“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.'” Matthew 16:24-25

While preparing for Memorial Day Church Service this year I was suddenly overwhelmed with my earliest recollections of the holiday. My father had gone into the ministry when I was 5. His first church had a parsonage on one side and a cemetery on the other. This meant my favorite place to play was in the well kept world of the dead! As those memories flooded back to me, I took time to really process them like I never had before.

Unless you have done it, playing in a cemetery may seem dark and morose. It was not. Countless hours were spent playing among the tombstones where I practiced reading the names and mathematically trying to figure the age of the person lying below when they had passed. It was quite an education. One thing that separated some plots from others was the American Flag or military symbol. To see it on a tombstone said to me, “THESE people were special!”

I don’t believe anyone entering the Military went expecting to die. Though they knew there was a possibility, death was not a certainty. Through fear and duty, each operated on the assumption that they would eventually make it home. For most, it was that singular thought which kept them motivated in service. It was at this thought yesterday where God flip-flopped my thinking concerning my service to Him. It was a dramatic shift!

My favorite superhero is Batman. Here is a guy who has NO supernatural skills. One who had suffered tremendous loss and pain, but used it for the purpose of making a difference. Hiding behind a cowl, his battle to keep his identity hidden was almost as intense as his fight against crime. He brought life and peace by fighting against death and evil. Which is 180 degrees opposite of what Jesus Christ has called me to do!

Let’s face it…Christian Believers are God’s Superheroes on Earth. The mission to win back the world from the hands of satan has been handed down EXCLUSIVELY to the followers of Jesus Christ. There is NO backup plan. We are it! To join is to understand and accept the terms of our Leader and Master Jesus, who set the example. But unlike those who serve in the Military who fight to live, the Believer’s FIRST command is to DIE! And He isn’t kidding!

While the Batman symbolism of a sold out, dead to oneself, superhero may sound strange up front, I believe it accurate. Where the military soldier fights to preserve his life, Jesus demands I lose that silly distraction and give it up at the start. Doing so, I receive HIS life…His strength…HIS peace…and HIS Kingdom. Which isn’t a bad trade after all. Doing so actually enables me to PLAY among the dead things of this world, without fear, as His soldier of ‘The Cross!’ God blesses ALL who serve, a we continually remember that!