Transformers

I recently watched the movie Transformers. Now this might sound crazy, but I believe this movie tells us a lot about the Christian life and ministry on campus. Crazy, right?

The movie is huge. Huge 30 foot robots, top secret intel, military battles, secret agencies, Megatron, the All Spark, are all right in your face. The world and the universe are at stake. Huge and epic. Good vs. evil. Now what is really interesting is the movie is rampant with the humorous triffles of every day life, which aren't epic or grandiose at all. It's quite the collision which adds to the humor. I believe this same collision is found in the person of Jesus, and he calls out to us, inviting us to live in the collision.

The story begins with a boy, Sam. It's a bit of a coming of age story but so much more. The boy is after the girl. So Sam gets a car. And the epic battle of good and evil suddenly intersects with this boys normal, everyday life of going to school, getting chewed out by parents, and dreaming small dreams. It intersects because his car ends up being a gigantic, transforming robot (A little absurd, huh?), who happens to be engaged in the battle of ages along with Optimus Prime and the Autobots against Megatron and the Dececpticons. His car, Bumblebee, is recruiting the boy into the fray because Sam holds a special map that leads to the All Spark, which creates life and both sides are after it.

I became a believer when I was 12 years old. My mom asked me if I wanted to get saved and get baptized and I said yes. I had a vague idea of what I was getting myself into, but did not realize the full implicaitons- do any of us? I was only 12. I was concerned with baseball, getting six-pack-abs, and doing well in school. I was a lot like the boy in the movie when he was buying the car.

Little did Sam know that by the end of the story he would be in an embattled, debri-strewn street, surround by crumbling buildings, oncoming Decepticons, holding the All Spark and and being commanded by a war hardened soldier, "You're a soldier now, go!" He takes off running, the All Spark in his grasp, and would soon be facing Megatron. He is transformed by this experience. A common boy whose biggest concern in life was to get a car and get the girl was invited into the epic battle of good and evil and ends up defeating Megatron. In a very similar way, Jesus also invites us in, to be transformed, and to confront evil.

The movie shows the visible battle that takes place while normal life winds on. The world you and I live in, the battle seems to be invisible, but it has its manifestations. Though we don't see enormous robots fighting against one another, we do see death. We do see the injustice of the world. In the everday occurences of not sharing to senesless murders or domestic violence. The truth is we are already living on this battle field. Jesus offers us a way to see this battle that blazes all around us. He invites us in. He also provides a way to defeat evil's most prevelant of it manifestations: death. Jesus invites us in to recieve life. To...hold it...TRANSFORM us.

Now, consider campus life. All colleges and universities have purpose statements and vision statements and mission statements. They usually have something to do with actually changing a person's life. One college says it "educates men and women of exceptional potential from all backgrounds so that they may seek, value, and advance knowledge, engage the world around them, and lead principled lives of consequence." So not only does this institution want to change the lives of these students but they also want those students to go out and change the lives of others. Students are at a time in their lives where they are taking on life's biggest quesitons and are going to make decision that will deeply impact the rest of their lives. They are making decisions that will change them forever. They are going to be changed. This is where Jesus invites us in to open our eyes to the reality around us. That there is more than meets the eye.

There is good and there is evil. In the movie Transformers this plays itself out in giant robot battles where there are good robots and evil robots, and the humans are somewhat neutral, or ignorant. Much like Optimus Prime is fighting for humans that are ignorant of the Autobots, Jesus also fights for us who are ignorant, even to the point of death on a cross, so that we might have life and have it to the full. He died, but then defeated evil's most prevelant manifestation throughout time: death. Jesus actually died and then three days later became dead no more. Jesus offers us a way out of death. We are going to die because this is the natural state of sin...death, and we are all sinners. The only reason Jesus didn't stay dead is that he was perfect so sin could not keep it's grip on him and draw him in to an eternal death, so he lived! And he invites us in to do the same. By following Jesus, we are actually telling God, look I'm a messed up person and I know you created me to be better than this, but I'm not, so I want to follow Jesus out of death and into life.

Jesus has the power to transform us.
Jesus has the power to transform students.
Jesus has the power to transform the university.

And Jesus doesn't stop there. He then gives those he's transformed the power to transform those around them. And this is what I do. I invite people in to meet Jesus and to experience this transformation.