The animated movie Shrek gets so many things right about our lives. One such example is the pitiful little king of the land, Lord Farquaad. Farquaad is a single man. The one thing he feels is missing from his kingdom is the lovely princess Fiona, who has long been locked up in a castle far away, guarded by a deadly, fire-breathing dragon. There have been many failed attempts to rescue Fiona; many would-be rescuers have lost their lives.

Farquaad gathers his bravest knights together for a competition. The knights are placed inside an arena to duel against each other until only one of them is left standing. The prevailing knight will have the "honor" of going out on Lord Farquaad's behalf to rescue Fiona. Farquaad, himself a coward, offers the following "inspirational" speech to the knights before they turn against each other in the arena:

Brave knights, you are the best and brightest in all the land. Today one of you shall prove himself. That champion shall have the honor—no, no—the privilege to go forth and rescue the lovely Princess Fiona from the fiery keep of the dragon. If for any reason the winner is unsuccessful, the first runner-up will take his place and so on and so forth. Some of you will die, but it's a sacrifice I am willing to make.

Possible Preaching Angles: (1) Selfishness; Love—This illustration sets up a gently humorous way to talk about how all of us to one degree or another protect ourselves. (2) Husbands—Men and husbands are specifically called to lay down their lives for their wives. (3) Christ, death of—Jesus did the exact opposite of Lord Farquaad (and us!) by laying down his life for us even when we were unworthy.