Invictus

As part of my rigorous programme of preparation for Cape Town, Joel and I went to see 'Invictus' at the cinema last night. In case you're not up to speed with the latest film releases, it's the story of the 1995 rugby world cup, held in South Africa. Or to be more precise, the film relates how Nelson Mandela saw this as a great opportunity to unite the country as well as send a message to the rest of the world. And for anyone who is not a rugby fan and/or is too young to remember, South Africa did indeed win the World Cup, narrowly beating New Zealand in the final. Pictures of Mandela celebrating the victory in a Springbok jersey (symbol of apartheid in many ways) have become iconic images.

We enjoyed the film. The script is a bit obvious in places and the rugby scenes don't always convey a realistic picture of the game (and for some strange reason, the pitch seemed really small). But it's such a great story, and there are some very moving moments, not least when the SA team visited Robben Island, where Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. And Mandela's commitment to forgiveness and reconciliation came across very strongly. He was (and is) clearly a shrewd policitian, as well as a man of courage and determination.

The film's title is taken from an obscure poem by the Victorian writer WE Henley, a poem which Mandela returned to again and again for inspiration during his time in prison. It's quite short, just four verses each of four lines (you can read it here: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/invictus/ ). The poem expresses pride 'for my unconquerable soul'; despite all that life has thrown at him, the writer's head remains 'bloody but unbowed'. It ends with this forceful statement: 'I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul'.

It's not difficult to see why Mandela would have found this inspiring, especially as he spent much of his time in solitary confinement. The writer thanks 'whatever gods may be' for the qualities he sees in himself; but essentially, it's an expression of assertive humanism - a kind of Victorian 'My way'.

So what do we make of this from a Christian perspective? Clearly, we would be starting from a place not of isolation but of companionship - we're not alone in the universe, our fate is not entirely in our hands. We have a God who stands with us and walks with us, who makes his power available to us through the Holy Spirit. And our view of reality is probably not as bleak as Henley's, because we believe in a God who is working out his purposes in the world.

And yet, we do have to take responsibility for our lives, to be strong and courageous at times, to fight the battles we need to fight (being careful to choose to right weapons). God doesn't do this for us, but he does do it with us. Understanding this helps to defeat the fear which often cripples us. As Paul puts it in Ephesians 6:10 'Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.'