by Nathan Fischer
Have you ever wanted to play God? Deep down inside, I think we all do, which is probably why so many people enjoy the games created by game designer Will Wright. He has dedicated his career to projects like SimCity and The Sims – projects that let the gamer play god in their own little world. Now with the game Spore, Will Wright’s latest release, the “god game” is taken to a whole new level.
A true desire to “play god” grows from the sin from the Fall in the Garden, when Eve and Adam desired to “be like God.” Yet we will save that sinful aspect of “playing God” for another article.
Spore is a fun and whacky game that has one very simple objective: evolve a creature from a microscopic organism to a sentient creature that is ready to fly in outer space. The genius of the game is that the player can create any kind of creature that he wants to create. Basically, the player is given a hunk of clay and the tools to develop that hunk of clay into anything. So from the insanely absurd to the mundanely normal, one can create whatever he likes.
From that perspective, the “evolution” aspect of the game is really quite perfect. Evolution is relegated to the realm of fiction – most of these creatures could not possibly exist. It’s just a game, and it’s very fun. There is nothing scientific about it, nor do the creators of Spore try to shove evolutionary ideals and principles down the player’s throat, as fact. Actually, the humorous, bizarre combinations for creatures only emphasize that evolution is a fictitious theory. In other words, the Christian will not have to worry about being on the defensive during this game. It’s just an enjoyable, relaxing game.
That is not to say, though, that there is nothing deeper to Spore. In fact, there is quite a lot to think about in game, first and foremost being the question of what makes us unique from the animals. In Spore, the great mark of your creature, what sets him above the rest of the world, is the fact that at some point or other, he will reach sentience. This is, in Spore, what truly makes your creature unique and special.
That should make us pause and consider for a moment: is this true? Unfortunately, for the world, what sets human beings apart from the animals, what makes us special, is our self-awareness – our sentience. Apart from this, we are no different from the rest of nature. In fact, some may go even so far as to say that in spite of this we are still no different from the animals around us.
However, as Christians, we know that this is not true. Scripture plainly tells us that we were created in the image of God. We did not evolve from a single cell organism. God placed Adam and Eve over the animals, and this authority remains with us today, even if made imperfect by the fall into sin.
However, even with this authority, there is something else even more unique, more special about mankind. It is not sentience, nor even the authority granted man by God in the Garden of Eden that ultimately defines us as who we are. What defines us is the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Christ’s death on the cross defines us. We are redeemed by God Himself. We are saved by the blood of the Lamb.
In Spore, you cannot climb from your computer chair into the game to become one of your creatures, nor can you sacrifice yourself for your cute little sentient beings that you mold throughout the game. That is precisely what God did for us, though – the Creator was born of the created, and He dwelt among us, and He died for us.
It’s good that in Spore there is no option to designate a creature to die for your race that you created. It would really only be a mockery of the true sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Spore it just meant to be an entertaining game. And it is in the Gospel, that good news of the freedom from sin, death, and the devil, that we can pick up a game like Spore and say, “I will play this, and have fun.” I know, it sounds silly, but it’s true! As Christians, all that we do is covered by the blood of Jesus. Every action of every day is cleansed by Him – even when we play video games.
So for those of you who like video games, enjoy Will Wright’s new creation. It’s both amusing and relaxing. And rest always in the assurance that your sins are forgiven, even when you’re sitting at your computer and molding a three legged, five eyed monstrosity that you name “Glarfinix.” Your Creator loves you, and He would do anything and everything for you. In fact, He already has. This is what defines you.
Nathan Fischer is a graduate of Concordia University – Wisconsin. