Spring highlights nature’s generosity. Or, rather, God’s generosity through nature, as the harshness and hiddenness of winter give way to the abundance of spring's flora and fauna before the dryness of summer and the fall of autumn. Spring celebrates beauty, excess and liberality. If one poppy is beautiful, why not one hundred or one thousand? Spring is an annual reminder through nature of God’s abundant goodness and generosity toward all he has made, including and especially you and me – and even our neighbors, who we may or may not appreciate. As the scripture affirms, the rain falls “on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45).

The word "generous" shares the same root as "genesis," referring to "birth" and "beginnings." Its earliest usage dates to the 16th century, when it was used to describe someone of noble birth or high-born qualities. By the 17th century, however, to be generous came to refer not to one’s bloodline, but to the virtues of liberality and unselfishness that were assumed to be a part of a noble man or woman’s character. In education, students were instructed in the “liberal arts,” that is, the literature and activities that would inculcate and inspire a liberal, generous or giving spirit and attitude toward others and equip them with the skills and insights to work successfully for the common good in their families, in business and in government.

As we forge into the fog and freedom of a new year, many of us consider making New Year’s resolutions. And while most of us think better of it before we get too carried away, we have at least considered the possibility of taking better care of our bodies, reforming our finances or securing a ticket for that trip of a lifetime, just to name a few common resolutions.

Whether you are a resolutioner or not, have you ever considered that most of the new commitments we contemplate each January are self-centered rather than other-centered? We tend to focus on improving our self-image or satisfying our curiosity, rather than on growing in compassion and generosity or on being a better friend, neighbor, or family member. This isn’t to say that these two categories of resolutions are mutually exclusive. If we take better care of our bodies and finances, we may be able to serve those around us with more energy and resources. However, we live in a cultural context that thrives on creating discontent with how we look and what we have and convincing us that we are most likely missing out on the latest fad or destination.

This self-centered focus can broadly be categorized by the popular terms, self-care and self-love. And while we no doubt need to take care of ourselves and grow to accept and appreciate our individual uniqueness, for Christians, the words of Jesus recorded by Luke reverberate uncomfortably through the centuries when he says, Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it, (Luke 17:33, NIV). The Apostle John preserves an even stronger version of Jesus’ maxim – Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life, (John 12:25, NIV). Really, Jesus, I have to hate my life to find it or keep it? What in the world is he talking about? Understanding what Jesus means by the word translated as world in our English Bibles will help us consider his bold declaration more accurately.

In 1909, a small but growing group of congregational believers, after meeting for some time in various locations, including private homes and the Baldridge Opera House, (which in recent years was Por Favor Mexican Restaurant and is now Hacienda Cazadores on the corner of La Mesa Blvd. and Palm), broke ground for what would become La Mesa Central Congregational Church near the corner of Lemon and Third Street. The two-story building, comprising a large meeting room, kitchen, and storage room on the lower floor, and a small chapel and multipurpose room on the upper floor, opened its doors for regular Sunday services and other events in February of 1911. Rev. Charles Hill, who had been serving as a congregational missionary to the Hawaiian Islands, was called back to the mainland to be the first pastor of Central Congregational Church in their new building.

God blessed this original group of CCCers, and as they grew in number, plans were made for a new building; this time for a true sanctuary, not just a chapel, a large fellowship hall, space for children’s ministry and offices, and a lovely patio area connecting the original structure with the new buildings. Prayers were prayed, money was raised, and construction began. Finally, in the summer of 1925, the work was completed, and the building was dedicated to the continuing work of the Lord. A short time later, in 1926, stained-glass windows were added to honor several of the original 19 members of CCC, and the wonderful Pilcher pipe organ was installed.

At some point, Central Congregational Church purchased additional property and eventually owned most of the block between Third and Fourth Streets, with plans to greatly expand the campus footprint (we still have some blueprints). However, after several decades of growth and faithful Christian witness in the local area, and financial support of missionaries and ministries locally and globally, CCC, like thousands of congregations across the nation, began to feel the effects of a culture in transition. Attendance slowly declined, and finances waned as the country took a more secular turn in general and young people, in particular, began to reexamine or reject the religious traditions of their parents, asking challenging questions and seeking a variety of spiritual experiences in an effort to navigate the social and political shifts they were experiencing.

Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, The Avengers – these are just a few of the superheroes from the comic books of the past that have flooded our movie and television screens for many years now. There is a seemingly never-ending stream of movies and TV shows about dystopian themes that require the intervention of someone of superior strength, courage and intellect – often from another planet or realm – to intervene on behalf of humanity before the annihilation of the planet or the domination of the world by an evil person or force. Conversely, there is an endless supply of supervillains for us to root against and to thrust our fears upon.

This fascination with superheroes is nothing new. Almost every culture throughout history has fashioned a simple oral tradition or an ornate mythology that recounts stories of human and divine heroes and villains in an ongoing battle for the fate of the world and the survival of humanity. These stories, myths and movies manifest a historical, shared dread that things in the world – even the cosmos – are not as they should be, and a shared, often desperate hope (wish) that we are not left to our own devices and that there is someone or something that can save us.

A significant difference between the past and the present, as it relates to superheroes and, more specifically, to gods and other spiritual forces, is that throughout most of history, most people took for granted the reality of these beings, whether benevolent or malicious. However, since around the 1700s, the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment, and through the Modern and Postmodern eras in which we now live, there has been a rise in atheism, agnosticism, and deism. Through the writings and teachings of various scientists, philosophers, politicians and even theologians, doubt was cast on the reality of anything beyond what our five senses can tell us about life and the universe, and that even if there is a God or gods, humanity has been given the gift of intelligence and reason and left to ourselves. Basically, there is no outside help available; no one is coming to save us.