Greater than a Superpower

By Meghan Olsen Biebighauser

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord;
there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. (1 Corinthians 12) 

 Those of us who hear from the Revised Common Lectionary each week heard this familiar passage on Sunday. While it was far from my first time hearing these words, all I could think about this time around was how well this message fit in with my household’s current obsession: Disney’s new film, Encanto.   

“And our identity as beloved children of God is more important than any superpower we may be blessed with for the common good.”

 If you haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy this new film yet (it’s still in theaters AND on Disney+), here’s a spoiler-free synopsis. Encanto takes us to the mountains of Colombia where we meet the extended Madrigal family, each blessed with a supernatural gift with which they serve and support their community. Dolores has superhuman hearing, Julieta heals people with her food, Luisa has super physical strength, Bruno can see the future, and so on…except for our protagonist, Mirabel. Mirabel seemingly wasn’t blessed with a gift, and the story unfolds from there.  

 My children have watched Encanto about 103 times now, and when they’re not watching it, they’re singing the super catchy songs. Constantly. At top volume. A great dinner table conversation starter has been to ask which superhuman gift we’d each like to have. My 9-year-old, Frances, wants to be able to talk to animals, while Robin, my 4-year-old, can dream up endless ways that shapeshifting would make his life more interesting.   

 

MORE THAN JUST CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MAGIC, though, Encanto has paved the way for conversations about giftedness more broadly.  What are some of the gifts that we see in one another? While it may not be superhuman hearing, who do we know who has amazing perception and awareness? Who do we turn to right now when we want to hear a vision for the future? How do these serve our community? In what ways can they sometimes feel like a burden? Do we ever feel like Mirabel, wondering whether we’ve even been blessed with a gift at all?   

Do we ever feel like Mirabel, wondering whether we’ve even been blessed with a gift at all?

As Sunday’s reading reminded us, being blessed with a gift is not about the gift itself, but the Giver. And our identity as beloved children of God is more important than any superpower we may be blessed with for the common good.   

 Let’s be on the lookout for ordinary gifts that can seem magical. Like, my mom’s pasta fagioli isn’t going to cure COVID or anything, but you can’t say she doesn’t have the same power of healing as Mirabel’s mama.