In May, 1939, writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane introduced us to the World’s Greatest Detective, the Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader — the Bat-Man (yeah, originally with a hyphen in the middle). That was in Detective Comics #27.
 (Although, just for trivia’s sake, Bat-Man actually first appeared in a “coming soon” ad in Action Comics #12. )
As everyone knows, this is the story of a boy named Bruce Wayne. One night, his parents — Dr. Thomas and Martha Wayne — took their son into downtown Gotham City to watch the movie “Zorro.” Young Bruce was enamored with the masked hero, and his imagination soared. But as they left the theater, the Waynes were confronted in an alley by a criminal named Joe Chill. He demanded their money, and then decided to shoot the parents. (There have been a lot of mysteries regarding why he murdered them. Was it merely to eliminate the witnesses? Then why leave little Bruce alive? Or was there something more sinister going on? An assassination, perhaps?)
Naturally, Bruce was devastated, even as police officer James Gordon tried to comfort him. In the years that followed, raised by the family butler, Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce became determined to solve the mystery of his parents’ murder and find the killer. He became the most disciplined young man in history, taking every opportunity and using his family’s fortune to study anything and everything related to busting crime.
As he grew older and stronger, he turned his attention to physical training as well… traveling the world to learn all sorts of martial arts and other fighting skills… building his body’s strength and endurance to tremendous levels.
When the time finally came to enter the public as a crime-fighter, Bruce decided he needed a new identity — something that would help him in his self-determined quest. As he pondered his options, he realized that “Criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot.” Suddenly a bat flew into the open window at stately Wayne Manner, and Bruce had his vision. He would wear a mask like Zorro. He would wrap himself in a dark cape like the shadows of the night. And he would begin swinging from the rooftops of Gotham as the fierce “Bat-Man.”
My Comic Book Fascination
Now, many of you know that I grew up as a big collector of comic books. I once had a pretty extensive and impressive collection (I was a DC fan for the most part, by the way). In fact, my interest ultimately led me to connections with the comic-book entertainment industry and an opportunity to write and illustrate several related books. I even have copyrighted intellectual property being used in popular massively-multiplayer online superhero computer game still being played by thousands of people today.
But, way back when, I sold off my collection. Our meager beginnings as a family just didn’t allow room to store it all. The only two books I kept for myself — my two all-time favorite comics — are from the winter of 1978 — not the oldest books in my collection, but definitely my favorites. Detective Comics #475 & 476. Written by Steve Englehart and illustrated by the masterful Marshall Rogers & Terry Austin, these books reintroduced the Joker as a truly scary, unpredictable threat after being absent for about a decade because of the comical slapstick effects of the Adam West TV series of the 1960s.
(Now, I’m going somewhere with all this, so bear with me… )
The Problem with Batman
I think my fascination with Batman comes from a common misperception of what the character represents. In almost every story, or old-time radio show, or modern movie, Batman is portrayed as the protagonist. He’s the hero. In fact, most people would classify him as a super-hero (despite his complete lack of super-powers). After all, as any true comic book fan can tell you, in a fight between Batman and practically any other super-hero or super-villain, it’s a sure bet that Batman will be the ultimate winner. Why? “Because he’s Batman.” (And Warner Brothers had better not screw that up in the big Bats vs. Supes movie coming out in just a few months!)
But the truth is that Batman is really more of a tragedy than a hero. Yes, as the protagonist, he typically saves the day. But the character himself is a real mess.
Think about it. What are Bruce Wayne’s motivations? What goals has he set for himself in life? If you could ask him, he’d probably tell you something that sounds heroic — he wants to rid Gotham of crime and keep other people safe from experiencing the kind of horror he faced in that alley long ago.
But if you could get Bruce on a psychoanalyst’s couch, you’d probably discover that he is actually pursuing some kind of healing from the death of his parents. He wants closure. He wants to be set free from the grief and anger.
