Please note, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is rated PG-13. Previously, we saw the joy there is in burial because it reminds us of the hope we have in the life to come. The symbols we see in the service are also important in helping us recognize this. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever does a beautiful job illustrating this. At the end of the ceremony, T'Challa's body is taken up in the Royal Talon, the chief Wakandan aircraft for the Black Panther. From there T'Challa's body is taken to the City of the Dead, specifically to the place that all the Black Panthers before have been laid to rest. The rising up of T'Challa's body is a reminder that he no longer resides in this world, but in a world beyond in the Ancestral Plane. It might seem strange to us in modern times that a body rising would signify this. We know that beyond the sky is space and the rest of the solar system, galaxy, and universe. Yet this symbolism of the sky representing the beyond has been with us since ancient times. It is even reflected in Jesus' Ascension in the sky after His Resurrection and at the end of His earthly ministry. While we are not able to do something quite so dramatic and beautiful as in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, we do include a lot of symbolism to reflect our move beyond this life. One of the chief ways we do this is through the Paschal Candle. This is the candle we light every year at the start of the Easter Season, the Season of the Resurrection, the life beyond this one. The Candle remains lit from the start of Easter to the Day of Pentecost, the final Sunday of Easter. It is also lit at Baptisms, when we join in the Resurrection of our Lord, and at Burial services, when we have passed into that new life with our Lord Jesus Christ. These symbols help us remember the joy in death. These symbols help us remember that death is not the end, but simply a moving beyond. Disclaimer: unless otherwise stated, the majority of images produced here are not owned or created by me. Commenting is encouraged. Please use discretion leaving comments below, letting the love of God guide you.
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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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