From the Pulpit: Iron man

The Marvel Comics cinematic universe of films has become the highest grossing movie franchise of all time. Their world-wide box office gross is currently in excess of 21 billion dollars! Wow!   

In 2008, they opened their current run with the comic adaptation of Iron Man. Nominated for two Oscars, it tells the story of a wealthy weapons mogul who is unexpectedly hurled into a journey of self-discovery. Robert Downey, Jr. plays the lead character Tony Stark. As he battles through the realization of what his life work has accomplished, he pours himself into the development of a suit of iron powered by a reactor which propels the wearer to fight evil and deliver justice.  

Stories are powerful. Like Tony Stark’s suit, stories can propel us to new places. Stories can stretch our imaginations. Stories can lead us into self-discovery and improvement. Jesus was a teacher who used the power of story to communicate truth. In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of a father and his son. The son was impatient to move on with life and take his inheritance. The prodigal son takes what was given to him and seeks to blaze his own trail and make a mark in the world. At the bottom his fall from wealth and indulgence, the son has an awakening, his eyes are opened and he decides to return to the father.

How can this story help us? Well, there is hope. Your worst moments don’t define you. Isn’t that great? Never allow your worst moments to define you. We all have moments and decisions that we would like to take back. We also have people who remind us of those decisions. The hope of the gospel, the hope of Jesus is that even in our lowest moments, our darkest days, the Father loves us and is waiting for us to return to Him and receive forgiveness in Jesus’ name. This is the surprising story of grace, the power of the gospel.

Celebrate is excited about our current message series, At the Movies. Over the next three weeks we will be exploring spiritual realities through the lens of recent Hollywood blockbusters. Movies amplify the impact of a story. Not only are they entertainment, they influence culture and ideas.

Ben Affleck once said, “Movies are our children’s education.” What if the church could leverage film to impact faith conversations with the next generation? This Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m. we will be looking through the lens of Star Wars, and the ongoing battle of good and evil in The Force Awakens. If you do not have a church home, and are seeking to connect with a spiritual family, I’d invite you to join us at 900 N. Splitrock Blvd., for a one of a kind cinematic experience and some free popcorn.