A young man in a Superman hoodie is not uncommon but when he sitting in the Beatson Cafe it has a certain impact. I wondered if he was making a statement. Whatever the problem that had brought him here it’s not going to take him down? He is flexing whatever inner resources he needs to see him through? Your imagination tends to reach for the stratosphere when you are passing the time before a clinic. Inevitably you weave stories around the people you see.
There is another way of looking at this. The Superman story is essentially one of deliverance. Some people are a bit sniffy about comic book heroes but they actually connect with something deep within ourselves. Superman comes to Earth from a distant planet and with the help of his powers delivers humankind from all manner of disasters. That’s the template for most of the super-heroes that continue to pack out our cinemas. We just love to see someone sorting out the problems that are beyond us.
Harmless fun. But like every other instinct that bubbles up from time to time we have to keep it in check. It’s one thing to long for a solution to our problems it’s quite another to have those longings focussed on one particular individual. That way dictatorship lies and it it is astonishing how many intelligent and sophisticated people have found themselves on that particular slippery slope. The thing is, when all else fails you are more inclined to go for the option you might never have considered before.
This is why perspective is so important and this is what my faith provides for me. A political party, no matter how clear its objectives and passionate its members, can never address the core problem of humankind. And when I set it down I am aware how out of touch it may seem to many people. But it’s this: we have turned our backs on God and refuse to live according to His ways. We have been created to enjoy the closest of relationships with God. When that is disrupted there are consequences that bring pain and suffering and death. So much of humankind’s resources are focussed on leading us out of these dark shadows of experience but there is no solution within ourselves. That touches the soul only when we catch the vision of the apostle John:
‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’ (John 1: 1-5)
We need a Deliverer who can lead us out of the darkness through forgiveness, renewal and the promise of a future Kingdom founded upon eternal truth. This is transformation in the depths and is the gift of the One who promises a birth in His Spirit. Not something that can be planned, worked up, manipulated but only received in faith. Jesus said:
‘Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3: 14-15)
It’s strange how your thoughts can be led by the sight of something as commonplace as a Superman hoodie. But the young man wearing it is not commonplace. Known by God, loved by God, his need open to God. I hope he becomes deeply aware of all this and finds in Jesus the resources he needs for this time.
