by Stan Lemon
I’m a huge Will Smith fan. I have been most of my life. I remember saving up quarters to buy an old black and white television at a neighbor’s garage sale just so I could watch Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reruns on UPN. My first album was the Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff’s Code Red, which probably pre-dates most who will read this article. Despite my mother’s insistence that I not see Six Degrees of Separation, I broke the fourth commandment and snuck to the theater to see Will Smith’s first movie. Later on I would collect all of his movies and albums. I even enjoyed and own Wild Wild West despite getting horrible reviews at the Box Office. I’m a huge Will Smith fan.
I went to see Hancock because there isn’t a Will Smith movie I haven’t seen. I’ve never been disappointed. I learned how to be cool from Men in Black and I even learned how to date from Hitch. I figured after movies like Pursuit of Happiness and I am Legend Will couldn’t make bad movies. I spoke to soon…
Hancock unfortunately follows in a growing trend of Box Office Bombs that have all-star lineups, decent story lines and awful writing. Will’s character is original and kind of cool, He’s an alien created as part of a pair. His pair is his true love, and when he is near her he becomes mortal – weak. Love kind of does that to people… He becomes estranged from his love after a blow to the head. Depressed that he doesn’t know who he is he becomes self-destructive while putting people in jail.
It’s kind of cool when you think about it; here is a superhero whose weakness is another whom he has been made especially for. Created for that individual our superhero becomes weak, taking on mortality in love rather than immortality. Then, to top it all off our superhero finds that when the world is after him they go after his love. In the end, the superhero’s love finds death and only through the superhero’s seeking his own death does his love find life.
If you set aside the fact that Hancock is a vulgar drunk in the beginning of the movie we can begin to see a bit of a Christocentric character in Him. Our Lord’s “weakness” is His flesh, which He takes on not to get closer to God but to get closer to man. In His weakness He is the Father’s love, dying on a Cross for the forgiveness of our sins. There too, in His death we are raised from our own death, freed from our bondage and resurrected to a new life in Him. Still now, when our Lord comes close to us it’s not as a superhero – not in glory or majesty, but rather in lowly mortality, flesh and blood. Our Lord’s love is in His death, in taking and eating and taking and drinking His body and blood, given and shed for you. All this because the Lord and maker of all has begotten His Son in order to save us.
All in all I suggest waiting for this one to come out at the Family Video. While I appreciate the story and think it was a rather original superhero spin, the dialogue is so bad it’s almost painful at times. Will Smith fans be warned; this movie just doesn’t measure up. I give this summer blockbuster three lemons, it’s bad but it still has Will Smith so it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever seen.
Stan Lemon, also known as The Fresh Prince of the Burgh, lives in Pennsylvania with his dog Ivan and wife Sara.
Our Old Testament reading tells of Adam and the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life. One of the questions people like to ask pastors is: If God knew Adam and Eve would sin, why did He put the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden? Why did God make something they were forbidden to eat? Why did He do that? It’s like He’s playing games or something. Testing them to see if they slip up. No, that is not why.
The Lord teaches us that first and foremost is His Word. But our heavenly Father also promises to give us all that we need for our body and life. We are to trust Him, because He gives us his Word of life and that same Word of life gives us salvation and tells us that the Lord will provide for us in this life. Adam taught his wife differently and that sin has been with us ever since. Rather than having God’s Word first, we run around trying to grab all the stuff of this life. Rather that having God’s Word as our highest treasure, we think the most important things in our life are the things we can buy. The Devil loves to tell us the lie: “Well, you can’t eat God’s Word. You can’t make your car run by stuffing pages of the Bible in your gas tank. You can’t power your house with God’s Word. God’s Word doesn’t give you anything. It’s just words and talk. That can’t keep you belly full and a roof over your head.” And we believe the Devil! We listen to that! We really do think like that! The Lord says, “I will give you everything you need. Just believe and trust in my Word and make that the most important thing in your lives.” No way! Too much chance there. Can’t be sure I’ll have a full tummy! Do you know what that makes us when we think like that? Do you know what we are when we doubt the Lord will take care of us?
