Please note, Sky: Children of the Light is rated 9+.
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Please note, Astro City is rated T. This past Sunday, we had a reading from Romans where Paul writes: But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? In my sermon, I used Prince Caspian when Lucy sees Aslan to discuss how God is found not above or below, but with us all along. In that passage, Lucy also comes to terms with the fact that she has been raising herself up above her siblings (bringing Christ down) and at the same time lowering her siblings in her own esteem ("bringing Christ up from the dead"). Prince Caspian, though, wasn't the first story I thought to frame Paul's words in Romans. Kurt Busiek's story of the Confessor in his Astro City series came to me first. There are major spoilers ahead, and The Confessor is a great story arc in Astro City, so precede at your own peril. The Confessor, as a hero, is basically Batman, if Batman were a Roman Catholic priest. It turns out the Confessor has another secret that, depending on your perspective, might make him more or less like Batman. It turns out that the Confessor is also a vampire. The Confessor originally came to Astro City in the 1800s to help administer the construction of the cathedral there. He did many good things, like helping the injured and sick. All of this was meant to be in service to God. Yet the Confessor had one moment of weakness. Though priest in the Roman Catholic Church take vows of celibacy, he found a woman he longed to be with. In one brief moment he went to embrace her. It turns out she was a vampire just looking for a meal. After she drained him, the Confessor woke up too, knowing he was now cursed to roam the world as a vampire. Though the Confessor had been brought low, God was still there. The Confessor was able to still serve God, even in the depths of the Abyss. It took the Confessor many years, many tries, and many persecutions, yet he finally found a way to continue to serve God. When the first superheroes started to show up in the 20th Century, he decided to join them to protect others. He wore the symbol of his Faith on his chest, the Cross, even though it caused him pain, to honor his service to the Lord. Even when we are at our lowest, God is there. Even when we are at our lowest, God can use us to do God's will. The Confessor shows us that. At his best and at his worst, he has been able to find ways to serve God in this world. We all struggle to do what is right. We all struggle to be good. The Confessor shows us that even as we struggle, we can still limp ahead and find ways to best serve the Lord. |
Please note, there maybe Spoilers in the Posts below!
The Rev. Trey KennedyHere is my take on how Superheroes and other characters can help us know God better. Categories
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