Who: Charles Spencer Chaplin
- Born April 16, 1889
- Chaplin was baptized and raised in the Church of England / Anglican Church.
- Birth and childhood were in London.
- Chaplin was not Jewish, although at times, he helped promote the idea that he was.
- He was raised primarily by his mother. They basically lived in poverty.
- Charles worked at the “workhouse” twice before the age of nine. The workhouse was where you could be provided a job and shelter.
- “When he was 14, his mother was committed to a mental asylum.” [1]
- “Chaplin began performing at an early age, touring music halls and later working as a stage actor and comedian.” – [1]
. A teenage Chaplin in the play Sherlock Holmes - At 19, he came to the United States and began working in the film industry.
- Age 30, In 1919, he co-founded “United Artists.”
- He became known as an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer.
- Famous during the age of silent films.
- He was banned in America during the McCarthy era. He and his family settled in Switzerland in 1953.
- He was presented with the “Lifetime Achievement Oscar “at the 1972 Academy Awards. [3]
- His career spanned ages 11 – 88 — approximately 75 years
- He died on December 25, 1977 – at the age of 88
Quotations:
“He left us four statements:
(1) Nothing is forever in this world, not even our problems.
(2) I love walking in the rain because no one can see my tears.
(3) The most lost day in life is the day we don’t laugh.
(4) Six best doctors in the world: The Sun, Sleep, Exercise, Diet, Self-respect and Friends. Stick to them at all stages of your life and enjoy a healthy life…
If you see the moon, you will see the beauty of God…
If you see the sun, you will see the power of God…
If you see a mirror, you will see God’s best creation. So believe it.
We are all tourists, God is our travel agent who has already identified our routes, bookings and destinations… trust him and enjoy life.
Life is just a journey! Therefore, live today!
Tomorrow may not be.”
♦♦♦♦♦
“Life, To understand it, you have to visit these 3 places:
– the Hospital
At the hospital, you will understand that nothing is more beautiful than health.
– The Prison
In Prison, you will see that liberty is the most precious thing.
– The Cemetery
In the cemetery you will realize that life is worthless, the ground on which we walk today will be our roof tomorrow.
Let us make the efforts to remain humble by having the fear of God and the respect of our neighbors. Please give to people in need no matter how small.
You are God’s Treasurer.”
♦♦♦♦♦
Key Illustrative Thoughts:
- General Revelation
- Common grace
- All truth is God’s truth
- lostness
- salvation
- Romans 1:19-21
^
Sermonic Example:
(use whatever information from above you find useful)
. . . . Charlie Chaplin was not a professed believer in Jesus Christ, but most likely an agnostic. [2] He requested an Anglican funeral service, although he never approached the devotion of his mother, Hanna. Nevertheless, common grace makes it possible for even atheists or agnostics to recognize basic truths about this world.
Even the most irreligious in life can see and speak about life in a way that reflects what believers know to be true from the Scriptures and the experiences of life. The world that God created, and all that is part of life, is a real world that speaks about Him from the dimmest stars of the universe to the stark reality of the funeral home and cemetery. . . . .
^
^
[4]
^
^
Other Information & Links:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin
2. “I’m not an atheist. I’m definitely an agnostic. Some scientists say that if the world were to stop revolving we’d all disintegrate. But the world keeps on going. Something must be holding us all in place–some Supreme Force. But what it is I couldn’t tell you.”
4. By Own work, compiled from the sources linked above. – The collage was compiled from the following photographs (left to right):File:Trenčianske Teplice, socha Charlie Chaplina.jpgFile:Chaplin Chelmza.JPGFile:Charlie Chaplin-waterville.jpgFile:Charlie Chaplin-Leicester Square-London.jpgFile:Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad – views from Ramoji Film City (101).JPGFile:Alassio-P1010710.JPGFile:Escultura a Charles Chaplin (1972) Jardins de Joan Brossa.jpgFile:Chaplin Vevey 23.12.2006.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24580720
— https://gh.opera.news/gh/en/travel/f2f9a0658c2209b0597cb410f1dba343
RhetoricAndHomiletics.Org 