The Avengers vs. Jesus

 Last weekend, I went to see The Avengers with some friends.  I wasn't really expecting to like the movie since I'm not really into superheroes and I knew nothing about any of these heroes.  Of course, I'd heard my brother talk about them, but besides their names, I couldn't have cared less. :)

 So when I saw The Avengers, I was very surprised that I liked it!  I didn't just like it as in "oh, it was okay for a superhero movie".  I liked it as in, "Woah!  That was awesome, let's quote the movie all the way home!". :)  But that night, as I was doing my devotions, my verse of the day was Psalm 33:20 which says, "...He is our help and our shield".  I thought it was funny how God put that verse there for me to see that night.  He was reminding me that He is THE superhero!  There are six main Avengers, which, put all together are a forced to be reckoned with (by humans).  However, Jesus is one -- just one -- whose qualities and abilities surpass these six superheroes all together.

 Steve Rogers, once a puny, soldier-wanna-be, became Captain America in the 1940's when Mr. Stark (Iron Man's father) did an experiment on him, which resulted in him becoming super strong.  Captain America's weapon is not only his strength, but his shield which is made of the remaining of a rare element.  As seen in the movie Captain America, he sacrifices his life to save New York City.  He crashes an aircraft and supposedly dies, yet, when the aircraft is discovered in 2011, he is found frozen -- but he's still alive.

"The Lord is my strength and my shield..."   ~Psalm 28:7

Romanoff: they're basically gods. [describing Loki & Thor]

Captain A: Ma'am, there's only one God and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that.

 One part of the Captain America movie that stood out to me was when Steve Rogers was still the weakling.  He had enlisted in the Army and was in training when a sergeant, who didn't believe Rogers was good enough to be in the Army, threw an object and shouted grenade.  The other soldiers in training all ran and hid, but Rogers jumped on top of the "grenade" to protect everyone else.  That shows what kind of man Steve Rogers is.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."   ~Romans 5:8

 Thor, the Norse god of thunder, also has out-of-this-world strength.  He has some back-story, but since I haven't seen Thor, the movie, I don't know what it is. ;)  His weapon is a hammer which, I think, has some magnetic pull to Thor, so whenever he reaches for it, no matter where it is, it flies at him.

Banner: I don't think we should be focusing on Loki.  That 

guy's brain is a bag full of cats.  You can smell crazy on him.

Thor: Have a care how you speak....He is my brother.

Romanoff: he killed eighty people in two days.

Thor: He's adopted.

"Is not my word like fire," declares the Lord, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?"  ~Jeremiah 23:29

 Bruce Banner is a regular man who becomes Hulk -- an ugly green giant.  Although Banner can work hard to control himself from becoming Hulk, when he transforms into the monster, he is no longer in control of himself and ends up hurting those he cares about.  Hulk's strength is just as great as his size.

Loki: I have an army.

Stark: We have a Hulk.

I liked Banner a lot better than Hulk.  Plus, I thought Hulk was scary.  Hence this photo.

"...And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear..."                          ~1 Corinthians 10:13

"my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.  He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior -- from violent people you save me."                                         ~2 Samuel 22:3

 Iron Man was created by multi-billionaire, genius, and head of Stark Industries, Tony Stark.  Stark has designed an iron outfit that can make him fly, can endure tons of strength, and is embedded with the latest technology.

Rogers: Stark, we need a plan of attack!

Stark: I have a plan: attack!

"...your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."   ~Matthew 6:8

"...He is their stronghold in time of trouble."   ~Psalm 37:39

 Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, is a main character in this movie, however I don't think she's very "superhero-y".  She can certainly fight, and aim guns, but I don't know if she's actually a superhero.  

Stark: Guys, I'm bringing the party to you!

[Iron Man leads bad guys to rest of The Avengers]

Romanoff: I don't see how that's a party.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."   ~Proverbs 31:30

 Hawkeye.  I'd never heard of him before.  He started as a bad guy, but then he converted. :)  He could shoot his bow and arrow like a pro and he's scaling a building in the photo below! 

Romanoff: This is just like Budapest all over again!

Hawkeye: You and I remember Budapest very differently.

"But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down."    ~Psalm 64:7

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand."    ~John 10:28

 Now, that verse was God talking!  No earthly, man-made superhero.  A heavenly, Creator of earth, out-of-this-world superhero.  One who didn't get His strength from being an experiment's guinea pig, or from lightning or from inventing his own iron suit complete with advanced technology.  God isn't superficial.  He's not "too good to be true".  He's as real as the air we are breathing.  He's "the way, the truth, and the life".  

 The Avengers was a good movie.  I can see why little boys like pretending to be superheroes -- they get to save the day!  But no Superman, Iron Man, Captain America can compare to my superhero.

Jesus.  He's my superhero.

Love in Christ,
   Sierra