And even when he finally found Joe Chill and put him in jail, it wasn’t enough. The hunger of his heart wasn’t satisfied with mere justice. Arresting Joe Chill didn’t bring his parents back, nor did it undo the pain of his past.
So he brought on a little boy into his endless quest — young Dick Grayson, who had lost his own parents in a murderous tragedy at a circus. Bruce trained Dick to become Robin, and he took the boy to the streets to fight crime by his side. (Which, when you think about it, surely qualifies as child endangerment. An incredibly selfish and dangerous decision on Bruce’s part. The whole idea of Robin is really messed up.)
Dick eventually grew up, became frustrated with the brooding, controlling nature of his guardian, left the Bat-Cave for new adventures… with new friends… using a new identity: Nightwing.
So Bruce found another young boy to take on the mantle of Robin — Jason Todd — who was eventually murdered by the Joker. (And later came back, but that’s a long story.)
Then Bruce took on Tim Drake to become Robin (or Red Robin, depending on which continuity you prefer). Tim has also left the Bat-Cave to strike out on his own.
Now Bruce is running around with his own son — Damian Wayne — as the newest Robin. (Damian is the product of a twisted love/hate relationship between Batman and the daughter of one of his greatest enemies, Ra’s Al Ghul, and was originally trained to be an evil assassin before becoming the new Robin.)
It seems like whatever lives Batman touches end in some kind of disaster. Even the daughter of Batman’s friend, Commissioner Gordon, ends up in one of comic books’ most famous tragedies, when Barbara (who was also secretly Batgirl) was shot by the Joker and left paralyzed and in a wheelchair.
In fact, if you think about it, even Gotham itself shares in the victimization of Bruce Wayne. One of the recurring themes in the Batman comics is that there were no costumed criminals before the appearance of Batman. No Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, or all the rest. The argument is that Batman upped the game for justice, so evil tried to trump him with even more bravado and deadly violence. Supervillains are Batman’s fault, and all the suffering they cause is because of Bruce Wayne’s messed up quest to undo the pain of the past. (Why everyone doesn’t move out of Gotham still baffles me. Why would anyone want to live there? )
The Search for Identity and Purpose
So what’s the problem with Batman? It’s pretty simple, really. Bruce Wayne’s entire life is a search of identity and purpose… apart from God. He was deeply emotionally scarred as a young boy, and he wants to change that. Of course, he can’t, but that doesn’t stop him from trying. So he chooses a purpose for his own life. And he creates an identity for himself that will scare and intimidate others. And he chases after this self-determined purpose and identity with obsession.
It’s like Bruce thinks he’ll be happy if he can bring closure to the pain of his past, or if he can change the circumstances of his environment.
And that, my friends, is the whole Biblical idea of “the flesh.” The Bible uses the word…
σάρξ • sárx • “flesh”
…to describe our efforts to meet our own needs apart from God. Self-determined purpose. Self-determined identity. Sometimes that flesh results in all sorts of selfishness leading to sin. But sometimes that flesh results in incredible sacrifice in the pursuit of noble-sounding goals. Either way, it’s still flesh… it’s still self-reliant… it’s still trying to determine our destiny without God. As a result, even if it involves the best of intentions, it ultimately fails and ends in disaster.
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18 ESV)
You see, ultimately God gives each of us a choice:
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6 ESV)
I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16 ESV)
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24 ESV)
In other words, for all of us who have embraced God’s forgiveness and grace by faith, we’re not stuck trying to figure out our own purpose in life. We’re not responsible for crafting our own identity. We don’t have to try and undo the past, or fix ourselves, or satisfy our own needs through some sort of grand, super-heroic quest.
Instead, we live by faith. And we trust God to determine the purpose of our lives. We allow God to give us our new identity. We embrace the quest God has set forth for the rest of our days.
