Dark Brilliance - Part 4 "the Last Word"

Finishing this series on the Dark Knight, I have only a few things to say. I do believe it's a great example of the embodiment of truth, the truth of the gospel, the redemption of humanity - and in the final scene of the movie, I experienced it in a profound way. I experienced it not because it was clever, but because, at the heart of humanity, in the depths of our souls, the redemption of evil is the real story. But what to do with this experience?

Here, in this movie, whether intentional by the writers or director or not, I find a window... No, make that a doorway into the depths of the human situation and a doorway into our souls. The questions raised resonate through our lives and the fact that Batman embodies the greatest need, the story of redemption, provides an opportunity for us to ponder and to discuss issues of faith and issues of Jesus. Some of us Christians talk about evangelism, about sharing our faith with the world. The truth is, it's out there. The story is alive, living and breathing if we can have eyes to see and ears to hear it. Christ is not dead. What it requires of us is to recognize where God is, recognize those 10,000 places where Jesus is playing, and meet people there.

Seriously. If we've experienced Jesus, and we recognize him somewhere, doesn't the depths of our souls cry out to be, nothing less than a sign-post for others to meet Jesus there? And what does that take, being vulnerable? Sharing a little piece of our story? If truly, it is redemption that is at the heart of the story, redemption of evil and not the violent conquest of it, than the humble offering of our story, simply pointing to what we've experienced in Christ and where - that's the response called for. We don't need a crusade, we don't need to violently overthrow others who disagree. If redemption is the last word, than all our words in between need only be faithful to the inevitable - a penultimate note to the ultimate note which will come not from us, but in the redemption of humanity by Jesus himself.

I'm praying that I'll recognize and plug into those places where I can sing a few notes. For me, The Dark Knight is a catalyst and can be a springboard into the song. I'm curious what you think...


Part 1 - "Postmodern Story"
Part 2 - "the Truth"
Part 3 - "the Experience"