Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. – 1 Peter 5:6

Today's Scripture Reading (April 28, 2021): 1 Peter 4 & 5

In the 1960s television series "Batman," the heroes are obvious. They are Batman and his young charge, Robin. Whenever the need arises, often called either by the Bat-phone or Bat-signal, Batman and Robin ride to the rescue. There are lesser heroes of the story. Batgirl makes her appearance late in the series. And, of course, the police play a supporting role. But, in the 1960s series, one hero is often overlooked. His name is Alfred Pennyworth, the butler to the Wayne mansion and a servant of Batman's alter-ego, Bruce Wayne. But Alfred is so much more.

More recent treatments of the Batman saga like "Gotham" and "Pennyworth" have dived deeper into the Alfred Pennyworth story, former military man, a trained fighter, and someone who is deadly if he has anything in his environment that can be used as a weapon. Alfred is a capable man who becomes a more disciplined mentor to the young Bruce Wayne. Of course, Batman, Gotham, and Pennyworth are three very different stories that try to develop the Batman saga and are written independently of each other. But if we take them as related to each other and parts of the same story, which they aren't, then we see a progression, starting with Pennyworth, moving through Gotham, and ending with the 1960s Batman. The result is Alfred's interesting progression as a competent man who finishes his distinguished career as the servant of The Batman. Alfred Pennyworth is essential; after all, he is one of the few who can offer Batman advice, but he does so from the position of a servant. And if anyone is going to lift Alfred above his servant role, it is Batman, who greatly values the family servant.

I often meet with people who are hurt because they don't feel that they get the recognition from others that they deserve. As a result, they often stress the amount of education they have received or experience that they have obtained in a particular area, hoping to get some respect. Admittedly, it is an emotion that all of us go through at some point in our lives. We want to be recognized. We want to be elevated in some meaningful way amid the audience of our peers.

But the reality is that we are servants. We are all Alfred. We have competencies, and if we are honest with ourselves, we know that we have failures. Some of us might have even have had criminal tendencies in our youth, but as Christians, we are servants, comfortable in the role to which we have been called. And if we are lifted up, in this life or the next, it will be God who does the lifting; it is not something we can do. Our reality is that we serve the King of this world, and what others might think of us is unimportant. What is critical is what God thinks of us. And our focus should go there. So, don't be afraid to let your inner Alfred shine.

 Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Titus 1

Happy Birthday to my Grandson, James.