I watched The Blank Panther with my boys tonight. To be frank, I’m getting tired of super hero movies. There are only so many things you can blow up and survive being blown up by. But I liked this movie, mostly because it wasn’t over the top blowing stuff up.
I work with lots of doctors and nurses from Africa. Some from Eritrea. Some Nigeria. Watching a superhero movie tonight that elevated the beauty and worth of the imago dei in dark-skinned Africans made me feel good and look up. Watching it made my heart cry, “How long Lord?”
How long until the beauty of the kingdom of the King of people from every tribe, tongue and nation puts an end to the wickedness that elevates one race or tribe or tongue above another? How long?!
It’s not for me to know. But tonight a Marvel movie made me ponder the beauty of a time to come when our weapons will be changed into tools for growing things, and cultures, tongues, dress and beauty of all shades will flourish for the glory of the King who laid down his life to absorb all the evil in us so that we could live out all the righteousness in him.
He is the real super hero all our super hero movies dream about. He made a mockery of all the powers that rule by oppression and lies when he let his body bear my wickedness on a Roman torture device. A mockery. It would seem to all of us that his death was the mockery. But he rules over death. He swallowed death up and lives.
And in me and in my brothers in sisters in Africa, Afghanistan, Mexico, Guatemala, China, Papua New Guinea… and every unknown family and tribe all over the world he has come to dwell. He is more powerful than a purple flower. More potent than an infinity stone. He is God and he lives in me. And by the same upside-down super power that raised him from the dead, I am a whole new woman who can lay down my life willingly. My King laid down his life. No one took it from him. And he lives in me. No one can take him from me.
‘After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” ‘
Revelation 7:9-12
Sheila Dougal 