Artists: The Chainsmokers, Coldplay
Song: Something Just Like This
Album: Memories…Do Not Open
By: Brandon Best, Brandon.Best@oakwoodnb.com
Oakwood Church – New Braunfels, TX
Theme: Superheroes and Humanity
Teaching Point: God Can Use Someone Just Like Us
Opening Questions:
Have you ever thought about what your life would be like with Super Powers? With all the movies on the big screen and all the legends in the storybooks, what movie or story do you see yourself in? How would your life change if you woke up the next day and had some sort of Superhuman traits that you never had before? What would your super motto be? Who would you want to team up with? Where would you live? What would you wear?
SWITCH UP… What if you only had those powers for ONE DAY? How do you think you would react the NEXT DAY??? Would you be happy to be someone JUST LIKE YOU, or wish you could be back on the Superhero list?
Discussion
There is no doubt that Chris Martin’s smooth voice and the Chainsmokers’ approach to EDM music strike a thoughtful question about humanity and the supernatural. The lyrics begin with a grand view of a universe filled with myths, legends and modern day imaginations of beings that display supernatural powers.
While all these stories speak of super strength, strong fists, and great power, the song leads us to a reality check. When we step away from the stories, we realize we do not make the cut. We would love to have a life filled with powers beyond our humanity, but the truth is that the normal human being is not on any Superhuman list.
This is not the first time a writer has considered a vast universe with great awe and power, and has concluded that humanity plays a small roll.
Consider Psalm 8:3-5 (ESV)
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
The Psalm Writer looks at the heavens, the work of the Creator, and realizes a powerful thought. God is mindful of SOMEONE JUST LIKE US. We are the small, the normal, the frail, the fearful, the Unpowerful in many ways.
However, God is mindful of US. He places us on a list with powerful, “heavenly beings,” and cares about our normal, everyday lives. The truth is that we may not be on any Superhuman list, but we are on HIS list, and He thinks about US.
Conclusion
The Song writers point to a simple thought that ignores the wishes of superpowers and calls for a normal, attainable relationship. We can conclude that God has a plan in our everyday relationships as well.
The truth is, God Can Use Someone Just Like US
Read 1 John 4:12 (ESV)
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
His superpower is the POWERFUL LOVE we share with one another in our small, normal, frail, fearful, and UNpowerful, HUMAN lives. He wants to display His power in our humanity and use Someone Just Like Us.
