Please note, Pokémon games are rated E. Professor Oak chastising his grandson for forgetting what really matters in the first set of Pokémon Games (here with the Yellow Version) The power of Love is at the center of the Gospel. We hear it most in the words of John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Since the first Pokémon games came out, the message of love has been at the heart of the games. Your victory at the end of the Red, Blue, and Yellow games comes, as Professor Oak tells you, because of your character's bond with your Pokémon. Oak's grandson, your rival, on the other hand, looses because he didn't have this same love and connection. The more recent Pokémon games have enhanced this sense, even adding a game mechanic of love that super-powers your Pokémon when they like you a lot. It's also been great to see the rivals become more of your friends and companions, as I have noted before. However, this did take out the edge of the main lesson in Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee. As in the original games, you face your friend/rival to become champion of the Elite Four at the end of the game. However, unlike in the original games, your rival isn't a jerk. In fact, he's so sweet and caring to the Pokémon around him. It's hard to imagine that he, like Oak's grandson, needs a lesson on treating his Pokémon better. When you do beat your friend/rival, Oak acknowledges this in a weird way. Oak basically tells your friend/rival that he's treated his Pokémon well, but that maybe his kindness towards them held him back in this final battle. At the same time, Oak acknowledges your character's bond with your Pokémon helped you win in the end. While it's nice to have a rival who is kind and a true friend, it is also sad that the original message of being kind and loving got nerfed a bit in the Let's Go games. At the same time, it is nice to see the trend of kindness and love extending in the Pokémon to more than just your own Pokémon. It helps remind us of the importance of love which we see in the Gospel too. Final scenes in Pokémon: Let's Go Eveee
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Please note, Sky: Children of the Light is rated 9+.
Please note, Sky: Children of the Light is rated 9+. Eden is one of the most aptly named places in Sky. In Scripture, it is the place where the Fall into Sin occurred. In Sky, Eden is where we must descend into the greatest darkness in order to help save the children of light and bring them back home. The Season of Shattering in Sky expanded this connection. The Fall after Creation didn't just impact Adam and Eve. Their sin impacted all who would follow after them. The Season of Shattering led to Shards of Eden scattering and falling in the various realms of Sky. The darkness of Eden now has an impact on the rest of Sky. Paul in 1 Corinthians reminds us that: For as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive. Though Adam's Fall into Sin had disastrous consequences on humanity, Jesus came into save us from sin and death. We do something similar in Sky by saving the children of the light at the end of Eden. Jesus calls on us to take up the work of continuing to spread light to this world full of shards of darkness. We see this with Jesus commissioning his own Disciples to go spread the Good News in Matthew and Luke. We see it with Jesus' final send-off after the Resurrection too. This is a sign for our own call to share the Gospel in the world. Lighting up the Shards in Sky is a reminder of this work as well. It reminds us of the darkness in our world and our role in helping restore light. We didn't do the initial work of this healing. Jesus did that. We merely help share the Good News of what Jesus did to make people aware as light continues to be restored in this world. Please note, Sky: Children of the Light is rated 9+. Previously, we saw the Cackling Cannoneer get trapped in the darkness of the 1000-eyed Krill before being saved, all during the final quest in Sky’s Season of the Abyss. Now the Cannoneer, along with your player, head back to the rest of the treasure hunters in this part of Sky. When you return, the Cannoneer sheepishly places the treasure found by the 1000-eyed Krill on the table. The Ceasing Commodore instead stops the Cannoneer and embraces the spirit. This is not unlike the end of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, though that story is slightly different than this tale. The Prodigal Son asks for his inheritance before his father dies and then squanders it in frivolous living in the world. He returns home broke and destitute. Yet even though he did the wrong thing at every turn, his father welcomes him back with open arms. The Cannoneer hasn’t lived the same sort of life as the Prodigal Son. The Cannoneer only got jealous for a moment and made an unwise decision. Yet this spirit too is welcomed back not for any prowess