August Rush (2007)

Madeleine L'Engle says that God creates Cosmos from Chaos. This she relates to the work of the artist taking color, words or music and bringing them into harmony. This weekend my wife and I had an opportunity to see this "Cosmos from Chaos" displayed on the big screen. August Rush is, at once, a movie about an orphan trying to find his family, and at the same time a movie about the manner in which God works in the world.While the storyline borrows heavily from Oliver Twist it diverges in important ways. August Rush tells the story of professional Cellist, Lyla, and up-and-coming rock 'n' roller, Michael. The meet one night fall in love, but are torn apart by family. Michael never knows that Lyla is pregnant, and Lyla is tricked into thinking her child has died at birth (after her father forges her name on adoption papers). For ten years their offspring grows up in an orphanage before making his way to find his parents.Evan (renamed August by Robin Williams playing the Fagin role) finds himself in New York. He has always heard music and believes that music will eventually bring his family together. So, music plays a central theme in the story. August stands in Time Square and listens to every noise around him and slowly it turns into a symphony. This happens again later in the story at a point when August's musical genius is recognized.I loved the manner in which August is able to listen to noise and hear something else. In the hands of one person a trumpet makes noise, but in the hands of a skilled musician it makes music. Apparently random notes turn into something all together different in the hands of one who understands the purpose of each note.I love the way God takes the noise and disparate sounds of our lives and turns it into Music. God takes the apparent random events in our lives and gives them purpose. We become music when the noises and sounds of our lives are played by God. The same is true of the Church. Every note is important, every instrument is vital for a symphonic experience. An orchestra is incomplete without Flutes, Cellos and Trumpets, but it is just as incomplete without Baritones and Tubas. A piece of music is incomplete without all of the notes, harmony and melody. A church is incomplete in the same fashion. At first glance, a church with the disabled or foster children or homeless might look like chaos, but we know that our God bring Cosmos (Order & Beauty) out of Chaos