Superpowers1
09-20-09
Suppose you could have one of two super powers, the power of invisibility or the power of flight, which power would you choose? Would you rather fly free in the sky like Superman, or would you rather be able to turn invisible? Here are the constraints: whatever power you pick, you will be the only person in the world to have that particular super power and you can’t choose both. It’s one or the other. Now let’s be clear: Invisibility means the power to become transparent at will, including your clothing, but anything you may pick up is visible. So, someone could possibly know of your presence. Flight means the power to fly at any altitude within the earth’s atmosphere at speeds up to 1,000 mph, but you don’t get invulnerability or super strength. So if you accidentally hit a tree or bridge or another flying object, it might result in some serious injuries. So which do you choose: flight or invisibility?
Think about your options for a moment. Now that you have your super power, what do you do with it? This very question came up for us at our JAM (Jesus & Me group for 2nd-5th grade) gathering last Sunday. We played a game in which we tossed a beach ball between one another. On this beach ball are several questions, and when you catch the ball you look under your right thumb. Whatever question is under your right thumb is the question you try and answer. One of the JAM-mers got the following question, "if you were invisible for an hour what would you do." Well this young person flashed a big smile and said, "I would start by poking my brother over and over again, and then I would sneak into the pantry and steal all the candy, and then I would go around and scare everybody I could." You have to admit, it sounds tempting.
How would you handle a superpower? "On NPR’s program This American Life, John Hodgman conducted an informal, unscientific survey asking the question: Which is better? The power of flight, or the power of invisibility? What he found surprised him. No matter which power people chose, they used it in self-serving ways. Their plans weren’t often flashy or heroic. In fact, they were almost never heroic, nor even simply kind. Here’s something that hardly anyone ever mentioned in his interviews — "I will use my power to fight crime." No one seemed to care about crime or justice. Nobody wanted to work for peace — personal, local or worldwide. No one tried to be merciful, or even just plain helpful. Hodgman wondered why no one wanted to take down organized crime, bring hope to the hopeless, swear vengeance on the underworld. If only a little bit.
One typical respondent, who had chosen flight, commented, "I don’t think I’d want to spend a lot of my time using my power for good. I mean, if I don’t have super strength and I’m not invulnerable it would be very dangerous. If you had to rescue somebody from a burning building you might catch on fire. Just having the power of flight, I don’t think it’s necessarily quite enough because you don’t have the super strength. I’d still be weak when I got there. I don’t fight crime now." He finished with — "I’d go to Paris, I suppose. I could be ‘Going to Paris Man.’"2
"Going to Paris Man" is not a superhero. But his answer is telling. If we’re honest, it might just be a reaction that represents many of us. Let’s face it, right now, when the stability of this nation, is unstable at best, we might not have the heart or wisdom to use our superpowers to do good. It might just be too easy to orchestrate private gain for ourselves, or even enact a little of that sweet revenge that pops up into our heads every so often. Heck, with invisibility or flight we could at least give ourselves the illusion of control and stability in our lives.
Nobody interviewed on This American Life took responsibility for others less fortunate than themselves by using their super powers for the common good. No one was interested in saving the drowning puppy, corralling the bad guys, helping the underdog, or messing with corrupt governments. As it turns out most people secretly, have oodles of selfishness. Anyone surprised by this? We shouldn’t be. Selfishness is part of the wisdom of the world. I think it is part of being human in a human society, governed by a human government, and participating in human systems. We think about ourselves a lot. We worry about ourselves and how others perceive us a lot. We want to be happy, healthy, and loved. The apostle James knows this about us — that we all have a level of selfishness and a powerful set of human cravings. We may successfully hide our private jealousies and desires from others, but these are, as James points out, a devilish, destructive wisdom.
If we were to have the super powers of flight or invisibility, it probably wouldn’t change our character a whole lot. In fact, as is sometimes the case, with newly acquired skills and things, using our super powers might reveal our true character. Hodgman found that his interviewees, like our young disciple in JAM, very straightforwardly concocted schemes that they happily shared aloud with him. Everyone he interviewed relied on their new super powers to achieve their personal desires, like poking their brothers and stealing candy. The typical response when asked what one would do if invisible, was sneak into the movies, steal designer clothes at fine department stores, spy on coworkers or love interests or exes, eavesdrop on conversations about themselves, or slip onto airplanes for free rides. Almost everyone Hodgman spoke with called invisibility the sneaky power.
People who choose to fly stop taking public transportation; they give up their cars. They check out the bar scene by flying in and around, they try and attract the opposite sex with their amazing power, and then they fly off to Paris, or Vienna, or Rio. Flight may be considered the super power of self-aggrandizement. Such desires as these — stealing clothes or bar hopping are decidedly earthly, and essentially and deeply unspiritual. Predominantly the interviewees were all self-serving.
The superpower we need is divine wisdom. James calls it wisdom from above. The Old Testament calls this wisdom Sophia; the New Testament commonly calls it the Holy Spirit. In Proverbs, the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." In the Psalms it is meditation on the law of God. In James, it is something for which we should ask of God who gives generously to all without finding fault (1:5)."3 Divine wisdom is characterized by certain traits. James lays them out for us. They are purity, peacefulness, "gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy" (3:17). That’s why it is divine wisdom. Have you ever met anyone without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy?
This wisdom is a standard by which to strive for; a wisdom to remember when facing big and small decisions. In other words, James is arguing that you can talk all you want about being wise, smart, powerful, but unless your life bears witness to good works, you’re not too wise. He writes, "Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom" (3:13).
James is telling the people of the church that we tend to deceive ourselves with a false wisdom. So often we approach each other in the world with envy or with selfish ambition. James reminds us that when we interact with each other from a place of envy, or merely because we want something for ourselves, we tend to run into problems. Out of envy and selfishness, comes misunderstandings, hurt feelings, false connection, anger, disorder, you name it. The more we dispute the more we crave.
The nice thing about James is he is never one to leave us without some practical advice. Do we want to be truly wise and powerful? Let me paraphrase James’ words for you: center first on God. Draw near to God and confess to God our selfish desires and envies. Humble ourselves and remember that the world does not revolve around us. Take relationships seriously, striving not just for peace but for honesty and authenticity. And we must do our best to resist those desires that we know will destroy ourselves and others. We all have these desires in our lives, but learning to keep them in check, and to express ourselves in honest, but less damaging ways will go a long ways towards peace and understanding in this world. Unless our inner focus shifts from the earthly to the spiritual we’ll wreak greater havoc on ourselves and others.
Without super powers we’re able to do sufficient damage. With the gift of holy wisdom, a super power given to those who ask God, we can, even in our weaknesses, learn to live lives of mercy, purity, peacefulness and gentleness, which is exactly what James tell us God wants for us and from us. God’s wisdom is a gift to all of us. All of us have the potential to be channels of spiritual wisdom for our own greater good and for the good of those around us. All we have to do is ask. Ask, receive, use the super power of God’s holy wisdom. Build relationships. Be authentic. Center on God. Work for peace. Love with all your heart. Be humble. And you will be greater than any superhero. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Blessings,
Melissa
1This sermon is based largely on a
sermon written by Taylor, Bob, Invisibility or Flight?, Homiletics, September
2003
2Hodgman, John. This American Life: Super Powers, National Public
Radio, thislife.org.
3Taylor, Bob, Invisibility or Flight?, Homiletics,
September 2003