Sermon Starters and Illustrations from The Polar Express
Click here to download this pastor's resource (WORD / PDF).
1) The Polar Express is a story of hope, faith and enjoying the adventure of the journey of life. It’s about community and friendship and learning to trust other people – and helping others when they’re in need. It’s about getting to the end of your rope…and then letting go – or in this case, about getting “to your jumpin’ off point…and JUMPING.” It’s about learning that where you’re going is not important – it’s getting on the train and taking the ride that matters most. It’s about learning who you are. At its very essence, it is a story of identity. We have a new identity in Jesus. We have put on the “new man”. We are adopted, claimed, and now heirs of the King of Kings.
2) The Polar Express is about a young boy who is losing his childlike curiosity, wonder and vitality because of the supposedly more “mature” adult world where often childlike innocence is crushed. God challenges each of us that we come to Him as “little children” and to retain the sense of dangerous wonder in every aspect of our lives. Remember these key verses…words straight from the heart of our God:
• Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. – Mark 10:15
• Let the children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. – Mark 10:14
3) On the way to the North Pole, the train passes a store window decorated for Christmas and filled with presents. Each child on the train stares wide-eyed at the window and its contents and says, “I want them all!” Isn’t that like each of us? It isn’t by accident that The Ten Commandments say something about envy, coveting and greed. We want everything we see and lose sight of the things we already have. We want so many things that will just fade away in significance. None of the things we see around us will withstand the test of time. We put our hope in the things of the world, and judge our value by how many things we can possess. Remember what Jesus said about the things in life that really matter…loving God and loving others. As Jesus said, real meaning in life comes not from accumulation but in sacrifice and worship of the Author of Life. That’s why we “store up” treasures in heaven where nothing can take away their meaning. Only that which is done and lived for a Kingdom perspective will last.
4) “I lay quietly in my bed…I breathed slowly and silently. I was listening for a sound.” With the hundreds of sounds that we hear daily, it is hard to hear the voice of God. Even if we did hear the voice of God, so many other things appear more interesting and enticing than His voice. A Christ follower listens intently for the still small voice of God. As we calm our lives and allow God to “speak” to us, guess what? We will hear the sound of His voice.
5) “There is no Santa,” my friend had insisted, but I knew he was wrong.” This world is filled with doubters and cynicism. If there is a catch phrase that everyone throws around freely, it is the phrase, “prove it." At the heart of every contemporary individual is the temptation to be a pure materialist. We only believe that which can be verified by our senses. People around us are not often going to encourage us to pursue God. Even though it is the deepest need in their own heart, there will always be people who try to lead us away from what we believe in. Remember, it’s easy to go with the crowd, “society” and abandon our beliefs for the sake of “fitting in.” You know the truth in your heart. Pray for courage and faithfulness in bringing the presence of God to a skeptical world. You may be the only incarnation of hope, love and spiritual life that will convince a cynical person of the reality of God.
6) “All aboard,” the conductor cried out. I ran up to him. “Well,” he said, “are you coming?”
“Where?” I asked, “Why, to the North Pole of course,” was his answer. God calls us to Him, and invites us to follow Him. We all have a natural inclination to ask where and why. In many respects, we don’t want to give up the control of our lives. Yet, we need to remember…we are not following some arbitrary, unfeeling deity. We are following the One who loves us. We are responding to the One who promises to lead us through our entire lives all the way through the door of eternity in relationship with Him. All we have to do is reach out to Him and He will always welcome us.
7) “The train was filled with other children…we ate candies with nougat centers as white as snow. We drank hot cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars.” The Christian life was never meant to be a solitary existence. Just as God enjoys eternal community in the very essence of His nature and character, He created us for community. We were meant to live not only in a dynamic relationship with Him but also in a community marked by the characteristics of Jesus. God’s dream is community. The Bible gives us vivid pictures of what biblical community looks like…loving of others, accepting of all, worshipful, prayer-filled, sacrificial, and servant-oriented. Accepting God brings us into a community of other believers. With God there is comfort and security and warmth and nourishment as He reveals Himself in the context of the Body of Christ. The journey of faith was meant for you to enjoy and from which to flourish in community.
8) In the movie, the Lonely Boy ran for the train, but couldn’t catch up. The Boy, who is the main character, stopped the train for him. No one who is lost and wants to be found will be left behind. As the Bible says, “those who seek will find”. Jesus tells three powerful parables in Luke 15. There is something lost in every story. Each of those things that are lost (coin, sheep, son) is precious to the person who is seeking it in order for it to be found. Every one of those things merits an all-out search. And when they are found…wow, is there a celebration! God will never leave anyone behind. Jesus says He leaves all the sheep in His herd to rescue the one that is lost. Those who are lost can and will be found. Knock on the door and it will be opened; seek and you will be found.