in gaining treasure but simply for returning back safely. God looks at us the same way. Even when we mess up like the Prodigal Son or just do something unwise like the Cackling Cannoneer, God is ready to embrace us when we come back with loving arms, just like the Ceasing Commodore does at the end of the Season of the Abyss in Sky. Please note, Sky: Children of the Light is rated 9+. Previously, we saw how the Crackling Cannoneer's pursuit of treasure led to her, and the player character, getting eaten by the 1000-eyed Krill. Once inside this monster, reminiscent of Jonah in the Whale, there are blooms of darkness. As throughout the entire kingdom of Sky, you take your candle and cleanse this darkness. Inside this darkness bloom, though, there is a trapped manta. Once freed, this creature gives off a powerful light that the 1000-eyed Krill cannot contain. As a result, you, the Cannoneer, and all others trapped in the 1000-eyed Krill are able to escape. At the beginning of the Gospel according to John, the Beloved Disciple tells us: The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. This Light, as we see throughout John, is Jesus. Jesus, as the Light, conquers the dark. While the light of the manta is not quite the same, it shows that ultimately Light, whether the Light itself or simply a light, will overcome even the deepest darkness of the Abyss. It shows us that Light and Good will, in the end, prevail. We know this to be true in our world because of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even in the worst darkness, the abyss of a 1000-eyed monster even, the Light will prevail. We learn this lesson from Scripture, and the Season of the Abyss in Sky helps remind us of this truth. Please note, Sky: Children of the Light is rated 9+. Last time, we saw how the Season of the Abyss leads your player character to free the 1000-eyed Krill from the depths in Sky. Now we see the consequences of that action.
At the start of the final Abyss quest, the player character is asked to look for the Cackling Cannoneer, the Abyss spirit who has found the most treasure in the deep... until your work finding all the treasure in the 1000-eyed Krill's prison. It turns out the Cannoneer has gone out to a dangerous spot for treasure, likely in hopes to at least match your last haul. This has led the spirit to become trapped and swallowed by the 1000-eyed Krill. In trying to help the Cannoneer, you get caught by the monster too. The Cannoneer unfortunately has put all stock in the treasure this spirit is so adept at finding. As Jesus reminds us in Luke 12:15, "Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." The Cannoneer is learning that lesson now. A part of me wonders if part of the Cannoneer's actions stems from jealousy at your player character's one-upping her in the previous quest. Paul speaks to this kind of jealousy in Galatians as one of "the works of the flesh" to be avoided. In the same passage, Paul also speaks of the fruits of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." There is a better path forward away from the things that hold us back. The Cackling Cannoneer serves as a reminder of where something simple like greed, jealousy, or envy can lead us to a path not just of danger, but being consumed by darkness. We are called not put all our stock in treasure, but keep our sights heavenward. We are warned in examples like the Cackling Cannoneer not to let ourselves be trapped, even eaten away, by the darkness. We must also remember that what happens to the Cannoneer started with the work of the player character in the previous quest. We have to be mindful of our actions because they might not just impact us. Our actions can have unforeseen consequences for others. Please note, Sky: Children of the Light is rated 9+. In the past Season of Abyss in Sky: Children of the Light, there was the opportunity to help a group of spirits find treasure in the sea below. In the penultimate season quest, however, there was a catch. You're given a new location to search for treasure. This time, unfortunately, you get sent to an area that serves as a prison for the Krills, giant Dark Dragons that will knock away your light, the power that gives you flight, if they catch you in their sights. It is nothing new in Sky that Krill gather together in certain areas looking for innocent players to attack. This time, though, there is a Giant 1000-eyed Krill ready and waiting. To complete the quest, you must free the 1000-eyed monster. This is a reminder to us that our actions have consequences. We see this throughout Scripture, all the way to the first act of sin in Genesis. We also see that sometimes our actions can release greater evils in the world, again dating back to the start of Scripture. In all our deeds, we are called to remember Jesus' words in the Two Great Commandments, a summary of the Law given in Torah. Jesus tells us to "Love