By Cindy Koch –

There is an underground world of hidden powers that the mortal world knows nothing about. A league of superheroes lives and works among you. We walk around by the light of day in tennis shoes and yoga pants. We pick our kids up from school in minivans. We blend into grocery store lines and walk our dogs through the park. We wake up early and meet at the office or the gym. We stay up late and watch Netflix. We are everywhere, but you might never even notice us.

We are well concealed because our power lies in a spoken word given to us. So, you cannot see the glistening cape that follows our path. You cannot see the superior glow of confidence that radiates behind our eyes. You cannot see the bountiful world of gifts that is at our fingertips. To the naked eye, we are masked in the ordinary, but we are anything but.

We are an alliance of superheroes that is free from the cares of your everyday life. We don’t worry about food or clothing, we don’t fret about house and home. We are free to walk anywhere. We are free to help anyone.  We are free to explore and debate. Our power is rooted deep in the universe, before anything was made. We will outlive you, and our world will go on forever.

But you commonly mistake us for weaklings. If we step aside to gather the broken-hearted, you call us pathetic. If we defend those who have been exposed, you think we have waivered. If we carry the exhausted, you accuse us of impotence. If we are quiet and submissive, you dismiss us as unintelligent. We are not dressed in the glittery Marvel costumes you are looking for. Right now, we are hidden in dust and dirt and ashes.

While our murky mask protects our true identity, we are always in danger of forgetting who we are. The dirt begins to feel so familiar, the ashes stain our hands and heart black. We begin to believe you words about our pathetic, wavering walk. Our superhero strength dissipates when the noise from your mundane world drowns out our precious Word of Life.

You should know, mortal, that we will fight. I know you think your strong armies will conquer, but you have not yet seen our legion of light. Even though we don’t look like much, our Word slices like a double-edged sword. Those of us who hear, “Take and eat; take and drink. Believe and be baptized” are suited up with the power of life eternal. And we will stand shoulder to shoulder to say it louder and louder. Not just for our sake, mortal, but so that you might be able to hear it, too.