Please note that Black Panther is rated PG-13. Previously on The Gospel according to Superheroes, we saw T'Challa move beyond his thirst for vengeance against his father's killer and we saw T'Challa go through the ceremony to gain his powers from the heart-shaped herb, which is similar to Baptism. T'Challa's journey reminds us of our own. We too let go of our old ways, the ways that lead us to sin and death, and, through Baptism, are reborn into new life in Jesus Christ our Lord. But even though we have this new life in Jesus through Baptism, we still live on this side of the Resurrection. That means we still, unfortunately, have to deal with sin. Paul speaks of this divide within us in Romans 7:14-25. He ends that passage by saying, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin. We still have growth to go through, even after Baptism. Those old ways of sin find ways to creep back into our lives. This is also true for T'Challa. Back in Captain America: Civil War, T'Challa was all about vengeance. As we know, T'Challa learned to move past that, but those feelings boil out of him again in his pursuit of Ulysses Klaue. Klaue is an old enemy of Wakanda and the only person to invade the country, steal their special metal called Vibranium (Captain America's shield is made out of the stuff), and escape with his life. It was a mark against T'Challa's father's pride that Klaue did this, and it's a matter of honor that T'Challa chases after Klaue now. After traveling to Busan, South Korea to find Klaue, the obligatory car chase ensues. The result of that chase is that T'Challa catches up to Klaue, who begs for mercy. T'Challa's response is "Every breath you take is mercy from me." T'Challa is caught up in his old ways of vengeance again. Fortunately T'Challa is not alone. He has two loyal Wakandans and helpers with him, Nakia and Okoye. As they catch up and see the crowd with their cellphones whipped out, Nakia reminds T'Challa: "The world watches." This is what T'Challa needs to hear to snap him out of his old ways and remind him to follow a better path. We all need that help sometimes. In fact, our Baptismal vows require us to help one another when we struggle to walk the path that God has laid out for us. We need our friends to help us, and we in turn need to be that same help for our friends. God is always there to help bring us back to the Lord, and often times God uses those around us to do that. Let God use you too so that God's Will might be done in this world and that we all might be the better for it. Next time, we will continue to look at how we grow in faith through T'Challa's relationship with Killmonger.
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The Rev. Trey KennedyHere is my take on how Superheroes and other characters can help us know God better. Categories
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