After Shasta's journey on his own last chapter, he finally makes it out of Tashbaan and to the Tombs where he and his companions are to meet up. Shasta finds himself at these Tombs during the night when he hears wild beasts around him. There is a lot of danger, both real and perceived. Fortunately, Shasta finds a cat among the Tombs. The cat remains with him throughout the night as a friendly presence. This whole chapter brings to mind verse 4 of Psalm 23: Yea, though I walk the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. That cat is Shasta's companion in a literal valley of death. The cat also, in many ways, seems to be a protector for Shasta, just as God is for us. It is interesting to note that Shasta does try to bargain with this cat, just as we often do with God. He says he will never hurt another cat again in his life. He also recalls a time he once threw stones at a cat. His companion, as if understanding him, scratches Shasta on hearing this. This is, in a sense, the price of Shasta's sin. When Shasta wakes up, the cat is gone, but with the sun out, the area he is in is safer. Bree and Hwin also show up. Shasta's cat companion certainly seems to have led him out of the darkness and gloom back into the light.
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Please note, all the films discussed here are rated PG-13 or TV-14. Minor MCU Spoilers ahead! During the Journey with the Avengers VBS, a character that came up quite a bit in discussion was Loki. I found those discussions helpful, and they made me want to talk about Loki some more. Loki starts off not only as a villain, but really the villain for the Avengers. He is the reason the Avengers come together in the first place. Loki at this point is more like the evil one. He tries to convince people to give up their freedom to him, just as sin tries to take away our freedom by separating us from God. He also tries to tempt others, like Black Widow, into despair and hopelessness, just as the evil one drives us away from the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Loki is also obsessed with power. This starts off with his attempt to take over Asgard. Then he tries to take over Earth. Later, he strives for the throne of Asgard again. What wakes Loki up is his love for his mother and his love, although he'd be loath to admit it, for his brother Thor. It takes a while for his feelings to set in, as he still follows the path of treachery for some time after. Yet eventually he comes to work with his brother Thor. He even sides with him against his former ally, Thanos, even though this leads directly to his death. The power of Loki's transformation is such that it affects even alternate versions of him (variants) presented in the Loki show when they see what all the original MCU Loki went through. Those events change Loki from being a would-be-conqueror to actually expressing concern about the larger universe. It doesn't mean he changes right away, just as we all still struggle with sin. But it does mean, like Paul (and Wanda), he does go from being an enemy to the Avengers to being one of the first in their order to fall to Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. Loki is such a well-beloved character because he follows the same path we all do. He is caught deep in sin when we first see him, so deep he is almost indistinguishable from the evil one. Yet love, like Jesus' love for us, finds a way to slowly change him. He doesn't become perfect over night. In fact, even to the end the worst of his traits are still present in him. He also struggles to accept the need to repent, although seeing his eyes at various points in the Loki series, he shows remorse in his own way. Yet Loki still has the power to change and become a better Asgardian, just as we, through Christ Jesus, can become better people through the gifts of his grace and forgiveness. In the last chapter, we saw how Tashbaan, though a great, vast, and beautiful city on the outside, held an ugly exterior on the inside. We also saw Shasta mistaken for a member of the Narnian royal party. In this chapter, Shasta learns more about the Narnians' plight due to Prince Rabadash's love for Queen Susan. The Narnians realize it is going to be difficult for them to leave Tashbaan without a threat from Rabadash, who expects Queen Susan to marry him. While they are formulating a plan to escape, Shasta learns more about Narnia and its place within this broader world.
