This past week, an epic showdown took place that has been much anticipated for a very long time. This battle has been talked about, blogged about, speculated about for months. People have gotten into huge arguments over which side is right, which side is the one they are pulling for. No, I am not talking about the Republican or Democratic debates. I am talking about the preview for the new “Captain America: Civil War” movie due to release in May 2016.
I’ve been a comic book fan for quite a long time. I can talk about comic book characters and story arcs longer than most people can talk about anything. I know more about Wolverine’s origin story than my own children. I have a collection of comic books stored in four huge plastic bins in my old bedroom in my parents’ house in NJ that I refuse to let my mom throw out. I’ll be 33 years old this year. My mom hates me.
We have this nook in the entryway of our home that my wife Mina likes to decorate with seasonal paraphernalia like garlands and bells at Christmas. I make sure that a Batman figure is prominently exhibited in front of the display. Whenever Mina takes it down, I promptly put it back up despite her warnings of impending death. My wife hates me.
My kids have tons of super hero Legos and other figurines. I get really upset with them when they mix up the pieces and lose them. I yell at them and make them put them back in the right places and play with them “with the respect due to Silver Surfer and Green Lantern.” My kids hate me.
Some people might say, “David, it’s time to grow up. Let’s move on from comic books and focus on, you know, raising your children.” To them, I’d respond, “Is being a grown up that fun? Is it really that much better to let go of things you used to love as a child but is frowned upon now that you’re older? Am I supposed to stop laughing at fart jokes now too?” As the apostle Paul said, “BY NO MEANS!”
Sometimes, we the church take being a Christian too seriously. We sit around and debate matters of theology and church business as if we are the very gatekeepers of all that is holy. We sit in service and worship with frowns on our face, perhaps in concentration, but where is the joy? Where is our childlike faith? Where is our unbridled excitement and anticipation to be with our Father? Maybe for some of us, we’ve been at this “church” thing too long. Maybe for some of us, we feel like God stuff has to be serious stuff – this is the Creator of FOREVER we’re talking about, right?
Yes, this is all true. And 1 Corinthians 13:11 says “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” But I think this has to do with matters of spiritual maturity, not necessarily the posture of our heart before our Father. As a father myself, nothing makes me happier than when my kids are happy…especially when they’re just happy to be with me. So while we should all be growing up into adults in terms of spiritual maturity, let’s remain children in our joy and anticipation of being with our Father.
Also, who wants to watch Captain America: Civil War with me? My mom, wife, and kids all refuse to go.
From Pastor David’s Heart
March 13, 2016