Now, I’d like to talk a bit about this quest God has given us, but I find myself a bit hesitant. You see, the moment I start describing all the things God wants to see us accomplish in our lives, I run the risk of coming across as if I’m giving us a checklist of tasks… a new kind of religious law or “to-do” list… as if we can simply focus on the tasks and thus please God.
That would be legalism, and legalism typically results in us feeling guilty. It’s kind of like New Year’s Resolution — the moment we say we’re going to stop eating all that sugar and lose 10 or 20 pounds, as soon as we hit a moment of weakness and snack down on a Snickers bar we end up feeling guilt and shame and a sense of failure.
That’s the last thing God wants us to experience as he gives us new purpose and identity. So, perhaps, instead of the “New Year’s Resolution” mindset — instead of thinking of God’s quest for our lives as a checklist of responsibilities — maybe we can think of our new purpose and identity as a lifestyle. It’s more like running a race than crossing a finish line. As God’s people, we will cross the finish line one day, and Christ will welcome us and embrace us with joy. But, for now, our focus has to simply be on the journey instead of the destination. Each day offers us a new opportunity to live out this new lifestyle — this new purpose and identity — trusting in God to transform and empower us along the way. We don’t focus on “success or failure,” but rather focus on the task ahead — always looking forward — always seeing each new day, each new moment, as an opportunity to grow and live and experience all that God has planned for us.
After all, as Paul told us (and as we looked at last year):
We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10 ESV)
We are his workmanship. We always have been. We have a Creator, and that Creator has a purpose for creating us. It’s not a purpose we choose (despite Bruce Wayne’s best efforts; choosing our own purpose leads to tragedy and misery). It’s a purpose God has chosen.
And we are created anew in Christ. We’ve already failed in our efforts to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. That’s why we need a Savior. So God gives us new life, new identities, new purpose… and everything we need to live out that new purpose.
And that purpose involves good works that God has determined ahead of time for us. The agenda is already set. God doesn’t need our help to figure out what will be a fulfilling, purposeful, satisfying life for us. He’s got it all lined up. We simply need to live that life, go on that journey, run that race, chase after that heroic quest.
Knowing God
You know, as a church family, we express our purpose as…
Know • Grow • Go
Know God intimately,
Grow in relationship with him and others, and
Go share God’s life-changing love with the world.
That really does express why we exist as a church… and it also expresses our purpose as individuals.
I know the New Year is a time for making lots of resolutions. But what if, instead of making resolutions, we set goals to experience God’s purpose for our lives.
What if we decide that 2016 is going to be a year where we chase after a deeper relationship with God and other people — fulfilling the ultimate purpose for man:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37,39 ESV)
So, perhaps, we simply decide that each day in the coming year is a new opportunity to carve out some time to be with God.
Oh, sure, we can download “read through the Bible in a year” plans if we want — there are dozens available if we search the Internet. (Of course, if you’re one of those people who will feel guilty if you miss a day or fall behind, perhaps you’re better off just deciding that you’re going to set aside some time to read the Bible more.)
And we can certainly carve out some time in our busy schedule to pray… to just sit with God, share our hearts, and even be quiet and listen for the whispers of his Spirit.
For me, I recently discovered an old journal that I wrote during a really difficult time in my life. I read it through — sometimes I was just writing down what happened that day, sometimes I shared what I was thinking or feeling, and often I ended up writing out prayers to God. Since I was given this great new journal for Christmas (with a super-hero theme, no less!), I’m going to be journaling my thoughts and prayers and spiritual discoveries as a way of connecting with God and growing closer to him in this coming year. You might want to do something similar.
Growing in Relationships
That’s the “Knowing” God intimately part of our purpose, and “Growing” in relationship with him. But there’s also the “Growing” in relationship with others.
You know, Batman did one thing right, despite his flesh-driven life-mission. Early on in his crime-fighting career, he realized that nobody can fulfill life’s purpose alone. So he joined the Justice Society of America (or, later, the Justice League, or groups he created himself like the Outsiders).
