Please note, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is rated TV-14. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, SPOILER ALERT!, ends by becoming Captain America and the Winter Soldier as Sam Wilson takes on the role we always knew he could as Captain America. As he does so, he finally takes down the Flagsmashers, saving the Global Repatriation Council (GRC) so that they may continue to do the work of restoring the world to where it was before the Blip (Thanos' Snap).
Except, it's not that simple. As we saw before, Sam had sympathy for Karli Morgenthau's goal of the Flagsmashers following the mantra "One World, One People". What he disagreed with was how she went about the work of making the world one. So when the GRC leaders are dismissive of Karli and all that has just happened, Sam does what he does best and what makes him an incredible Captain America: he starts to give a speech. Sam admits his ignorance when a senator calls him out for not understanding the complexity of the situation, but Sam tries to get the GRC to ask the question "why?" when it comes to what Karli did and why so many followed her. In looking at that "why", Sam points out that, thanks to Thanos, everyone now understands a great truth of the human condition: powerlessness. He urges the GRC to think through their actions, because what they do could potentially have the same impact on people and their families as Thanos had on the entire world. Sam ends by saying to the GRC that when it comes to their power, "Question is, how are you gonna use it?" Sam admits in his speech that he is no stranger to the idea of helplessness. He knows the burden carrying Steve's shield brings. He knows millions will hate him for "carrying the stars and stripes", but he's still there. He still has a job to do. As Sam puts it, "The only power I have is that I believe we can do better." His hope is that the GRC will meet people meet people halfway when it comes to what to do with those who returned from the Blip and those who were displaced by it, especially as they demand so much from others. Sam's courage is the same Jesus calls us to have. Jesus didn't shy away from those who disagreed with Him. Like Sam, Jesus too called them out where they were wrong. It is also easy for us to forget that Jesus, as a Palestinian Jew in Ancient Israel, would have had a darker complexion than we in the West often depict Him as having. Israel, at the time, would have been seen as a small, bothersome nation within the Roman Empire. The discrimination Sam faces as a black man in America likely would not have been completely foreign to Jesus. We certain see Jesus being looked down on for not being raised as a teacher, but instead as the child of a τεκτονος, a skilled laborer. Yet Jesus persevered. We see the same determination from Sam too. Sam is also calling the GRC to think how their actions will impact, as he puts it, the people who aren't in the room with them as they make their decisions. This is the call Jesus makes to all of us in the Second Great Commandment derived from Torah in Matthew: "Love your neighbor as yourself." We know that none of us can be as perfect as Jesus, not even Captain America. Yet our call as Christians is to try. Sam does so here by living into Jesus' example of speaking truth to power, continuing to serve in spite of the hardships thrown our way, and calling others to love God with every fiber of our being as well as our neighbor as ourselves.
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Please note, Captain America: Winter Soldier is rated PG-13. One of the scenes I thought a lot about using for the Journey with the Avengers Vacation Bible School was Steve Rogers saving Bucky in Captain America: Winter Soldier. I was a little sad, but ultimately I wanted to include more female Avengers, plus I was concerned the part of the scene where Steve gets beat up was not suitable for younger participants. It's a great scene to discuss our faith with, so I wanted to share it now. Captain America: Winter Soldier (Spoilers!) centers on the revelation that Hydra has taken over S.H.I.E.L.D. and that Bucky, Cap's friend growing up, is alive and has been brainwashed into working for Hydra.
Cap does his duty and makes sure the world is safe from Hydra. He has to face Bucky in this battle, but Cap traps Bucky so that he's out of the way yet safe. Once all is well for the world, Steve turns back to save his friend. Even after all this time of fighting, that's all Steve sees in Bucky: a friend. He tries to reach out and remind Bucky who he is. When Bucky is agitated but won't back down, Steve says he won't fight anymore and drops his shield. "You're my friend" he says to Bucky. Bucky goes berserk and keeps hitting Steve. "You're my mission!" he yells. Steve, bruised for one of the few times since he got the super soldier serum, tells him "Then finish it, cause I'm with you to the end of the line." Bucky is like us, blinded by sin, forgetting who, and whose, we are. And Steve is like Jesus. No matter how much we hit Him or are cruel to Him, Jesus is still there ready to offer us forgiveness. Jesus too is willing to stay with us always, even unto death. After all, it was on the cross that Jesus said "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." Even when we mess up and do what is wrong, Jesus is with us. He. like Steve Rogers, is with us to the end of the line. Journey with the Avengers Vacation Bible School Day 3: Captain America, Strong Even When Weak8/11/2021 Please note, The Avengers is rated PG-13. All content in this post was made for kids. One of Captain America's powers is his super strength thanks to the Super Soldier serum (as discussed yesterday). But before that, Steve Rogers, the one who would become the hero Captain America, was a scrawny, weak man who failed enlisting in the Army for World War II multiple times. Dr. Abraham Erskine, the head scientist on Project Rebirth, the program creating the Super Soldier serum, sees something in Steve though: a good spirit and heart. He believes a good spirit is the most important attribute of a Super Soldier. Col. Chester Phillips, instead, believes "guts" is the most important quality. To prove it, he takes a dummy grenade and throws it in the middle of training. All the soldiers immediately get out of the way, except for Rogers. He jumps on the fake grenade, covering it with his body. He tells everyone else to get back, before realizing the grenade hasn't gone off. He asks if this is a test. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul says that the God's "power is made perfect in weakness." We see this in Steve Rogers. What makes him a hero isn't his powers. It is the heart he possessed even before becoming strong. For us to better serve God, we too have to have a spirit like Steve Rogers. Rogers is willing to put his own life on the line for others. It is important to remember that there is another person who was willing to do the same thing for all of us: Jesus. Please note, The Avengers is rated PG-13. All content in this post was made for kids. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-13, Paul speaks of the various gifts of the Spirit we as Christians are granted. According to Paul, while these gifts are different for each of us, we all come together to use them in service to God and for the good of our community (a.k.a. the church, the Body of Christ, the communion of saints as discussed yesterday). The Avengers give us a great sign of what Paul is talking about. Each of the Avengers has a different gift:
Every single one of the Avengers, even the ones we might least expect, plays a crucial role in the conflict with Loki and the Chitauri in The Avengers. All of their skills are needed. The strength of the Avengers is only manifest when they all start working together, just as with us as Christians in the church. Like us, they become united in doing good. Every single one of us have gifts our Lord gives us to do God's will in the world. Our task is to discover what those gifts are so we can help our community better serve God in this world, just like with the Avengers. The roster of the Avengers changes over time as other heroes come and join them. This is similar to another task of ours as well. We are called to help bring others to join our Faith and serve God with us. Our hope, as we continue our journey this week, is to become better examples of following Christ Jesus in order to lead others to Him. |
Please note, there maybe Spoilers in the Posts below!
The Rev. Trey KennedyHere is my take on how Superheroes and other characters can help us know God better. Categories
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