This has been a most unusual week for me, as so many of our church families are enduring painful and confusing times of crisis. It has been a while since so many tragedies lined up in one week. And to top it all off, we have a couple of storms out there that may or may not come ashore and affect us. What would it take to cause you to lose your faith and become hopeless?
Kim and I were among the many throngs of people who saw The Dark Knight when it came out in theaters in July. I have been asked by many of you if I have seen it yet and what I thought. Truth is, the movie was such a punch in the gut that I haven't been able to write about it. I think it is the best Batman movie made so far, the best comic book movie I've ever seen (sorry Spider-Man 2), and the best movie I've seen this year (sorry Indiana Jones). I came out of the theater stunned and numb, and after all this time I still cannot shake it. Let me explain why without spoiling the movie for the two or three who haven't seen it yet.
You know the Batman story, how he wages war against crime and corruption in Gotham City, inspiring hope in the citizens and encouraging others to take a stand too. Well, his plan has worked. He has just about defeated the mob and has a plan in place to make it final. Gotham City has a new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, who is a genuine hero, a White Knight, who works with Batman to fight crime. Dent is the hero the city needs, one with a face people can see and know, not like Batman who hides behind a mask. So, Batman thinks that after the two of them take down the mob, he will disappear. There won't be a need for him anymore. Dent will take over and city will be safe. Enter the Joker, who is a new kind of criminal - one with no plan, no motive except chaos, pain, death and destruction. The Joker threatens everything Batman has worked so hard to accomplish, and threatens to take away everything Batman holds dear. The Joker becomes fixated on Gotham's good guys and puts into play a deadly series of events meant to nudge the heroes and all of Gotham's citizens toward insanity, chaos, evil, and brutal violence.
What would it take for you to cross that line that separates good and evil, light and darkness in your life? Literature and mythology abound with stories that explore that fine, thin line within the heart of humanity that separates the heroes from the villains. What would it take to nudge you over the line? What would have to happen to cause you to leave behind sanity and reason, your morals and ethics, to willingly and knowingly break the law of the land and the law of God?
Believe me when I tell you that you have enemies who are at work nudging you ever closer to crossing that line. We all have the capacity for evil, violence, and terrible sin and betrayal. The Bible makes that abundantly clear. The Enemy would like to bring that out in you, and he will use your pain and suffering to tempt you to indulge the worst parts of your nature, just like the Joker did in Gotham City. The good news is there is another way. In the midst of our pain and suffering, our confusion and chaos, we are to turn to Christ, who, through the Holy Spirit living within us, can move us toward peace, wholeness and Christ-likeness. Our situation is not hopeless. Don't give in or give up. There is a light shining in the darkness. Is it shining in you?
Kim and I were among the many throngs of people who saw The Dark Knight when it came out in theaters in July. I have been asked by many of you if I have seen it yet and what I thought. Truth is, the movie was such a punch in the gut that I haven't been able to write about it. I think it is the best Batman movie made so far, the best comic book movie I've ever seen (sorry Spider-Man 2), and the best movie I've seen this year (sorry Indiana Jones). I came out of the theater stunned and numb, and after all this time I still cannot shake it. Let me explain why without spoiling the movie for the two or three who haven't seen it yet.
You know the Batman story, how he wages war against crime and corruption in Gotham City, inspiring hope in the citizens and encouraging others to take a stand too. Well, his plan has worked. He has just about defeated the mob and has a plan in place to make it final. Gotham City has a new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, who is a genuine hero, a White Knight, who works with Batman to fight crime. Dent is the hero the city needs, one with a face people can see and know, not like Batman who hides behind a mask. So, Batman thinks that after the two of them take down the mob, he will disappear. There won't be a need for him anymore. Dent will take over and city will be safe. Enter the Joker, who is a new kind of criminal - one with no plan, no motive except chaos, pain, death and destruction. The Joker threatens everything Batman has worked so hard to accomplish, and threatens to take away everything Batman holds dear. The Joker becomes fixated on Gotham's good guys and puts into play a deadly series of events meant to nudge the heroes and all of Gotham's citizens toward insanity, chaos, evil, and brutal violence.
What would it take for you to cross that line that separates good and evil, light and darkness in your life? Literature and mythology abound with stories that explore that fine, thin line within the heart of humanity that separates the heroes from the villains. What would it take to nudge you over the line? What would have to happen to cause you to leave behind sanity and reason, your morals and ethics, to willingly and knowingly break the law of the land and the law of God?
Believe me when I tell you that you have enemies who are at work nudging you ever closer to crossing that line. We all have the capacity for evil, violence, and terrible sin and betrayal. The Bible makes that abundantly clear. The Enemy would like to bring that out in you, and he will use your pain and suffering to tempt you to indulge the worst parts of your nature, just like the Joker did in Gotham City. The good news is there is another way. In the midst of our pain and suffering, our confusion and chaos, we are to turn to Christ, who, through the Holy Spirit living within us, can move us toward peace, wholeness and Christ-likeness. Our situation is not hopeless. Don't give in or give up. There is a light shining in the darkness. Is it shining in you?
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