VeggieTales shows the way of love
VeggieTales: Lettuce Love One Another!
Big Idea (www.veggietales.com)
Length: Approximately 123 minutes
Even though I knew that VeggieTales: Lettuce Love One Another! includes three different
stories, while watching for the first time, I found myself distracted by the
first one, Abe & the Amazing Promise.
I struggled to see how it fit with the theme of showing love to others. Perhaps
I needed to learn this story’s lesson of patience.
Abe is all
about Abraham and Sarah waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promise. This is
staged as an interview with Abraham, who recalls the events while being filmed.
The impatience of the film crew shows that being patient is a way to show love
to others: “Love is patient and kind” (1 Cor. 13:4a ESV). As Junior Asparagus
notes, it’s hard to wait when you have “cookies on the brain.” The idea is that
we can trust God to do what He promised, even though waiting is not easy.
Of course, it’s not enough to refrain from being
impatient. In Tomato Sawyer and
Huckleberry Larry’s Big River Rescue we learn the importance of helping
others. You can summarize the thought in one of the wise sayings from the book
of Proverbs, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your
power to help them” (Pro. 3:27 NLT). This time, instead of Larry being the one
who gets in trouble, it’s Tomato Sawyer who is reluctant to help.
Some might not want little ones to learn the story of
King David’s sin with another man’s wife. No worries! The worst thing in King George & the Ducky is the
selfishness and greed. Sex is never part of this retelling. This is about
thinking of others. Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”
(Matt. 19: 19 NLT).
It’s not as serious as it may seem. What makes it fun is
the zany humor. The subtle aspects and pop culture references broaden the
appeal. It’s remarkable that these stories can be appreciated by all ages.
Five new “Bible Bits” found in and around the stories
give this more substance. They consist of brief Bible lessons illustrated with
drawings that are moved like objects on a flannelgraph. It’s a change from the
standard animation. Each one is narrated. Together they provide examples of
forgiving, helping, giving, praying and sharing.
Bonus features include three silly songs, “The Biscuit of
Zazzamarandabo,” “Sneeze if You Need To” and “Endangered Love.”
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