From The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, it would seem that Narnia is a great nation that takes up a vast amount of the world. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. King Edmund himself describes Narnia as "a little land", and one that is "on the borders of a great empire", i.e. Calormen. There is a sense in which Narnia appears similar to Lewis' own England, a small island kingdom that yet has had great influence on the global stage. Narnia, however, is in many ways more like ancient Israel. It is a small, seemingly insignificant land nestled between many empires over the centuries. Yet it is this land that the Lord gave to God's Chosen People in the Tanakh, the Old Testament. Aslan shows the same sort of favour for Narnia in C.S. Lewis' series by watching over and protecting the land. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul tells us that the power of God is "made perfect in weakness." The same is true for Narnia. While they seem to be an insignificant land within their own world, Narnia has a great power that those surrounding her do not always understand. That is because that power doesn't come from themselves, but from Aslan, the Lion who sang life into Narnia from the start of the world. It may seem like weakness at times, but it is actually the most powerful force there is. As the newfound group of horses and humans make their way to Narnia, they first have to journey through the city of Tashbaan, the capital of Calormen. On the outside, this city looks beautiful and fascinating. On the inside, though, it is anything but. It's outside appearance is deceiving and hides an ugly interior. On their journey through the city, Shasta is mistaken for someone else and ends up with part of the royal family from Narnia. There, he learns Queen Susan has been courted by Prince Rabadash, heir to the throne of Calormen. Rabadash, when he met Susan in Narnia, appeared to be a nice enough person. In his homeland, however, he reveals a much less flattering portrait of himself. What we see in Chapter 4 of The Horse and His Boy is similar to what Samuel encounters when looking to anoint a new king of Israel. Samuel knows that the new king will be one of Jesse's sons. After seeing the first son, Samuel thinks "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the Lord", but God responds by saying: Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. This chapter is a great example of why to look at things like God does. both Tashbaan and Rabadash seem good at first, but on a further glance they are both bad. If we can get past the first appearance and look to the heart of the thing, we will not be fooled, but see the thing for what it truly is inside.
Please note, The Avengers is rated PG-13. All content in this post was made for kids. After the Avengers capture Loki, Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, takes the time to integrate him. Primarily she wants to know how to help Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, since Loki has brainwashed him.
Loki being Loki asks Natasha to tell a little more about herself. Natasha reveals some of her dark past. She had a "very specific skill set" that she "didn't care who [she] used it for, or on." Her deeds put her on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar, and they sent Hawkeye in to take her out. Clint saw something in her though, and instead of completing his mission, he brought her in. From that moment on, Black Widow lives by the code that she's "got red in her ledger" and she wants to wipe it out. Like Wanda yesterday, Natasha is a little like Paul on the Road to Damascus. She is someone who once worked against S.H.I.E.L.D. and is now working for them, just as Paul once persecuted the Christians and then became one of their primary leaders. Natasha can also be compared with the Penitent Thief on the cross next to Jesus. She knows she has done wrong and what she deserves for it. She is also trying to repent for her past and do right. Black Widow is like all of us at one point in our lives. She has lived a live in need of grace and forgiveness. It takes someone like Hawkeye coming in and showing her mercy to get her to change. She needs a gift of grace, free and underserved, just like we all do. We all need a Hawkeye in our lives to show us grace. We also need to have the courage of Natasha to repent and try to make up for our past by doing good. We all need to have the perseverance to wipe our ledger clean. It is interesting that Loki tries to mess with Black Widow's confidence. It is very similar to what the evil one tries to do to us in our lives and in our spiritual warfare at times. Loki wants to make Black Widow believe that her task of finding redemption is worthless. Black Widow, however, is able to turn Loki's spiritual warfare against him. Would that we all had the strength to do the same in our own battles with evil. Please note, The Avengers is rated PG-13. All content in this post was made for kids. At the start of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wanda and her brother Pietro despise the Avengers because Stark weapons were used to destroy their home when they were growing up. In order to make Tony Stark pay, they side with Ultron who wants to destroy the Avengers. Later in the film, Wanda learns the truth: Ultron's plans will likely end in humanity's extinction. Wanda and Pietro realize this is wrong, and they join the Avengers in their fight against this robot menace. As they fight Ultron in their home city, Wanda starts to panic. She starts to feel this is all her fault. "How could I let this happen?", she asks herself. Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, is with her at the time. He looks at her and says, "It's your fault. It's everyone's fault. Who cares? Are you up for this? Are you?" Clint goes on to point out how crazy this situation is for them, fighting robots in a floating city. He tells Wanda that if she wants to stay there, he'll send her brother to come get her, but that: It doesn't matter what you did, or what you were.... But if you step out that door, you are an Avenger. Clint's words have an impact on Wanda. She does step out, and she does fight alongside the Avengers. Thank goodness she does so too as her powers are desperately needed. In many ways, Wanda is like Paul in the early church. Paul, also known as Saul, started out as a persecutor of the first Christians. Then he has his own encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus, and he starts to realize his mistake. It takes Ananias, his teacher in this new life, to bring him out of his literal blindness and misery to become closer to God in Christ Jesus. Hawkeye serves as that teacher for Wanda. Similar to Paul, she goes on to be one of the greatest Avengers and to do incredible things to protect the world. No matter what we do, God will still love us. We are also called to be like Wanda and to not wallow in our sorrow, but to step forward and serve God in this world. Journey with the Avengers Vacation Bible School Day 3: Captain America, Strong Even When Weak8/11/2021 Please note, The Avengers is rated PG-13. All content in this post was made for kids. One of Captain America's powers is his super strength thanks to the Super Soldier serum (as discussed yesterday). But before that, Steve Rogers, the one who would become the hero Captain America, was a scrawny, weak man who failed enlisting in the Army for World War II multiple times. Dr. Abraham Erskine, the head scientist on Project Rebirth, the program creating the Super Soldier serum, sees something in Steve though: a good spirit and heart. He believes a good spirit is the most important attribute of a Super Soldier. Col. Chester Phillips, instead, believes "guts" is the most important quality. To prove it, he takes a dummy grenade and throws it in the middle of training. All the soldiers immediately get out of the way, except for Rogers. He jumps on the fake grenade, covering it with his body. He tells everyone else to get back, before realizing the grenade hasn't gone off. He asks if this is a test. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul says that the God's "power is made perfect in weakness." We see this in Steve Rogers. What makes him a hero isn't his powers. It is the heart he possessed even before becoming strong. For us to better serve God, we too have to have a spirit like Steve Rogers. Rogers is willing to put his own life on the line for others. It is important to remember that there is another person who was willing to do the same thing for all of us: Jesus. Please note, The Avengers is rated PG-13. All content in this post was made for kids. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-13, Paul speaks of the various gifts of the Spirit we as Christians are granted. According to Paul, while these gifts are different for each of us, we all come together to use them in service to God and for the good of our community (a.k.a. the church, the Body of Christ, the communion of saints as discussed yesterday). The Avengers give us a great sign of what Paul is talking about. Each of the Avengers has a different gift:
Every single one of the Avengers, even the ones we might least expect, plays a crucial role in the conflict with Loki and the Chitauri in The Avengers. All of their skills are needed. The strength of the Avengers is only manifest when they all start working together, just as with us as Christians in the church. Like us, they become united in doing good. Every single one of us have gifts our Lord gives us to do God's will in the world. Our task is to discover what those gifts are so we can help our community better serve God in this world, just like with the Avengers. The roster of the Avengers changes over time as other heroes come and join them. This is similar to another task of ours as well. We are called to help bring others to join our Faith and serve God with us. Our hope, as we continue our journey this week, is to become better examples of following Christ Jesus in order to lead others to Him. Please note, Black Panther is rated PG-13. All content in this post was made for kids. In Black Panther, T'Challa goes through a ritual to gain his powers. In many ways, it is very similar to Baptism. First of all, Paul in Romans 6:3-11 speaks about how through Baptism we are buried with Jesus in His death. Full-immersion Baptism speaks to this powerfully with the image of the person being brought all the way underwater, as if drowning. A key part of the ritual T'Challa undergoes is being buried in sand. In a very true sense, T’Challa actually experiences death here, being transported to the Ancestral Plane where the dead, including T’Challa’s father T’Chaka, are still alive. Paul also says in Romans 6:3-11 that just as we are baptized in Jesus’ death, so too are we baptized