The Wallace & Gromit Movie

"All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing 'Alleluia! Alleluia!"

In the midst of the simple, 90-minute, fun-loving Wallace & Gromit movie, there's a profound message about the world around us: take good care of it!

Wallace, a cheese-loving inventor, and Gromit, his incredibly intelligent dog, are co-partners in "Anti-Pesto," a local neighborhood pest control enterprise, taking good care of a recent overpopulation of rabbits in their town on the eve of a giant vegetable competition.

And in taking good care of the vegetables in town, Wallace and Gromit show us how to take good care of the pesky, vegetable-eating animals in town, too. There's one fun scene where Gromit (who, it seems, really runs the home and business all by himself) makes extensive efforts to feed carrots to the captured rabbits in the basement of their house. This kind of care and attention is comparible to the care and attention God commands of Adam and Eve in respect to the Garden in the first chapters of Genesis.

In those first chapters, God challenges humankind to "have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth." (Gen. 1:28)

What does this mean, to have "dominion" over every living thing? Does it mean to rule over all creation as a tyrannical ruler? Does it mean that we can do whatever we feel with whatever is put before us? If we seek to be like Christ, the one who has been given dominion over heaven and earth, then we must lead like Christ.

The dominion of Christ is that of a servant leader, a king who gave himself totally for the people of the world. So when God gives us dominion over creation, what must we do?

Wallace and Gromit show us a fresh, Christ-like definition of "dominion" and use their power to care for the vegetables, the rabbits, and all the people of their neighborhood. Together they seem to be reciting a favorite Christian hymn: "All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing, 'Alleluia, Alleluia!'"