Captain Christian and the Myth of the Holy Superhero

Last night we decided to do a movie night. The first order of business was making some really good popcorn. This involves getting out our hand turned popper, melting some organic coconut oil, and putting in some small red Amish popcorn. Then when it was perfectly popped, we drizzled melted butter, sprinkled with sea salt, tossed it around and we were ready for the movie. (Yep, I'm a popcorn snob!)

But then we had another problem. What movie to watch. We ended up at a crossroads. The kids wanted to watch something with action and were voting for The Fantastic Four, Spiderman, or Aquaman. We more mature folks wanted something with a bit more character and depth. And this time character got the nod over action. We watched a fairly new movie called The Last Rifleman. it was about an elderly man who had been a World War II soldier - a rifleman. Supposedly based on true events, it told the story of his journey from Ireland back to Normandy for a reunion of D-Day veterans.

When it was all over the kids said it didn't have any action, completely missing the action of his escape from the nursing home, bribing a laundry man, getting on a train, and then a bus, and then hitchhiking, having a diabetic attack, sneaking through the French border because his passport was expired, recounting battles while sipping whiskey, riding a bus with a bunch of Germans who he's surprised to discover he actually likes, and finally arriving at the grave of his best friend, who died saving his life. It was a story full of interesting people, the deep pain we all carry in different ways, and the everyday courage to still walk with grace in an ungraceful world.

But there was no action. Which got me thinking about our church service yesterday. As we were talking about the disciples and their imprisonment and encounter with the Sadducees, and then we ended up with their prayer for courage and boldness and they ask for power for healing, signs and wonders, and it tells us the building where they were gathered shook with the power of the presence of God among them. And I asked us what our commitment to God really was, and what we would be willing to ask for. I challenged us to pray for God to move with signs and wonders, and to show us anything he was asking of us - a person to forgive, or to ask forgiveness from, someone to reach out to, an act of service, or some wicked thing Satan is doing that God wants you to go challenge and battle against.

In thinking about the end of the service I found myself feeling concerned that I had perhaps communicated, or set in motion, the idea that if we are really serious and walking with God, we should look like superheroes. I think the church has largely embraced our culture's superhero fetish, and we've transferred it into our religion. We want superhero pastors who save their churches, save their towns, have perfect families, and always have the right words for every moment. We want superhero missionaries telling superhero stories. We want to give money to superhero ministries who show superhero results in superhero presentations with superhero video clips on super-sized screens. We are desperate for the potion, the amulet, the special suit, or the magic ring to give us the sudden superstrength to overpower all our human weaknesses. In short we are desperate for power, drunk with power when we get it, and consumed with finding or getting more power. And then we wonder why God doesn't give us more power.

To be clear, I think we should be seeing God healing people and breaking through and changing things in radical ways. I often wonder why we don't, as I think many of us do. And I think it's important for us to think about just what the radical life is, which Jesus is calling us to. Otherwise we risk starting well, expecting much, and finding ourselves disappointed and disillusioned. So here are a few of my thoughts about when, why and how God supernaturally intervenes in our world.

First, I don't know why God does what he does, and why he doesn't do what he doesn't do. Jesus said it well. " The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) We serve the Creator, Ruler, and Sustainer of the universe. And nobody is ever going to be completely sure of what God is doing. He will not be controlled, no one can force him to do anything, and there are no magic miracle pills.

But there once was a magic tree. It was called the tree of life. it grew in the most perfect garden this world has ever known. When you ate from it, you knew no sickness or pain. It provided perfect health, perfect flavor, perfect healing, and as long as you ate from it, you lived forever in the greatest joy, happiness and adventurous wonder you can imagine. But perhaps it wasn't so much the tree itself, as who you ate the fruit with. Because in the shade of that great tree the Creator King himself would dine with you. And whether the healing was the fruit of the tree of life, or the presence of the King of life was never very clear. What was clear was that life was a wonder of discovery, adventure, fulfilling work, indescribable pleasure and the deepest of love.

But the fruit was lost when the King was rejected. It was a trade of relationship for power. A trade of love for knowledge. And since that moment, every man looks in the mirror and asks, "Am I powerful?" Every woman looks in the mirror and asks, "Am I beautiful?" And the world has imploded for thousands of years in a mad pursuit for more power.

Which is why I think we don't see the Spirit move in greater displays of power, especially in our western, power-driven culture. Our hunger for power is what is wrong with us, and it is only going to be healed by the slow, hard work of building trusting relationships with God and each other. It will require us giving up our control, power, and strength; and trading it in for lives of service, love, and weakness. More power will not quench our craving for power. More control will not free us up to either give or accept forgiveness. We want miracles, but do we want to live in the context in which miracles occur? Are we willing to give up our power, strength and comfort? Are we willing to walk as weak ones in this world choosing humility and obedience to the King and his ways.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength....God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not —to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1: 25-30)