You Are in a Superhero Story

Spider-Man: Homecoming. What do I say? It stole my heart, made me laugh, took me by surprise, and got me thinking. Here what I started thinking about: a superhero story is a bit like the life of following Jesus. Take the following synopses for example:

(Most) Superhero stories: A gifted individual fights against a force of evil to save helpless people.

Life: God fights against sin to save us.

Uncanny, right?


Let's break it down, shall we?


God




God is the hero, and He's pretty super. Superhero. However, unlike the stories we watch in theaters, God is, well, God. He is the most gifted, able, powerful, and knowledgeable being. Ever. There is nothing He cannot do, and there is nothing He has to do. He answers to no one, follows no Socovia Accords, and doesn't have an origin story. Unlike the heroes we create, God doesn't have a weakness or Achilles heal. He doesn't succumb to pride or anger.


Fights against



I'm not one for the fight scenes. It's not because I'm chicken; it's because I'm bored. Unless well done, fight scenes bore me for one main reason: I already know who wins.

In movies, this may be a bad thing, but in the true Story, this is a beautiful thing. God wins. We don't need to hold our breath in anticipation to see if God will win the battles around us. He already won. He's so powerful and in control that there never was a question of whether or not He would succeed in His mission.


Sin




Who messed up the world? Who ushered sin into earth to infect our hearts and break apart everything that God just declared "very good"?

We did.

We made a mess, and we've been living in the filth of it ever since. The surprising part of the Story is not that God won the fight, it is that He came down to fight it. He came down to take His own blows against sin. He came down to bear the punishment He issued against our disobedience.


To Save




When the hero saves the city, country, world, and/or galaxy, it moves us. Things are now right in the world, and the people are safe. For now. However, these superheros save imperfectly. That's why they make so many subsequent stories, because the world keeps needing to be saved.

God saves perfectly, though. His Story doesn't need a sequel. There isn't a God Saves Mankind Vol. 2. The first Story is all that we will ever need and more. That doesn't mean that He isn't working to further His Story now, but there is only one Gospel, and it saves completely for all eternity.


Us




In Spider-Man: Homecoming, was the movie about Peter or about the people Peter saved? Spoiler alert: it wasn't about the people, not really. They had an important role to play, but they got, if any, a few seconds of screen time. Peter got a couple of hours of screen time.

The same applies to God's Story. God's Story is about Him, not us. The central character, the person whose name is in the title, is God. We didn't go to see The People of NYC: Homecoming. We went to see Spider-Man: Homecoming. 

This is humbling for us at first, because it means that, suddenly, the Story isn't about us. Life isn't contingent upon our abilities. After we get rid of pride, though, we can start to live in the freedom of our small role in the huge Story. We are saved from sin, and saved for a purpose, to glorify God.




So, if you ever wanted your life to be more like what you see in superhero movies, look a little closer. Superhero stories mirror God's Story in the world, a Story that we get play a small role in!

Imagine how stocked you would be if you got to be in the crowd of Infinity Wars. If you are anything like me, you would freak out! God's Story is so much bigger and more glorious than any other story (including your favorite superhero story), and we are in it. God has invited us into His Story. Let the freaking out begin.


Do you like superhero stories? Did you see Spider-Man: Homecoming? What do you think about playing a tiny role in the most epic superhero story ever? Comment all of the thoughts and feels below!

Princess Hannah