9) “…rolling over peaks and through valleys like a car on a roller coaster.” “We crossed a barren desert of ice…” No one said that life was going to be easy. In fact, CS Lewis wrote in his book, The Screwtape Letters, about something that he called the “law of undulation”. Life is like a roller coaster. Real life in a world that is broken brings challenges. There will be ups and downs. Sometimes, circumstances look pretty desperate. Even so, just like a train on a track, some ONE will guide us. One of the most famous sections of the bible (Psalm 23) says that the hand of the Lord is on us no matter where we walk. Truthfully, the only way that we can appreciate the view from the mountaintop is to first experience the loneliness and desolation of the dessert and the valleys. Every step is a step lived in the presence of God. As the Psalmist writes in Psalm 139, there is nowhere “we can flee from Your presence”. God is with you to guide and protect you.
10) “Who receives the first gift?” we all asked. The conductor answered, “He will choose one of you.” Ephesians chapter one says something absolutely astounding... that God has loved us so much He has chosen us to be not only a part of His family but to be a part of His plan to redeem the world. There isn’t one child of God who has not been chosen by God. Remember when you were chosen for something special? Did you ever get chosen for a part in the school play? Did you ever win a special prize? Did you ever get chosen to play on the field first? Have you ever received a reward, a certificate, a medal, a ribbon or a special present? Every gift you received should remind you of something that God wants you to know at the core of your being – you have been chosen. The first gift of Christmas, Jesus Christ, is a gift from God for everyone. He is a gift from God for you so that you will never forget, every time you think of Jesus, that God has chosen you. If he has chosen you, can you imagine what He might have in store for you?
11) “What I wanted more than anything was one silver bell from Santa’s sleigh.” What would be the best gift in the entire world? What would be the one thing that would make your life complete? For children, it might be a new bike, Barbie dream house, or a new video game system. For adults, it might be a new job, a new car, a vacation home, or a even a new romance. There are so many things that we imagine will make our lives just the way we dream they should be. Unfortunately, everything we dream of falls short of really meeting the deepest needs of our souls. Jesus once said that the only way to life, more life than you can ever dream of, is to find it in Him. Once we lose our fascination and obsession on what we think will fill the void that only God can fill, we can have the feeling of contentment that God created for us to enjoy. The bottom line - what we need for our lives to be complete is simple… God. That is the crystal clear sound, the sound of that One voice, that is ringing in our ears. “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy-ladened and I will give you rest” (shalom, fulfillment, contentment, peace) (Matthew 11:28).
12) “I reached into my pocket, but the only thing I found was a hole. I had lost the silver bell from Santa’s sleigh.” “Where is God?” “I feel like I pray and pray but my prayers just bounce off the ceiling." “I am so lonely." Ever had a thought or feeling like that? Ever feel like God is a zillion miles away? Ever feel like you need to send God a “change of address” card because you haven’t heard from Him in a while? Sometimes it feels as though we’ve lost touch with God. We can’t hear the sound of His voice any longer. But we can never really lose God’s love. We can never run or walk or hide from His presence. The same “omnipresent God” who is everywhere is not far from our souls when we are at our most desperate. Hebrews 13:5 says that God will never fail or turn His back on you. Psalm 139 remarks on the fact that there isn’t a place in the entire universe where you can go to get away from God. Someone once said, “When God feels miles away, guess who moved? You!” You can’t lose God. He’s not something we carry in our pockets. Instead, we carry Him in our hearts. God is always as close as our next breath, or the next beat of our hearts. Seek God…He’s there, ready to be “found."
13) “When I’d shaken the bell, my parents had not heard a sound. At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them.” We have a responsibility as believers to help others hear the sound of God’s voice. No matter how long it takes, and no matter what the world thinks, we must still sing out the joy of God’s love in our lives for everyone else to hear. If others hear the sound of God in our words and see it in our actions, then they will begin to believe it too. Maybe the only reason why some of your friends haven’t heard the sound of God is that you haven’t been active in “ringing the bell” of His presence for them to hear. When Jesus said, “go into all the world…” (Matthew 28:18-20), He was giving us the bell to ring from every part of our lives. Being a Christ follower means that there is no one in our lives who should not hear the bell of the power, love and presence of God ringing in and through our lives.
Robin Dugall is the Executive Director of the Youth Leadership Institute at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, CA.
