“It’s not an S”
In the new Superman movie, Man of Steel, Lois Lane asks the hero what the letter ‘S’ means on his chest. Superman says, “It’s not an ‘S’. On my world it means hope.”
In this era of U.S. culture heroes are hard to come by. Sports figures, politicians, and even religious leaders fail us. Perhaps the most recent epic fail occurred this year when Lance Armstrong confessed to Oprah Winfrey that he used performance enhancement drugs to win races. He was stripped of his 7 Tour de France titles by the Anti-Doping Agency. Lance survived cancer and competed on the highest levels but he is no longer considered a super-man.
Who will we turn to now? Expectations have changed. Instead of looking to top-performers, people are looking to their neighbors.
The new hero is the local citizen, the common person doing something ordinary with extraordinary passion. Consider the surging popularity of Indie culture: Indie films, music, and art are capturing people’s attention more than the masterpieces of the elite creative class. Consider Oz, the Great and Powerful, which esteems the “good man” over the “great man.” (I’ll write more about this on a later post).
“On our world” people are finding hope not in the super but in the regular, everyday person. We are inspired by someone we know who is doing something with all their heart! It’s not an ‘S’, not a “super” we’re looking for; it’s hope we want.
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Great post Rob. I am preaching through Acts right now and have been struck by a similar point over and over again. Those early Jesus followers were ordinary people, too. We now call them heroes of the faith, but in those early days they were people who had responded to the extraordinarily Good News of Jesus that was transforming them while also being empowered by the extraordinary power of The Holy Spirit. These early Jesus followers (many of them nameless and forgotten) were used to change the world. We don’t need to be super or extraordinary. God uses the ordinary people like us over and over again.
Jerry- did you see Michael’s comment? Here is a link that you might find interesting, maybe useful for a follow-up sermon in Acts. http://youtu.be/3O54MAR2CGA
Now that I’ve seen the movie, I can finally read this blog! Thank you for reminding us who real heroes are.
A little while ago, I wrestled with the idea of ‘what do I need to do to become great’. I often looked at the heroes from the Bible and mor modern day Christian heroes, I started realizing that often, if not always, there was a HUGE price that was paid for their heroic deeds. Often the price was paid by those closest to the ‘hero’. The price often involved sharing their hero with others or with ministry. I wondered how big of a price my ‘heroic’ deeds would cost.
As a father and husband myself, I have contemplated if I am doing all I can be doing for those around me. Am I being that hero I so want to be? At first I used to think about how few people I feel I have impacted. Then my son wants to give me a ‘double-hug’ cuz one hug just is’t good enough. I realized then that the goodness that God has put in my heart to share with my immediate family and close friends around me is what is truly great. (I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the ‘“good man” over the “great man”’ discussion!) It is ordinary people, filled with God’s love and empowered by the Holy Spirit that will give hope to this world. Watching this commercial before a superhero movie I watched with my son brought tears to my eyes – and a great learning moment for the both of us!
http://youtu.be/3O54MAR2CGA
Fantastic video Michael, thanks for sharing it.
What a wonderful thing- the “double-hug.” You are that little guy’s hero, for sure. I am thinking about the verse where Paul says God made some people for noble use and others for common use. I’ve always wanted to be for “noble use,” to be valued, to stand out as extraordinary. But in the economic system of capitalism, it is the person who serves the greatest number of common people who makes the most money. Basketball players serve millions of spectators as an object of entertainment and earn millions of dollars. Thus the saying, “Serve the masses, eat with the classes. Serve the classes, eat with the masses.”
Take that spin and apply it to Paul’s verse, to be made for “common use,” and it could mean greater exposure and greater influence in our day and age. Was Jesus a vessel of “noble use” or “common use?” So, the ordinary vessel, that serves the common people could start a grass-roots movement, in other words. Do we have to be “noble” or “great” to have a great impact on this world? Even though we are not valued or honored as “noble,” we can have a great impact. I think a proper interpretation of Romans 9:19-20 (and in context of the entire chapter) would conclude that whether we are made noble or common, our prayer should be that God use us for His glory! What does it look like for you Michael to be of use for the glory of God?
I believe that contemporary films are an excellent ‘hook’ to share biblical truths. I have not seen ‘Man of Steel,’ so I cannot comment on this particular film, but it appears the marketing is aimed very directly at the Christian market.
I find it interesting, however, that the films that resonate with us are those that bring us hope. Think of Shawshank Redemption, where Red quotes, “Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.” Yet, Andy Dufresne’s entire life resonated hope, and it was actually what kept him sane! Or Lord of the Rings: Two Towers, where Eomer says, “Look for your friends. But do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands.” But they did trust in hope! As Gandalf states, “All our hopes now lie with two little hobbits, somewhere in the wilderness.”
We are living in a world that is losing hope with its heroes, but for those whose faith is in Jesus Christ always have hope! No matter what!
We are looking for hope. All the time. Great post! 🙂 I think people are tired of our heroes failing. We just want to look at those around us who are ordinary people doing the extraordinary.
Jenna- I’m reading Great Expectations in hope of finding out why I’m so disappointed all the time.
While I haven’t seen the newest Superman movie yet I agree with your assessment of hope. We, in America at least, continue to prop people up to unrealistic expectations, only to even “expect” their downfall. We’ve coined the phrase “they are only human” but deep inside our hope is dashed to pieces and disappointment reigns.
Instead of hope in a figurehead of false proportions people are looking for inspiration from those around them. And we are called to shine that hope. Not keep it bottled up inside, but give it away freely. If we keep what we have inside we will inevitably become stagnant, not matter how life giving the wellspring might be.
So when times are serene or shaky – give your hope away. There are those of us who’s “hope is secure” in a firm foundation based on trust in Christ. And that is hope we can share with out fear of disappointment.