God doesn’t want us to try and experience life in isolation, relying only on ourselves. He wants us to rely on him in the context of relationships with other people.
If you’re not already part of a Small Group of some sort — a group of people who share life together, pray for each other, encourage each other, care for each other, and explore how the truth we’re learning from the Bible impacts our daily lives — maybe this is the year to dive in and join some kind of group.
In fact, we really need to change the name of our “Small Groups.” After all, “small” is not really descriptive of their purpose; it just describes their composition — ideally gathering of about a dozen people or so. Why don’t we start calling them “Growth Groups” instead this year, since that’s what they’re all about — growing closer to God and others. Hey, no name is perfect, but at least that would stick with our desire to make all names straightforward descriptions that make sense to outsiders, and at least it’s an improvement.
And in addition to Small Groups — excuse me, “Growth Groups” — maybe 2016 is a year in which we commit to building relationships with each other by taking advantage of all the social opportunities we have here at Hope — Mystery Dinners, Hiking Clubs, Men’s & Women’s Activities, etc. Perhaps we’ll even come up with some new creative
get-to-know-each other gatherings and parties… a monthly Game Night, a Movie Night at your home, putting together a group of folks to go to a sporting event or a theater show together, or whatever. You might even be the creative leader of something this year! That would be awesome!
Mission Minded
Of course, that’s the “Know” and “Grow” part of our purpose. What about the “Go” part — sharing God’s life changing love with the world?
After all, if anything defines our new purpose as the people of Christ, it’s our mission to introduce others to God’s love and grace.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… (Matthew 28:19 ESV)
Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. (Mark 16:15 ESV)
We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. (2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV)
If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. (1 Peter 3:15 NLT)
You will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere… (Acts 1:8 NLT)
What if, in 2016, every single one of us at Hope decided that every week this year we will come before God and simply ask him to show us someone during that week with whom we might share our story, or tell them how much God loves them, or invite them to church to explore who God is and the implications for their life? Did you realize that if every one of us at Hope had that missional, kingdom mindset, then we would end up inviting over 10,000 people in our community to discover God this next year. Isn’t that staggering? Once a week. One purposeful, intentional relationship. Once a week. One courageous conversation to live out our divine purpose and new identity. 10,000 people… That’s God plan.
Bruce Wayne wanted to save the world (or at least Gotham City). But all he has done is introduced more suffering and death to the innocent citizens. Only Christ can save the world… and he’s chosen to do it through us. One conversation at a time. One life at a time. Week-by-week. And all we have to do is trust him to empower us and take the initiative with the people he’s brought into our lives.
10,000 people. Something to think about.
Sacrificing for the Cause
Of course, Bruce Wayne figured something else about pursuing a big quest (even if his own self-determined purpose was driven by his flesh instead of by God). Anything really important worth pursuing is going to cost us something. After all, that Batmobile isn’t free. Nor are the batarangs, or the bat-computer, or furnishing the bat-cave, or paying Alfred’s salary, or any of the other resources he uses in his quest.
The same thing’s true here at Hope. Rent, employment costs, furnishings, materials… not to mention moving into new facilities in another year or so… all of that requires sacrifices on our parts.
The good thing is that most of the folks here at Hope are already giving generously. We understand that everything we have was entrusted to us by God — not simply to provide for ourselves, but ultimately to be used for expanding his kingdom and caring for others. What we have was given to us so that we might give it away. And week after week, lots of folks here at Hope do exactly that.
As we crunch the numbers and put together another annual budget for this year, we realize that most folks are probably doing something like “tithing” here — giving 10% or whatever their income for the cause.
We understand that God is worthy of our worship; he is the first and best thing in our lives, so we give him the first and best of all that’s he’s entrusted to us.
We recognize that giving away the first of our income is a way of “putting our money where our mouth is” and truly trusting God to provide for us (rather than relying on ourselves, taking care of ourselves first, and then giving God the leftovers).