into Christ’s Resurrection. This is the hope of new and everlasting life that we have in Jesus Christ, which is central to the Christian faith. Just as we are dipped below the water in Baptism, so too are we then raised from the water, symbolizing the new life we now have in Christ Jesus. We see T’Challa do the same thing. First, he rises, as if from the grave, in the Ancestral Plane. This is similar to how we will rise in the Resurrected Life after death. It is in this place that T’Challa greets those who have gone before him in the line of Black Panther, which I will speak more about below. T’Challa also rises once again in the land of the living back in Wakanda. This is similar to how we rise from the waters in Baptism. Baptism is the way in which we are initiated as Christians. It is how we become members of the church, also known as the Body of Christ, also known as the Communion of Saints. This is the group of people beyond time and space who have followed Jesus Christ and dwell with the Lord in life everlasting. For T’Challa, this ritual is how he is initiated as King of Wakanda in the full role of the Black Panther. When he is buried, T’Challa enters the Ancestral Plane, where he sees a group of panthers in a nearby tree. One jumps down, revealing himself as T’Challa’s late father T’Chaka, who greets his son T’Challa. This is the Wakandan equivalent of the Communion of Saints. T’Challa joins them through his initiation. They dwell in the Ancestral Plane, that place where life continues after this life is over. This is similar to our hope in the Resurrection in our Lord Jesus Christ. T'Chaka tells T'Challa that he is a good man, and that will make things hard for him as king. As baptized members of the church, we are called to follow God's will, which is not always easy for us. This is the journey we will embark on in our Christian lives, and we will explore this path for the rest of this week with other Avengers. Last chapter, Bree and Shasta met new companions, Hwin and Aravis, on their way to Narnia. At the start of this chapter, Aravis tells her and Hwin's story and why they too are escaping to Narnia. From Bree's reaction, we understand that Aravis is a great storyteller in the "grand Calormene style", so it is no surprise that her tale has parallels with some of the stories in Scripture. We see one of these similarities in how she learned that Hwin is a talking horse from Narnia. Aravis leaves for Narnia in order to avoid getting married to a man she does not want to be with. Unfortunately, she was preparing to take a drastic step to escape her fate (if you, or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please go to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline). Fortunately, Hwin reveals her identity as a Narnian to prevent Aravis from taking her own life. In The Book of Numbers, there is also a story of a talking animal saving a person's life. In fact, aside from the serpent in the Garden of Eden, this is the only animal to talk in the Bible. When the Israelites begin to become a force in the land, the local rulers get worried. They call on Balaam to come and curse the Israelites. Balaam gets on his donkey to ride out, but an angel is in the way with a sword, ready to destroy Balaam. The donkey refuses to move, even as Balaam beats her to get going. The donkey finally turns to Balaam and asks why he is hurting her. The donkey asks why Balaam doesn't trust her after all this time. Then Balaam's eyes are opened and he sees his donkey was really protecting him from danger and death this whole time. After talking with Hwin, Aravis puts on a dance for her father in order to please him and convince him to let her go and make sacrifices to prepare for her marriage. The plan is that the time when she is supposedly making sacrifices will provide her with the opportunity to escape. What Aravis does is similar to Salome, Herod's daughter, and her dance in Mark and Matthew. There, Salome's dancing pleases King Herod, and he offers her anything she desires. Salome goes to her mother to receive advice for what she should ask for. Her mother has had a long feud with the imprisoned John the Baptist, so she suggests asking for his head on a platter. This unfortunately leads to the death of John the Baptist. While Aravis' escape does not lead to anyone's death, her trickery does result in the punishment of one of her servants. As part of her trickery, she gives her maid a sleeping potion so she can escape from the sacrifices early. When Sashta asks what happened to her servant, Aravis "coolly" answers that she was likely beaten. Shasta is not impressed that Aravis' actions led to the harm of another. It is through his eyes that we can see Aravis has a lot of growing to do as a person. It is interesting to note their different circumstances. Shasta grew up in an abusive home with an adoptive father who was willing to sell him off to a stranger. Aravis grew up in a noble household. As a result, they look at how to treat others very differently. Fortunately journeys necessarily lead to change. I hope you look forward to continuing to witness the changes it will bring about in Bree, Shasta, Hwin, and Aravis in the coming chapters!
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The Rev. Trey KennedyHere is my take on how Superheroes and other characters can help us know God better. Categories
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