Brightest Day and Blackest Night Con Nooga 2012 Sermon

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For everyone's viewing pleasure: Brightest Day and Blackest Night Con Nooga 2012 Sermon

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Jesus, our Bad Wolf

In the episode of Doctor Who called Bad Wolf, they explain the culmination of several episodes where the message Bad Wolf appears written somewhere in different episodes. We find out that it was Rose, leaving a message for herself and The Doctor about what was coming.

Similarly God leaves messages for us through time and space in the same way. The Bible says that all of nature, everything made, declares God to us in Romans 1:20. Everytime we look at nature or the Universe we can see God. Two scientific ways you can see God is through Laminin and the cross inside the M15 whirlpool at the far reaches of the galaxy. We can see it in our literature and the way we search for what is missing in our lives.

In the end Rose is filled with the soul of the Tardis and restores life and balance to the situation. Jesus does the same thing to our lives and situations. We are filled with the Holy Spirit, changing our lives forever. He is our Bad Wolf.

The Sin of Galadriel

Sin. Mine's the Love of Money. Everytime God and I go through this particular sin together all I can see is the scene in Lord of the Rings with Galadriel.

Frodo offers her the ring and she is tempted to take it. To rule with the power that it possess. In the middle of the scene we have Galadriel, flush with power and declaring that we would have a Queen, beautiful and trecherous as the sea. Just the idea of the power burns through her so much that she is momentarily transformed into the powerful Queen of Darkness that she would become upon the acceptance of the ring. In the end, she is able to deflect the temptation for ultimate power and go with her people.

Galadriel shows in those few scenes the way sin burns through all of us.

We give in to the particular ring of power that holds us down. Be it the ring of money, jealousy, lust, love of something more than God, immodesty, pride. We can be glad {Matthew 5:12} just as Galadriel is, because not only is there always a way out of that temptation {1 Corinthians 10:13}; it matures us and moves us on to the next land of plenty and peace that awaits us.

Merciful Evil and it's Pretty face

In the Doctor Who episode, "Boom Town"; the last surviving member of the Slitheen family shows back up with a dastardly plan to essentially surf her way back to the area of space where she is from.

The conversation in this episode between the Doctor and the Slitheen is what struck me most. The alien was trying to convince the Doctor that she could be good. That she had changed.
"I promise you I've changed since we last met Doctor. A young thing, something of a danger. The blood lust runs high in our family, I would have killed her without a thought; and then I stopped. She's wandering around out there somewhere right now."

The Doctors response was classic:
"It doesn't mean anything. You let one of them go, but that's nothing new. Every now and then a little victim is spared. Because he smiled, because she's got freckles; 'cause they begged. And that's how you live with yourself. That's how you slaughter millions, because once in a while, on a whim, if the wind's in the right direction; you happen to be kind."

In the end she is still cruel. Just as Proverbs 12:10 says in the last part of the verse {or part b}, "but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel." Even in this spinning of the way she had changed, the slitheen was still going to kill the lady she spared, along with everyone else on earth, at the end of her master plan.

In the end even her kindest act was cruel. We are very similar to the slitheen in this way. We believe one good deed will cover all the bad ones we have committed. It's why we need a savior to save us from ourselves. It's why we need Jesus in our lives, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23). God though gives us the same chance the slitheen had at the end of the episode: to start again. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." A chance at a life with the one who says, "Behold, I make all things new." (Revelations 21:5)

Lessons From The Good Book

Dragon*Con 2009 Sermon, "Lessons From The Good Book"

I really enjoyed this sermon. It hits home and I never saw this in the character Book.

Oh, Day 9-oh

My brother and I watch this shout caster named Day 9 {a.k.a. Sean Plott}. He casts about Starcraft and in one of his videos, he proceeds to tell us about a life lesson which he calls: Kittens and Ninja Stars.

***Warning, there is some language***

If you watched the video, and you should, you can see that Day 9 talks about a realization that is actually Biblical in nature.

Namely, that we are made for fellowship and that our emotions will fool us.

Although he is missing the key ingredient; he doesn't fall short of a full pie when he talks about being there for a friend. That actually caring for someone like a beloved family member {Proverbs 17:17, Proverbs 18:24} is what gets the point across that their is friendship, and therefore Love, here. Romans 12:5 goes on to say it even more completely, "so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other." We are all one. When one of us gets a ninja star we should react as though it was our body being hit and give aid immediately. We should be there to build defenses and help each other dodge.

In this battle we can't let our emotions fool us {Jeremiah 17:9). Even when we emotionally can't stand a person, we get up pull the ninja star out, dress their wound; and in doing so, get that much closer toward what God was saying about Love. We are to love our enemiesMatthew 5:44, Love God, Mark 12:30 and Love your neighbor as though they were youLuke 10:27.

At the end of the day are you someones ninja star or kitten?

More verses showing the idea of support for each other:
Hebrews 10:25, Romans 12:10-21,

Jesus, Merlin and The Grail

I traveled down memory lane and watched the t.v. show Merlin starring Sam Neill (one of the better actors of his time, in my opinion). Netflix suggested to me that I also watch Merlins' Apprentice. Although the show makes no sense in reference to Merlin, it was enjoyable on it's own.

Toward the end of the second episode there is one quote that really reminded me of one of the core ideas from God in The Bible.

"I have never proved myself worthy. I can not do so now. I beg this gift of those who can not ask it. Undo this madness and do with me what you will." - Jack to The Holy Grail

The Grail restores the last few that were fighting for Camelot and there is a stirring speech that follows in which the character owns up to what Camelot started. He goes on to plead forgiveness, to ask them to quit the battle, go home, clean their wounds and begin a new day as citizens of Camelot.

This picture and quote is exactly the idea of salvation in The Bible. John 3:16, 30 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life... He must become greater; I must become less."

In the last few scenes of this episode Jack realizes that to have the pure heart that The Holy Grail {a.k.a. the cup of Christ} will support, you must humble yourself and realize who you are. Realize that it's loving your enemies {Luke 6:35}, putting others before yourself {Mark 12:31}, and relying on God for your rebirth/salvation/recreation {Proverbs 3:5-6} that makes you pure at heart. Not your past actions, not your own plans, and not your understanding of things. It's to give yourself up to God and let Him clean the madness of sin that runs rampant through ourselves. Then to raise up a new man walking beside Christ, forever!