him at the door and the first thing he does is call him out for his sin.
Then the Preacher embraces son.
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the father adorns his son with love and celebrates his return home. In Sinner’s, the father urges his son to promise to leave those “sinning ways” behind. The father then tells his son, “Drop The Guitar, Samuel!”
This ultimately pushes Sammie right back out into the world for good, holding on tightly to the thing his father told him to let go of.
It was at that moment I realized where the father went wrong and where I go wrong as a believer. Let’s start with how I steward the creatives in my church. Often I tend to scrutinize ideas, concepts, or methods that do not fit the norm within my four walls. Sometimes I’m quick to label something “new” as weird, odd, or even ungodly. Instead of embracing an individual’s unique gifts and trusting God to help them cultivate them for His glory, I either distance myself from those people or try to convince them to be something that fits my norm. Now let’s talk about backsliders. The last thing someone coming back home needs to hear from their “family” is “I Told You So.” I’m sure they are well aware of the folly of their ways. When I came back to my church, the most powerful thing I heard was “Welcome Home.” Those words accompanied by a genuine hug was all I needed to win me back and maybe the only thing a prodigal like myself needs to hear as well.
In conclusion, I believe God speaks through all forms of art as He is The Creator, The Ultimate Creative. As it is written in Psalms 24:1, The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Just because I don’t understand a form of art, doesn’t mean he can’t use it to reach people. In regard to the prodigal sons and daughters, the Father’s heart towards them is perfectly summed up with this scripture.
“Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” Jeremiah 3:14
If the church isn’t a safe place for creatives and prodigals, they won’t trust the church with their gifts or their hearts. If we don’t embrace them like God does, there is a devil that will.