Please note, Iron Man is rated PG-13 Another Avenger I considered for Journey with the Avengers VBS was Iron Man. In many ways, Tony Stark is the perfect look at the move from a life of sin to the life of a disciple. This is because Tony very much lived a life of sin before becoming a superhero. He was selfish and arrogant, as we see from his very first appearance on screen. Then Tony is captured and forced to try and build a weapon for a group of terrorists. Instead, he works with fellow prisoner Ho Yinsen to build a mechanized suit of armor and escape. Unfortunately, as their plan approaches the end, they need more time. Yinsen helps buy it for them, but dies in the process. Tony thanks him for saving his life. Yinsen tells Tony not to waste it. Yinsen's death for Tony is like Jesus' death for us. It is a sacrifice for us, even though we don't deserve it. Tony certainly didn't. But like Tony with Yinsen, we are changed by Christ Jesus' sacrifice. On returning from being captured, Tony holds a press conference. He says that he saw his weapons being used against American soldiers overseas and that he has learned to accept responsibility for being "part of a system with zero accountability." This is Tony repenting for his former life, just as we repent of our former life of sin in Baptism. At this point in the conference, Tony has been siting. As he repents, he tells the press, "I had my eyes opened." Here he stands. It is a sign of his moving to a different life, just as we do in our Baptism. Tony then tells the press that he will be shutting down Stark Industries' weapons program effective immediately. Tony afterwards begins his new life as Iron Man trying to protect others. Pepper Potts, Tony's assistant, eventually finds out about Tony's new life as a superhero. Worried that he's going to hurt himself, she refuses to help him at first. However, Tony changes her mind by saying: You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction, and now that I'm trying to protect the people that I put in harms way, you're going to walk out?... I shouldn't be alive unless it was for a reason... I just finally know what I have to do. I know in my heart that it's right. This is a sign of the extent of Tony's change. He is no longer being selfish. He wants to help other people for the first time in his life. The same change is hopefully seen in us as we come to new life in Christ Jesus. It is important to note that Tony doesn't come away unscarred. He bears the mark of his past life with the Arc Reactor in his chest keeping the shrapnel that impaled him during his capture from reaching his heart. The same is true for us. We still bear the scar of our sin, even if it isn't always visible, but through the healing of Christ Jesus we, like Tony, are able to move forward into a new and fuller life by being made whole through God's redeeming Grace.
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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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