WHALE RIDER

South Pacific Pictures
PG-13 

In a New Zealand coastal village, Maori claim descent from Paikea, the Whale Rider. In every generation for more than 1,000 years, a male heir born to the chief succeeds to the title. At the start of the movie, the chief's son father's two children--a boy and a girl--but the boy dies.

Koro, the chief and new grandfather, refuses to acknowledge this newborn named Pai as the inheritor of the tradition. Instead, the chief decides to train all the young boys in the village in the ancient ways to see who rises as leader. When all of them fail to pass his tests, he is sure the tribe is coming to an end. But Pai, on her own, is proving herself to be the next one in line.

A cloud of witnesses

Hebrews 12:1-3 says, "Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken the seat at the right hand of the throne of God."

As we come up on All Saint's Day, this is a great movie to discuss. Pai hears the words of her ancestors, learns the skills of those who came before her, and calls on them for strength in their time of need. She receives strength from this practice, and is able to put aside the "weight" she is experiencing and run the race that was set before her. In the end, she is acknowledged as the leader of her tribe.

Questions to consider

• What is Pai's role in life?
• How does she find strength for this job?
• What keeps her going?

Read Hebrews 12:1-3

• What is meant by a "cloud of witnesses"?

• Who is among Pai's cloud of witnesses? Who is in your cloud of witnesses?

• What good is a cloud of witnesses?

• When you are tempted to grow weary and lose heart, who in that cloud of witnesses reminds you of God's love or helps you go on?

• How do you know what the race that is set before you is?

Other ideas

Invite one of the elder "famous" people of your church to meet with your group and answer these questions:

• Who is their cloud of witnesses?

• What do they learn from them?

• How does it help them? 

Have youth make a list of all the people they can think of who have taught them something about their faith. Ask them to pick one and write about how that person has taught them about faith. If the person is still living, have them write thank you cards to the person.

As with anything, feel free to adapt this guide to your own situation. Enjoy the film, enjoy the discussion and enjoy one another, And remember, the first word and the last word is always, “God Loves You.”