God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind" and to "Love your neighbor as yourself." In everything we do, we are to think about what the consequences will be for God's mission and to all around us. The quest to free the 1000-eyed Krill in Sky reminds us that we cannot always immediate see how our actions will impact others. Yet with some like this multi-eyed monster, it is doubtful there won't be greatly negative consequences. No treasure found in the deep is worth that impact! Please note, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is rated E10+. Last month, we had a passage one Sunday from Isaiah 65:17-25. In verse 23, there's a mention of calamity, which naturally got me thinking about Calamity Ganon from Breath of the Wild. This is fitting as Breath of the Wild is set in a post-apocalyptic Hyrule, and this part of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, a.k.a. 3rd Isaiah, speaks of the coming return of Israel from exile. In truth, this train of thought helped me see more of the meaning for this passage. These verses specifically assisted me: They shall not labor in vain, There's a specific area in Hyrule that fits with what 3rd Isaiah is saying here. Most of Hyrule has been destroyed at this point, though there are a few towns and traveling posts that have survived Calamity Ganon's attack on Hyrule Castle. However, there is a side quest you can take on that leads to the creation of a completely new town. At the end of that quest, two of the townspeople get married, with people coming from far across the land to share in the celebration. Even after destruction, there is the hope of new life. That is the lesson 3rd Isaiah was trying to impart as Israel prepared to return Home after the Exile. It is the hope we see in Hyrule. It is also the hope for us to remember that we have in our Faith, whether we face times of calamity or times of renewed breath. Please note, Sky: Children of the Light is rated 9+. The final realm in Sky, Eden, is one of darkness. This is what the whole game builds up to. That darkness is so powerful that in the Season of Shattering its influence descends upon all the realms of Sky. Yet even here there is hope. Even as your player character tries to restore light in the midst of the darkness of the Eye of Eden, and even as your character falls into darkness at the end of this trial, there is light at the end. There is, in fact, a whole kingdom on light (including an appearance by the Giant Manatee) afterwards. This is a reminder of the hope we have of entering the Kingdom of God after this life is over. That is the very hope at the center of our Faith. Through Christ Jesus, we are given new life, one that will restore us to full relationship with God in the next. This is mirrored in the journey through Eden into the Kingdom of Life behind it and in our restoration to Sky afterwards. It also serves as a hope to us in this world. Even if it seems like there is darkness all around us, God’s light is still there, even if it is behind the surface. No matter how dark things get, God is still there no matter what. That is enough to help us make our way through. Please note, Sky: Children of the Light is rated 9+. Towards the end of the Season of the Little Prince in Sky, the Little Prince has a conversation with your player character before leaving to go to Eden, the place where all go in Sky to die and then be reborn.
There are aspects of this conversation that are reminiscent of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane before His Crucifixion. For one, your character ends up falling asleep, much like the Disciples did while Jesus tried to pray. There is even a moment when your character wakes up to find the Little Prince gone, just as Jesus goes off on His own as he prays. There is also the aspect of the Little Prince trying to protect the player character from his choice to go to Eden. After waking up, your character travels further to find the Little Prince encountering a Dark Dragon, commonly known as a "Krill" to Sky players. This creature is a sure sign of death. Jesus also tries to protect His Disciples. When they are violent against the Roman soldiers arresting Jesus, our Lord tells the Disciples to stop and the Roman soldiers to let them go as He is the one they really want. The Little Prince’s actions are based in love. He seeks Eden out of love for the Rose. He also leaves before your character awakes out of love for you. Jesus make His actions out of on single love: the love of His sheep. In Gethsemane, Jesus looks after the specific sheep of the Disciples. On the Cross, Jesus looks out for everyone. The Little Prince in Sky helps give us a reminder of Jesus’ actions as well as that love God has for all of us. |
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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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