These blog entries have their beginnings in a variety of times, places and moods. Sometimes I can be poring over the Bible and come across an idea to expand. Other times I could be talking with wife or other friends and certain things may motivate me to blog. Still other times events in the day might conspire to get me to put finger to keyboard.
This blog entry came about when I woke up with this on my mind – take a look.
This isn’t a nostalgic reminisce about brilliant children’s cartoons of yester-year. Though it should be carefully noted, it was a brilliant children’s cartoon from yester-year. I enjoyed watching it with all the other cartoons of the time. In fact I liked it so much, I committed the speech to memory and was able to impress my friends at university by reciting LIVE on student radio. True story, whilst in my teens I came across an article written in a Christian periodical that suggested that programmes like He-Man had a corrosive effect on those who watched it because of its tendency to glorify good magic as opposed to bad magic. Intriguing argument. I wonder what they’d make of C.S. Lewis’ works?
This blog isn’t about that issue, though. What the opening of He-Man inspired was a question about power – that’s why the blog entry has the title it has. You may have noticed Adam/He-Man declaring he was the most powerful man in the universe which is betrothed to him when he holds aloft the sword and refers to its source before acclaiming his ownership of ‘the power’ or as he puts it, ‘the powerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr’. Whilst we’re on cultural references, I’m sure that somewhere in mind there could be a reference to a hit pop tune of yester-year by a flash-in-the-pan group called Black Box who came up with a tune called ‘I’ve Got The Power’.
The thought, however, was do we really have the power? It is something we take very seriously. Often quests for freedom are actually missions to assert the power of the individual as though they have such a thing. The way our society is ruled is also given a nominal basis of being based on the people hence democracy (power to the people if you will). Individually or collectively, there is something about having the power. There is something about wielding ability and strength in a manner that others recognise and immediately respond in awe and respect.
During my diversion I wrestled with the issue of having power (truth be told I haven’t really finished wrestling with it at all). Closely linked to it’s brother control, the power trip is a very prevalent one that people often take for granted. Children leave home acrimoniously, businesses split, churches divide and couples divorce because of such trips. Rather than giving up power in its possessive view, we go to extents to attain it, then maintain it, then gradually get more of it.
Do we really have the power? Even if we did have it, is it something we’re really keeping, or are we giving it over to something we choose to prioritise and before we know it, that which we prioritise has power over us. Even the quest for power itself can overwhelm us and have us in its grasp in the never ending pursuit for more power. Power to control relationships, power to control resources, power to wield to our own ends and means.
The thing about being a Christian is that often we’ll verbally state that power belongs to God and we acknowledge Him as the All-Powerful One. Yet in practice our lives are still lived as though we have the power. Worse still, some of us may even believe that God has given us the power to wield in such a self-serving way – the power to get wealth, the power to get health, the power to gain influence for own ends in different aspects of our lives with little to no concern for God’s will and desire for our lives.
The man with the legitimate claim to be The Most Powerful Man in the Universe, spent 33 years on earth exercising His mighty power to serve others, show mercy and humility and express that to the point of the cross. When confronted with the official governing authority of the day He stated that He could have wiped out everyone with just a hail to the heavenly host, but He chose to be beaten, scorned, rejected and crucified. Then He invited us to walk in His way. That’s not quite the kind of power trip I had in mind.
As ever in and of itself, there is nothing wrong with power. Sadly it has been so heavily laden with negative connotations – helped by statements like power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely – that a refreshing new look at the power of God in the life of Christ seems to contradict everything we believe about power. For example the view of self-serving power is negated by the very power of love that is birthed in giving and releasing for the benefit of others. The example of love again seen in The Most Powerful Man in the Universe highlights this. Greater love has no man than what … and then what are told to do with that love?
As I mentioned the Jesus type of power exercised goes against our mentality. Where we love to big up ourselves and our achievements, the Jesus type of power gives glory to God and serves others. It is the fascinating apparent paradox of power that we are invited to truly live out. For indeed the children of God have the power. They can hold aloft their Bibles and declare they have the powerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr and that won’t be seen in taking on the evil forces of Skeletor (a great cartoon villain it has to be said). They display it sacrificial, humble, merciful, peace-making, forgiving, life-celebrating acts.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
Life With CD 