In a recent sermon, Oregon Pastor Jesse Lusko shared an inspiring account of talking to actor Joaquin Phoenix about Jesus. On Sunday (Oct. 5), Lusko described the encounter with his father’s favorite actor—the day before his father’s funeral several months ago.
Editor’s note: This article contains references to sexual abuse.
While concluding a sermon series about Jonah, Lusko, pastor of Counterculture Church in Portland, preached about vengeance and forgiveness. Being victimized can turn people into hateful “mirror images” of their oppressors, he said.
As an example from pop culture, the pastor pointed to the Batman villain Arthur Fleck. After being beaten down repeatedly, Fleck “finally snaps and decides he’s going to get his vengeance,” so he becomes the Joker. Lusko then segued into his run-in—and gospel-centered conversation—with the actor who played the Joker.
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Joaquin Phoenix Hears About Jesus From Jesse Lusko
This spring, after Lusko’s father died of cancer, the pastor gathered with family members—including his brother, fellow pastor Levi Lusko—for a funeral. The day before the service, Jesse Lusko entered a coffee shop, where a friend informed him he’d been standing in line with Joaquin Phoenix.
Because Phoenix was his father’s absolute favorite actor, Lusko said hello and shared how much his father admired Phoenix’s work. The actor offered condolences and revealed that his own father had died of cancer too.
“I also shared with him my dad’s story of coming to Christ,” Lusko said during his sermon. “That my dad had experimented with tons of drugs, that he’d hitchhiked around the United States, that his mom had died of brain cancer, that his stepdad was murdered by his business partner.”
“That’s all a true story,” said Lusko. “My dad had come to Christ, and Joaquin was blown away by that story.”
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Later that day, Lusko saw the actor again, in a hotel gym. Phoenix ended up “chasing me down” and requesting a photo together, the pastor said, because he was touched by the story of Lusko’s father.
The two men talked about Joaquin Phoenix playing Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line.” The 2005 movie depicts how Cash’s producer balked at the musician playing for criminals at Folsom Prison, fearing it would alienate his Christian fans. “We believe in Jesus,” Lusko told Phoenix. “We believe in his grace. My dad believed in that, and I just want to pray God’s greatest grace over you.”
, Lusko described the encounter with his father’s favorite actor—the day before his father’s funeral several months ago.){kind=link}