Redemption for Our Children’s Future
From a sermon delivered on May 27, 2022
In the recent Spider-Man movie, “No Way Home,” there is a redemption moment for the Peter Parker from the Amazing Spider-Man movies—where Spidey is played by Andrew Garfield. In that movie, Peter Parker’s love interest Gwen Stacy dies. She falls backward, flailing her arms, and Garfield’s Spider-Man reaches for her and misses. She continues to fall, and even though Spider-Man is able to catch her with a web, it is not enough to keep the speed of her fall from snapping her neck.
Ten years later, Zendaya’s character MJ falls in a way meant to evoke Gwen Stacy’s death. Falling backward, arms flailing, looking exactly like Stacy did in the Garfield movie, and the Tom Holland Spider-Man reaches for her and misses, exactly like Garfield’s Spider-Man did for Gwen Stacy. But this time, the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man sees what is happening, dives off the Statue of Liberty, catches MJ, and lowers her safely to the ground.
It is so cathartic when movies can bring us redemptive moments like that. Not letting the same mistake happen twice, characters can learn and save lives with what they learn.
And yet tonight, while we are celebrating the children who have learned from us and are moving on to the next stage of their learning, I am feeling particularly helpless as an American that we are not learning. We are not learning, and our children are paying the price.
Another school shooting this week. Another 19 kids and 2 teachers murdered by a weapon that is not for hunting, not for protecting a home, but for war. Another 18 year old boy used a weapon of war on children in a school. Another call for thoughts and prayers. Another group of lawmakers blocking legislation that might help. Another Texas governor blaming mental health as the only issue. Another group of children falling backwards, arms flailing, again and again, and we are not doing anything to save them.
Tonight I want us to celebrate our children. We need that. We need to revel in the accomplishments of these amazing kids who I have known for nine years—half their lives. They are creative, intelligent, funny, proud, outspoken, beautiful children. They are moving on to great things, going to college, spreading their wings as they learn to fly. And I know I speak for more than just your parents when I say we love you. You inspire us. You are a blessing in our lives.
At the same time I want us as a community to act. We have thought and prayed enough. No more empty platitudes. Write to your lawmakers. Senators, Representatives, state and local. You can find their contact information at sentate.gov and house.gov. It is so easy. I have sent a copy of this teaching to them in the hopes that they will take serious action to prevent weapons of war from reaching the hands of non-combatants. I will be asking them to mandate longer waiting periods for background checks, to hold manufacturers and sellers responsible when they allow these weapons to get into the wrong hands, and to consider creating a licensing system for firearm ownership that is taken as seriously as vehicle operation in our country. I ask that you do the same.
If you need help with the wording of your message, I am here. I will be posting on the CBT Facebook page some wording that you can copy or edit or use as inspiration if you are wondering what to say. Let’s flood their offices with emails and phone calls until they understand that the people they represent are in desperate need of redemption.
