Sister Act is an amazing movie…I picked it up in VHS form on the Goodwill rack a few weeks back because I remembered that it was fun, and wow, did I forget how much meaning the movie has. In particular, it seems like every time Whoopi Goldberg interacts with the head administrator of the convent, spiritual truth comes bursting forth.

Her Arrival: When Whoopi first arrives at the convent, she refuses everything. She complains about the food, the dress, the living conditions and the whole idea of staying at the convent. Her mind is telling her, “This lifestyle is bad for me.” But after hearing her complains, the head mistress confronts her with the truth: her lifestyle led her to sleeping with a married man who is now trying to kill her–she needs to change for her own good. So often we get used to a certain lifestyle and change seems threatening. However, if there are big problems in the life you currently live, you need to blame your lifestyle and look for ways to live differently.

Her Ability to Bring Out Talents: When Whoopi joins the choir she is given a change to help them sing. She meets with phenomenal success, because she can identify the ladies talents and help them use them to make beautiful music. So often we meet passionate people who simply don’t know how to use their talents. We need to help people discover and use their gifts boldly. Then everyone will find joy in the outcome.

Her Influence on the Goals of the Convent: The head administrator had sought to make her nuns holy by giving them lots of time to be solemn and thoughtful. She made these actions the goal of each and every day, to the point that she became a rule keeper. However, there are so many other ways to connect with God beyond the calm attitude and thoughtfulness that we expect to find in a convent, and too much of one attitude or pursuit turns people into legalists, rather than lovers of God and lovers of people. Whoopi gives the nuns of the convent a chance to move beyond the calm of the convent and begin serving the people in the rough neighborhood outside their walls. Although the head administrator fears the pain the ladies will experience, you can see that the opportunity to serve the needs of others draws everyone closer to God: the nuns and their neighbors.

Lost in Tradition: In two great confrontations toward the end of the movie, you can see that the head administrator is lost in tradition. She has made the calm and thoughtfulness of 50 years ago the ONLY way to godliness. She can’t accept newer styles of music, new ways of singing old lyrics, or new ways to be drawn close to God. She calls herself a relic, and she is truly that. Their church is dying. It no longer serves and reaches the community, it simply exists for insiders from 30 years ago. Many churches are like that today…they have made tradition the ONLY way to godliness. God never intended the church to create and defend traditions. Traditions are powerful things for the people who saw them form, but we must understand that our main goal at a church is to reach people, create new traditions, and let go of the old whenever it hinders our ability to serve our communities.