I’ve always been drawn towards Wakanda. Yes, I know it’s not a real place. But it lives in the hearts of many Black Panther and Marvel Comics / Cinematic Universe fans (like myself).
For me personally, as someone born and raised in a wealthy, beautiful country that was colonized and robbed of its wealth for 200 years, Wakanda is a picture of what could have been if white supremacy and imperialistic greed hadn’t pillaged the land of my birth. To me, as a child of colonization, Wakanda represents what could have been if the land of my birth was never discovered in the first place.
For my Caribbean brothers & sisters in Toronto who look like me but don’t know much about where their ancestors came from (as children of people enslaved from India to places like Trinidad, Jamaica and Guyana), they likely see in Wakanda a thriving, uncolonized people who are free to be well-versed in their ethnic and communal identity.
For my Black North American and African friends who are survivors of centuries of trauma inflicted by white supremacy, colonialism and western greed, they likely see in Wakanda a proud African nation that remains untouched, unexploited and unfettered to be everything they were meant to be without injustice & oppression.
But all of us see in Wakanda something we all secretly yearn for - a place that is free and protected from injustice, poverty & oppression. A place that is free of white supremacy, greed and ethnocentrism. A place ruled by a good, benevolent king who lays his life down so that we may have life and life to the fullest.
I think you know where I’m going with this.
In many ways, we see in Wakanda what we yearn for on earth today. But in many ways, we also see in Wakanda what God has already promised to fully establish on earth through his Son, his Spirit and his people one day: heaven on earth.
In many ways, Wakanda points to the Kingdom of God - a Kingdom ruled by a good, selfless King who loved us so much that he laid down his life for us. Except, unlike King T’Chaka or King T’Challa who died and went to rest with their ancestors (thereby leaving a power vacuum and a sometimes turbulent transition of power), this is an eternal King who was raised to life and has defeated death once and for all.
The next time you see Wakanda in a Black Panther / MCU movie or Marvel Comic, I hope you take the time to ask yourself what about Wakanda you find yourself appreciating and longing for. I think it’ll point you to Jesus in ways more than you may now realize.
What I’m up to this week
I just preached at my final church service for 2022. It’s a joy to have gotten to preach to 10,000+ folks at 20 church services all across Canada raising hundreds of thousands of dollars via dozens of new donors for IJM Canada (which funded dozens of rescue operations + freed hundreds of people from slavery) this year but truth be told, I’m exhausted - physically, spiritually and emotionally. I’ve got nothing left to give on Sunday mornings for the rest of this year.
So this is my last working week of the year. I’ll be taking the final three weeks of 2022 off to catch my breath, rest and recuperate for what seems to be an intimidatingly promising 2023. But I don’t consider sharing thoughts with you here and on Twitter “work” so expect me to be a steady presence in your inbox + Twitter feed.
Still, it’ll be a great week of getting to connect with some really special church and denominational partners across Canada (thank God for Zoom) in addition to leading my team in strategic planning meetings for the upcoming calendar + fiscal year. We have a really unique opportunity to move the Canadian Church and Government to partner with IJM’s work of rescuing thousands and protecting half a billion people from slavery & violence. It’s truly an honour of a lifetime to get to help lead this effort for us in Canada!
Help me grow this community!
I have no idea how (or why) but almost 300 of you have already subscribed to this 2 week old Substack. Thank you! I hope to continue adding value to your inboxes.
If this post resonated with you, would you take a moment to share this on social media / forward this along to other advocates and church leaders who might appreciate these thoughts? I’d be even more grateful if you encouraged them to subscribe.
Thank you again for being with me in this journey of pursuing the Father’s heart for justice.
Oh, and Wakanda Forever!
Joash, you put good words to all the feels of Wakanda. It’s a beautiful place to long for, an ideal.
And please enjoy your rest during this holiday season. Merry Christmas brother 🎄