Oh, sure, there are still folks at Hope that haven’t joined us in that kind of self-sacrifice. But what’s really cool as we look at the expected expenses for the next few years is that once we all embrace that kind of financial sacrifice, we’ll have no problem meeting our budget. God has given all of us everything we need to do all that he’s asking of us; all that’s left is for every one of us to surrender God’s gifts to the Lord.
It’s exactly what Paul wrote about:
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (2 Corinthians 9:6 ESV)
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV)
What if 2016 is the year when all of us put all that we have before the Lord, totally surrendered to him, and then gratefully and cheerfully and generously let go of our stuff as part of his kingdom cause for our lives?
(I’m not saying that as part of some kind of church fund-raising pressure, though we do have some huge financial challenges coming our way over the next couple of years. I’m totally confident that…
My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 ESV)
I just know that God will do amazing things in the lives of all of us who trust him, surrender to him, and live out the new purpose and identity he has given us. Oh, sure, it’ll be a stretch. It’ll be a sacrifice. But God has this amazing way of taking care of us when we live in faith and dependence upon him, rather than “hedging our bets” and relying upon ourselves to take care of our own needs. Even God himself offers us that challenge:
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. (Malachi 3:10 ESV)
And, as long as we’re talking about making sacrifices, what about sacrificing our time for the cause? Hey, Bruce Wayne didn’t become the Batman by just thinking about it; he made it the primary focus of all his time and energy.
Here at Hope we often say that “Church is not a…” (“Spectator Sport”). That means that every one of us here at Hope should be able to immediately answer this question: “What is your ministry role at Hope?” What commitment have you made as a volunteer? What team are you part of?
After all…
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7 ESV)
Every single person who belongs to Christ has been divinely empowered to accomplish tasks that God has prepared in advance — to be a part of the team — to serve God by serving others. All that’s left is for us to surrender our time, our training, our talents, and our abilities as we work together to accomplish all that God asks of us.
Again, God gives us everything we need to do all that he asks. It’s just a matter of every single one of us responding in faith and obedience. If even one of us is not serving God in some role, then there’s a weak link that hold all of us back. But if we’re all fully surrendered and committed to God’s kingdom as our greatest purpose, anything is possible. And together we’ll marvel at what God does in us and through us and all around us.
Kids a Priority
One specific way we can be serving God by serving others at Hope is through our ministry to kids and their families. After all, Jesus said…
“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14 ESV)
Kids hold a very special place in the heart of God… which means they should in our hearts as well.
Wouldn’t it be great in 2016 if Mike Strong never has to come to us and ask for more volunteers to work with our Hope Kids… because we have a waiting list of volunteers who have embraced what Jesus has said about making children a priority? Of course, that means not assuming that someone else will do it, but diving in ourselves (and especially if you’re a parent whose kids are being blessed).
This is such a big deal to us here at Hope that we’ll be proposing bringing on a part-time staff member to work with ministry to kids in this coming year — not to replace our current volunteers, but to open doors to new possibilities and expanded opportunities to reach out to children and their families. There is so much that we can do. There is so much that we believe God wants us to do… that we must do… that this will be a big priority in the coming year. And it could be your priority as well.
Conclusion
Look, we could go on and on about the new purpose and identity God has given us as his people. We truly have been offered a life better than Batman. We’re invited to let God determine the agenda of our days instead of relying on ourselves to fulfill some fruitless mission — to undo the past, to fix the world around us, to relying on ourselves to find meaning and significance and satisfaction.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10 ESV)
And as we do, there may not be some eye-catching Bat-Signal blazing in the night sky. But there will be the glory of God blazing in the darkness of a lost and hurting world.
We simply need to crown him as our King, and then live out his kingdom purpose.
Awake my soul and sing of Him who died for me, and hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity.
 PRAYER • SONG: Crown Him (Majesty)
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