I’m going to take a slight turn from my usual posts to address a particular cultural phenomenon – Harry Potter. Book 7 – The Deathly Hallows arrives on bookshelves at midnight, July 21st. For those of you who are fans, I’m sure you’re freaking out with anticipation! Whether or not you believe the material of Harry Potter is right or wrong, it is the #1 seller for all the major chains such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon. There are also dozens of Christian books attempting to explain Harry Potter from a Christian world view. This has hit a ‘hot-button’ in our culture that all of us should pay attention to.

One theme of interesting note is that Harry Potter is an orphan. JK Rowling said she made created him to be an orphan because her mother had died, and she felt like an orphan herself. She battled MS for 10 years and died at 45, as this article states.  People connect with him because he is an orphan. Mistreated, alone, living under the stairs, and hated by his Aunt and Uncle. He has nothing, hopes for nothing, aspires to nothing. He simply eeks out a meager existence. But, I believe, what captures people’s attention is that our orphan friend has a very special gift, is famous but doesn’t know it, and has a powerful destiny to fulfill.

This is not unlike any other orphan in the world. They are incredibly special, created in God’s very image. They have a hope and future, and an amazing future ahead of them – if they could only see it. They are helped in mysterious ways and are led by the invisible hand of God. If only we could see how much love God has for the orphan, we would all be compelled to risk our comforts to help those the rest of the world has forgotten. "Pure and undefiled religion is visiting widows and orphans in their distress." – James 1:27