Please note, Captain America and the Winter Soldier is rated TV-14. Previously on Gospel according to Superheroes, we saw Sam Wilson, the Falcon, gain a new role as Captain America. When Steve Rogers served in this role, he not only helped save the world, he also gave many speeches to call others to action. Sam is no different. Yeah, he has a different style, and yes, he might say a curse word, but Sam continues the tradition of Captain America as speaking truth-to-power in the best way possible. While he continues to help prevent violence and keep order in the world, Sam does not always agree with what the powers-that-be are doing. In the final episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, he gives a speech where he not only condemns the violence of the Flagsmashers, he condemns the circumstances that led to this situation in the first place. What Sam does speaks to several pieces of Scripture. Jesus, in Mark, tells those listening that, when it comes to their taxes, they are to “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” What Jesus means is that we are called to follow the authorities of the places we live while also recognizing that God is, in the end, the ultimate authority. Paul says something similar to the Romans. He calls on his readers to recognize the authorities, yet emphasizes that power ultimately only comes from God. We must remember that Paul was a Roman citizen, a rarity in the Roman Empire in his day and age, and so he had a vested interest in the authority of the Romans being listened to. At the same time, Paul practiced civil disobedience, similar to what we witness in the Civil Rights Movement. Being a Christian was illegal in Paul’s time, and he peacefully accepted the punishment that came with practicing the Faith, even at the sake of his life. The tradition of speaking truth-to-power predates Jesus and Paul even. The Old Testament Prophets spoke God’s word to the Kings of their land, even when their words were unpopular or got them into trouble. Sam Wilson uses this prophetic style in his own speech. While he still does the work to protect the United States and America’s allies, he does not shy away from telling them they’re wrong. He does his duty as Captain America, yet recognizes a higher authority and truth, and speaks for this truth when America most needs to hear it. Sam does something that the Flagsmashers couldn’t do; he leads the way to change. Unlike the Flagsmashers, he doesn’t do so with violence but with peace. He recognizes that the world is filled with violence, yet he finds a better way. While not with the same sacrifice, this is not unlike Jesus. The Salvation of Jesus is rooted in his death, which was a result of the world’s violence against Him. Yet Jesus never gave into that violence, even when it impacted His earthly life. Sam gives us a way to live into what Jesus taught in this world. He shows us the way to be good citizens while at the same time speaking the truth when those in power desperately need to hear it.
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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. Please note, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is rated TV-14. People have a lot of strong emotion about John Walker in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which goes to show how well Wyatt Russell played the character. Most of those feelings were dislike. We see that from the characters in the show too, especially from Bucky. Sam Wilson doesn’t appear very fond of John Walker either, which makes sense. After Wilson gave Captain America’s shield to the Smithsonian, the U.S. Government decides to give it to Walker to be the new Captain America. While Walker has an impressive service record, there’s something he seems to lack in living up to Steve Rogers’ legacy. Yet when Sam and Bucky need help in going up against the Flagsmashers, Sam is the first of them willing to work with John Walker. He puts aside their differences and his frustration to do the work they’ve been given to do. Later in grief over losing his friend, John Walker uses the shield to kill the wrong Flagsmasher with all the world watching. Sam Wilson could easily have immediately turned Walker in. Instead, he gives him the opportunity to come in and salvage what might be left of his legacy. Sadly, Walker does not take him up on his offer. The call to forgiveness doesn’t mean we have to like the other person. It doesn’t mean we have to excuse their behavior. Jesus certainly doesn’t (See John 8:11). What it means is offering a way forward. In the community of the Body of Christ, it means realizing we are all trying to do God’s work, and we can do that together, even if we don’t like every aspect of the people we sometimes do that work with. Please note, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is rated TV-14. Sam Wilson has gotten thrown into a lot in his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While out on a morning run, he meets Steve Rogers. Then Steve and Natasha show up at his house while on the run from Hydra. Then he ends up fighting alongside them, becoming an Avenger, running from the law as an unregistered hero, and being lost in the blip before returning 5 years later. In all this time, Sam is referred to as many things. Often his skills as a listener are overlooked as others in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier call him "naive". Yet Sam still has hope. Sam expresses why he has that hope in these words: What would be the point of all the pain and sacrifice if I wasn't willing to stand up and keep fighting? That pain is not only Sam's, but the pain of all who have come before him and all who look like him out there in the world. Sam's hope was to go out and change the world, even before he became the Falcon. He continues that journey not because he is naive about the world, but because he wants to take the heartache of life and transform it. This willingness to keep standing is what allowed Paul to continue to preach the Gospel even when he was in prison. It is what kept Paul going even when he was about to be sentenced to death. It is also what led Jesus to die on the Cross. Through that suffering, Jesus knew He would transform all of our lives so we could finally live for the better. Sam is willing to keep on fighting the good fight in order to make the world a better place. Our hope is that we might do the same. Please note, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is rated TV-14. Throughout his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sam Wilson has shown that, aside from his flying skills, he has one of the greatest superpowers out there: listening. Part of this comes from his training as counselor. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we see Sam's listening skill as a genuine attempt to understand. Most powerfully, Sam takes time to even listen to his enemies. This follows the example Jesus gave to us. Jesus sat and listened to and conversed with His enemies, even those who eventually had a hand in his death. Jesus even told us to "love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Sam wants to maintain peace, if at all possible. This is unfortunately not always possible in his world. Yet it is amazing to find a superhero who doesn't immediate go to punch his way our of all his problems. Sam's approach is rooted in the Civil Rights Movement, itself influenced strongly by the teachings of Christ Jesus. The Civil Rights Movement teaches peace while standing firm against racism and oppression. Sam does the same by being willing to find a peaceful solution first, yet fighting to ensure the bad guys don't take any more lives. Sam's greatest superpower is listening. Jesus shows the importance of this skill during His own life and ministry. We would do well to follow both of their examples, even if it means we have to listen to our enemies too. We'll continue to look at Sam Wilson as an example to us of how to be a hero.
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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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