We Need a Superhero
We need a superhero.
We need someone to intervene, to bring relief, to bring unity to our cities, states and country.
With the recent death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who played the black panther, the whole superhero theme has been making headlines again. Evidently, this actor not only played a superhero, but he also lived a pretty remarkable life.
When I was a kid the main superheroes in my world were Superman, Spiderman, and Batman along with Robin, his caped crusader.
I still remember clipping a towel around my neck, so it flowed as my cape. My brother and I turned the small den in our two bedroom house into a superhero stage set as we jumped from dad’s recliner on to the sofa and fought off bad guys attacking our imaginary city. Needless to say, we had a few mishaps with knocking pictures off the wall and lamps off tables. But we were determined to get rid of the evil, to defeat the bad guys.
As our daily news continues to show more rioting, killings, more groups of Americans opposing one another, I wonder if we’re not all looking for and waiting on a superhero to solve our problems.
But, rather than looking to Hollywood for some fictitious hero or to Washington, DC for politicians to take the lead, I think we need to look a little closer to home.
We need ordinary men and women who will be superheroes because of their faith in Christ. As Christians, we believe the True Superhero has already come to this earth and shown us how to live in challenging times.
While some Christians would rather hide inside and hope Jesus will come back in the next day or two to whisk us out of here, I believe God’s call for the Christian life demands more than fear and fretting.
We need men and women sold out to Jesus who will begin moving into tense settings and hold conversations with people on both sides of the issues….Christ followers who live a life above the political partisan divide so that we may see unity and peace.
We need leaders like Francis of Assisi who during the fighting between the Christians and the Muslims in the early 1200’s, made his way into Muslim territory to meet with the Sultan. He risked his own life in an attempt to bring peace.
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of all the talking heads, the name calling and labeling… why does so much of our adult discourse sound like middle schoolers arguing on the bus to school?
Where are the adults? Where are the mature people of faith?
Who’s bold enough in their Christian walk to step into the tension, to listen, to pray, to work tirelessly for healing and peace?
Who’s willing to risk their reputation, even their lives, as they follow in the steps of the One who gave His life for others?
This superhero task will require more than donning a cape and wearing a mask, we truly must be willing to take up the cross and bear the image of Christ.
Yes, we’re all looking for a superhero, for someone else, but maybe it’s time to become that one, that person of peace.