Last night I went to see the new film Dark Knight Rises. Today I am having a difficult time putting into words what I felt and still feel from the experience. The film was a piece of fantasy escapism art that was well crafted and worth seeing on the big screen. At the same time there was the accompanying feeling of discomfort as the sound of gunfire and explosions shook the room knowing in my mind that families lives were torn apart during one of these scenes. Yes, I took some glances at the emergency escape. Yes, the sound did cause me to jump in my seat more than once. Yes, I could not help but think of how someone could have broken so severely from reality to plunge into a putrid darkness that Batman valiantly seeks to remove from his pretend world. The whole point of the Batman stories is not the villian, but the hero who gives all for the sake of those who owe him nothing. How I wished that we did not have such real evil in our midst. Yet it is real and it is present.
I believe that there is much to be said of this horrific event that cross the threshold of one America’s “sacred spaces” (not in a religious sense, but in a space where we trust ourselves to the storyteller and open ourselves to be entertained, challenged, and informed). As time permits I will be unpacking this topic periodically as I believe we have much to learn and consider.
For now a prayer:
Heavenly Father,
send your eternal peace to hearts filled with despair and anguish
fill neighbors, family, and friends with compassion and comfort to bestow on those who are in need
bring about your righteousness, justice and wholeness in this world.
Amen.
Rev. Shawn J. Smith 