That’s why He feeds the 4,000. Why were the 4,000 there? They had been listening to His Word. Their first concern was His Word. Because His Word saves them. His Word is true food. His Word is life. But just because His Word is life, doesn’t mean daily bread is not important. So Jesus, to show that He is true God whose Word gives life but who also provides all that we need for our body and life, feeds the 4,000.
And when you doubt. When you worry. When you are filled with unbelief. Come and see Jesus feed the 4,000. It’s no random detail that St. Mark throws in when he writes that Jesus took the bread, gave thanks and broke it and distributed it. That ought to remind us of the Lord’s Supper. And here is the truth that the Lord’s Supper teaches us: that Jesus is our Lord not just for eternal life but for now. He doesn’t just give us forgiveness of sins, our “get out of jail” card for later, He provides for and cares for us now. God is not just our God someday but today, not just for heaven but for earth, not just for spiritual things, but for bodily gifts as well. When we eat and drink the Lord’s body and blood, the bread and wine feed our bodies. The body and blood forgive our sins and keep us in Him unto eternal life. Just as Jesus is true God and true man, so He would teach us that just as He dies for our sins and makes us God’s children, so He provides for us all that we need to live in this life. Come and receive Jesus’ body and blood because it takes away your sins. His body, the bread of Life, His blood, shed for you, wipe out your worrying, your coveting, making idols out of your stuff, all of your sins. It is His promise of life and salvation, that He who has given His own Son will also with Him graciously give you all things.
“All good things must come to an end,” the expression goes. Yet it is not entirely true.
What a joy and privilege to gather around your own pastor for the next twelve months, receiving the gifts Christ freely gives, until you join hundreds of others at 
Anakin Skywalker had a problem. Okay, so he had quite a few problems. But one thing that truly plagued him was a fear of suffering, death and separation. There had been no father in his life. At age nine he left his mother behind, in slavery, as he began a new life. When he returned, she had been captured and tortured, and it was too late; she died before his eyes. He was later tormented by dreams of his wife and unborn child dying – all the while being deceived and tempted by a prince of lies to curse the Light Side of the Force. And after he has lost everything, he goes into a rage and destroys the things around him as he screams in utter agony.
The difference between the two, of course, (other than the fact that Anakin is fictional) is Christ. Anakin did not know Christ. He had faith in a power that could be manipulated and twisted into his own image. He believed that he could learn to have power over death, and in the midst of his own suffering, selfishly tried to regain control so that all things could serve his warped idea of what was good.
Anakin was crushed by his traumas and suffering. He fell into a terrible life of serving evil and causing others to suffer. Misery loves company. “If I have to feel this bad, then I’m bringing you down with me.”
This hope is far more than a wish. It is not just a daydream, or something you would like someday.
Today I had a high privilege and honor: preaching for Matins at a Higher Things conference! I have to admit: preaching for a Higher Things conference gives more pressure than a typical Sunday. There are great preachers of Christ’s Gospel here, and youth whom they have catechized well. A “Higher” standard is expected. Because of that, I scrapped my first homily about one-third of the way through writing it. And boy! Am I glad I did.
Highlights? Well, to begin with, yesterday had a highlight that I forgot to mention at 1:00 a.m. when I blogged. I ran into my third grade teacher. Thirty years ago she was probably one of the early influences that planted the seed for me to desire to pursue the ministry.
Over 800 youth, pastors, and adult chaperones blended their voices in singing Luther’s great hymn, A Mighty Fortress, in St. Francis Xavier College Church on the campus of Saint Louis University. The soaring gothic architecture, beautiful stained glass, statues of our Lord, and of course Higher Things’ processional crucifix were a feast for the eyes, while the organ, trumpet, and voices carried the Word into our ears. Thus began our four days of worship, work, and play at 
