Comic Relief

We can radiate a sense of hope because of the presence of Christ in us. As we surrender to Him and spend time in fellowship with our Savior, we can reflect what was said about Peter and John in the book of Acts: that people could tell they had been with Jesus. 1st Peter 3 says:
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

That passage can inspire us as we recognize that there is a cost for following Jesus - we not only lay down our lives and take up His cross to follow Him, because of what He did on the cross, but we also can consider how we may find ourselves opposed because of our faith; we may encounter outright hostility and face unfair and even untrue allegations.  But, we can continue to rejoice in the Lord, because we know that we have followed Him.

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We can not only pray for God to provide opportunities through which we can share about Him, but make sure that when He answers, that we act. Colossians 4 states:
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,
4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Yesterday, I talked about allow God to inspire creative ideas that can spread His message and to use technology under submission to His direction.  A artist who is a Christian apparently checks those boxes, and a Movieguide article previews a new series coming to Apple TV+ next month.

His name is Nathan Pyle and he has developed what is called a "webcomic," which seems to be an animated feature. The article says, "The comic follows a pair of aliens who describe human activities in an obscure and alien way. While the comics can take a second to translate, they offer a humorous look at the ridiculousness of many aspects of society."

It's called, Strange Planet, and it is an extension of a comic that launched in 2019 and then became a book. The Movieguide article notes:

Despite being aimed at adults, Pyle has made it clear that the show will be appropriate for all ages.

Pyle is an outspoken Christian, and while most of his comics are not related to faith, he keeps them wholesome and family-friendly. He has also been criticized in the past because of his beliefs but he has not backed down from his biblical roots.

The article refers to a previous article, which stated:

The artist received backlash due to a pro-life comic posted to Twitter from 2017.  

Newsweek reported: 

On April 8, a 2017 tweet made by Pyle in defense of the anti-abortion rally March For Life started to gain traction. In it, Pyle quotes a Facebook post from his then-girlfriend who wrote that she was “given a chance to live.” “Thank you Father for the stories of others from last year’s March For Life who were also discarded or abandoned, yet were given a chance to live,” she wrote.

While a few fans were not happy with his comic, Pyle later came out with a statement about his Christian faith. 

Pyle also shares the occasional comic, which represents a passage of scripture. 

“One of my favorite verses, Matthew 6:34,” Pyle captioned one of his illustrations, adding: “I always think about James 4 as I read Jesus’s words here and think about humility that comes from considering how fragile life is…”

The Newsweek article also noted that some had characterized Pyle as a victim of cancel culture:

Spectator USA said "scroll through the fresh replies to that tweet and you'll encounter erstwhile Pyle fans acting like they were personally wronged and are owed an apology." The Washington Examiner wrote "in the age of outrage, it's not hard to be problematic. And a vaguely pro-life tweet must have been just what the strife-seeker was looking for."

The Examiner writer, Madeline Fry Schultz, stated:

Americans are equally divided on the issue of abortion, as many Americans identify as pro-life as pro-choice (47% each). So why should an artist's embrace of a view held by half of Americans send him to the blacklist?

Well, we know the answer - just witness the doubled-down efforts to silence the efforts of pro-life pregnancy resource centers and suggestions that people who believe the Bible are calloused or unscientific.  But, we have to continue to hold fast to our beliefs in a culture that would want to silence them or water them down. 

And, we can remember that God wants to speak through us in whatever means that He provides. Pyle uses his craft to demonstrate what he says on his Twitter feed, "I follow Jesus."  The question for each of us is this: does the way we live illustrate that we follow Jesus?  We can always be on the outlook for opportunities to share what God has done for us.