I love the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling.  At first, it seems like a good story about a boy living in a magical world but at further thought, you realize it’s actually a story about good versus evil, closely following The Christian Story.  (Spoiler alert: I will give away some of the ending!)  There are two Bible verses in book 7. One of the verses is I Corinthians 15:26.  It states the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.  In the Harry Potter series several characters try to defeat death but, in the end, the only “magic” that is able to is love.  The other Bible verse is Matthew 6:21, “Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.”*  The “Dark Lord” treasures power and immortality but has no love.  His heart is very dark and he is ultimately unable to defeat death and dies a mortal man.  Throughout the series, Harry learns what love is and in the final book he has a sacrificial love which is able to save him and many others.  “There as well one hears of a story where love wins, and that story provides the blueprint for any stories we might come up with that teach that loving one another is the way to live.  So, in the end, for all its difference in terms of setting, Harry Potter’s message fits right at home with the message of Scripture: self sacrificial love wins.”*

Read Matthew 6:19-21, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally!

Caroline

*Claiborne, Nathaniel, “Love Wins: A Brief Theology of Harry Potter.”  August 2, 2011.  www.nathanielclaiborne.com.  Accessed July 22, 2016.