This past weekend was an exciting time! We started one of our most popular series—At The Movies—where we look at themes from popular films! This weekend, the church explored Avengers: Endgame. It touches on three important factors that are a part of everyone’s life: LOVE, SACRIFICE, and HOPE. All of these things are preceded by something we don’t like—pain.
Without pain and suffering, there’d be no need for sacrifice. The greatest movies ever made have hurt and pain, and this is seen in Avengers: Endgame. If you’ve seen the film, you know that the various characters face their own personal pain, as well as the shared pain of half the world’s population being wiped out (an event seen in the previous movie Avengers: Infinity War). They lose the ones they LOVE. Thanos is the evil antagonist in the film, and he represents Satan. His idea of making the world right is to destroy those around him. Just like Satan, Thanos makes arguments in the film that almost seem right. He tries to convince those around him that his actions aren’t selfish but are for the greater good. He tries to trap people, something Satan was always trying to do to Jesus in the Bible (Mark 8:11, Matthew 22:15, John 18:14).
The Avengers attempt to make things right and bring back everyone who was lost. This requires SACRIFICE—putting others first and being willing to lay down one’s life. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (NIV). When you think about your life and what you have, are you willing to give it all up for someone else? This is what Jesus did for you on the cross!
When a sacrifice is made, it brings HOPE to those who need it. When Jesus made the decision to make a sacrifice, He wasn’t worried about what others thought of Him or the lies and traps people were setting before Him. He was on a mission. While you can see parallels between sacrifices in the film and Jesus’ sacrifice, Hollywood is missing something. They avoid the one true God, which would ruin the idea that we exist to serve ourselves. When you think of love, sacrifice, and hope, remember who the Author of these things is and that He has a plan for you and everyone around you.