Below are Kids Movie Talking Points for Mary Poppins.
How would you describe Michael and Jane’s dad in the beginning of the movie?
He isn’t a good listener, doesn’t communicate to his kids that he loves them and is fairly prideful.
Mary Poppins says, “In every job that must be done there is an element of fun.” Should we always try to make cleaning up and working fun like Mary Poppins does?
We should always try to find the fun in things and reasons to be thankful, but sometimes tasks will be hard no matter what we do. In those times we should discipline ourselves to do the work anyway. Learning to work hard is called work ethic. The Bible doesn’t promise us that obeying God will always be fun at the time, but he does promise that it will be a blessing in the end. We should learn to work hard to please God rather than others.
In the end, Michael and Jane’s dad quits his job and flies a kite with them. Did he make the right choice?
Mr. Banks rightly chooses relationships over money, although, we obviously need to work and this means we can’t always be with people or do the fun things we’d like to. If a job requires us to disobey God then we should pursue a different one.
The kids have a great time with Mary Poppins singing many songs, laughing, using their imaginations and having “jolly holidays.” Mr. Banks, on the other hand, says these activities don’t have much value. Who is right?
God gave us life and this world to enjoy so we should laugh, use our God-given imaginations and go on adventures. Christians should have more joy and fun than anyone regardless of their circumstances. However, we should also take great joy in working for God and his glory since that is why we were made (Isa. 43:7). Nothing should give us greater pleasure than making God look good. The greatest “jolly holiday” for Christians will be in heaven. With that to look forward to, we can work hard and joyfully for God here on earth.
Mike McGregor
Mike McGregor (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is Director of College Ministry at First Baptist Church in Durham, N.C. You can follow him on Twitter at @m5mcgregor.
