Sunday Morning Matinee

Episode 48: Midnight Special (LIVE at Mo Ranch)

On this week’s episode of Technicolor Jesus, Matt and Adam are LIVE at Mo Ranch in the hill country of central Texas. After leading a retreat on the theological power of movies, Matt and Adam are joined by retreat guests to talk about Jeff Nichols’s 2016 sci-fi superhero movie Midnight Special. In the first segment, Adam and Matt talk about how Midnight Special defies typical movie conventions to say something larger about family, sacrifice, and transcendence. The audience is then invited to ask questions and provide comments about the movie. In the second segment, Adam and Matt turn their attention to the lectionary passages for this week, the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time. After a quick discussion of Esther and responsibility, the hosts dig into the Mark passage and its implications for ministry and care. Finally, in the last segment Adam talks BBQ and Matt retrieves a forgotten tradition.

Special thanks to Mo Ranch for their hospitality and to all our guests for their participation. 

Matt Gaventa

Matt Gaventa is pastor of University Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas, and cohosts the podcast Sunday Morning Matinee.

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Adam Hearlson

Adam Hearlson, a Christian Century contributing editor, is pastor of Overbrook Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia and cohost of the podcast Sunday Morning Matinee.

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