{"id":26025,"date":"2022-10-04T11:38:18","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T17:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/speeches-dev.byu.edu\/?post_type=speech&p=26025"},"modified":"2024-06-05T15:27:18","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T21:27:18","slug":"deliverance","status":"publish","type":"speech","link":"https:\/\/speeches-dev.byu.edu\/talks\/michael-drake\/deliverance\/","title":{"rendered":"Deliverance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On the heels of such a wonderful general conference in which we heard from so many experienced speakers, I confess that I stand here feeling a little like the inexperienced youth speaker in sacrament meeting. I suddenly wish I had asked my mom to write this talk. This could all be over in about three and a half minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To introduce my topic this morning, I invite you to review a list of the top fifteen highest grossing films of all time and to identify a common thread among them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Avatar<\/em>
2. Avengers: Endgame<\/em>
3. Titanic<\/em>
4. Star Wars: Episode VII\u2014The Force Awakens<\/em>
5. Avengers: Infinity War<\/em>
6. Spider-Man: No Way Home<\/em>
7. Jurassic World<\/em>
8. The Lion King<\/em>
9. The Avengers<\/em>
10. Furious 7<\/em>
11. Top Gun: Maverick<\/em>
12. Frozen II<\/em>
13. Avengers: Age of Ultron<\/em>
14. Black Panther<\/em>
15. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2<\/em>1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do most of these movies have in common? These are stories of action and adventure. These are stories about heroes coming to the rescue. These are stories in which the lines between good and evil are generally well defined\u2014the one possible exception being the story in Titanic,<\/em> in which we can hardly blame the iceberg for simply doing what icebergs do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To use language common in the Book of Mormon, these are stories of deliverance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What don\u2019t we see on this list? We don\u2019t see straight comedies. We don\u2019t see many dramas, love stories, or rom-coms. Sorry, no Jane Austen. The financial takeaway is straightforward: if your objective is to make as much money as possible in Hollywood, then make a story about deliverance. Production studios such as Marvel have clearly figured this out. Since 2008, when Iron Man<\/em> was released, Marvel has produced twenty-nine stories of deliverance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do we love stories of deliverance? Why do we keep going back for Ant-Man<\/em> number five? (It\u2019s coming, and many of you will see it.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think it\u2019s for the capes and masks. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s for the visual effects. When you\u2019ve seen one explosion, you\u2019ve seen them all. (I\u2019ve been to Scout camp\u2014I\u2019ve seen them!) No, I think that we love films of deliverance because we are living in the ultimate deliverance story here on earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From day zero, deliverance is a central and recurring theme of this film called mortality. After all, we cannot even enter mortality and take our first breath without being delivered<\/em> by someone. And then what? We find ourselves unable to do anything on our own until we are at least, say, fourteen years old. We are entirely at the mercy of our first heroes\u2014mom and dad, grandparents, and guardians. As we get older, we realize that we are in a fallen world and that each of our character arcs includes periods of serious trial and struggle. At times we are even pushed so far as to say, \u201cWell, this movie isn\u2019t very good and certainly isn\u2019t worth the price of admission. The floor is sticky, and the popcorn is stale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I testify that hope comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is a Savior. There is a Redeemer. There is One Who Is Mighty to Save. There is a Great Deliverer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This morning I wish to share a few thoughts on deliverance. As with any proper epic trilogy, I will proceed in three acts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n