Reflections on a “mission trip” to Walt Disney World…

by James Prette

I recently returned from a trip to ‘Walt Disney World’ in Orlando, Florida. This was a “mission” trip, as I was the speaker for an outreach camp for teenagers from Southern Ontario. I arranged to bring my thirteen-year-old daughter, Rebekah with me on this trip. I wanted to share the fun of Disney with her and I wanted to have her hear me proclaim the basic good news of Jesus Christ to these Ontario teens each evening.

There were so many ways that ‘Disney World’ helped me proclaim this good news. First, I used Walt Disney’s unique creation as a picture of God creating the world: Mr. Disney didn’t just stumble upon a fully functioning park in Florida and start charging people to attend. He meticulously planned his dream park and then built it from the ground up. Likewise, God meticulously planned and executed his creation and his salvation plan in his perfect timing.

Then I utilized scenes from several Disney cartoons to illustrate the story of Jesus’ work in saving us. In ‘Toy Story 2’ Buzz asks Woody to recall who he belongs to. Woody looks on the inscription on his foot. It says, “Andy”. Each of us has been engraved with God’s signature. We are meant to be his. In ‘The Sword in the Stone’, Merlin changes Arthur into several animals to familiarize him with his future realm. Likewise, Jesus became one of us to familiarize us with the triune God. In ‘The Lion King’, we see Simba abandoning his true identity as a child of the King to live like a warthog. Because of sin in our lives, we have each abandoned our true potential identities as children of God and live in sin and depravity. In ‘Pinocchio’, the little puppet runs from his maker and lands in progressively worse trouble. But, the creator, Geppetto pursues his creation to the ends of the earth never giving up on his dream that Pinocchio could become “real”. God pursues us with his love and his desire that we become a “real” child of his. In the newest Disney movie, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’, the lion, Aslan dies for the sake of the rebellious child, Edmond. He silently accepts cruel torture and death at the hands of the White Witch in exchange for the life and freedom of Edmond, though Edmond knows nothing of it. Then Aslan rises from death because of the “stronger magic” that dictates that when a truly innocent one voluntarily dies for the guilty, death cannot hold him. In fact, “death would start working backward”. In the same way, Jesus’ death and resurrection destroys the power of sin and death, though we knew nothing of it. Finally, in ‘Aladdin’, the hero holds out his hand and offers a ride on his magic carpet. “Trust me” he says. Jesus holds out his hand and offers us a new life. And he can truly show us “a whole new world”.

I also saw in my daily experiences in the parks a picture of the Heaven that Jesus is preparing for us. I mixed with strangers of every walk and shape and language. We enjoyed the fun and spectacle of the parks together. For brief moments, we were all family as we laughed and cried and screamed on rides and in lines and at shows together. Jesus has saved us and is preparing “a whole new world” for us to experience that will include all of the true love and beauty and joy and fun and adventure and family that God invented and originally intended for his creation. We get to get in on it! I joked with some people that when Jesus said he was going away to prepare a place for us, I hope he gets some help form Mr. Disney. Of course, what Jesus is preparing for us in the resurrected new heaven and earth will be far more than even Walt could ask or imagine.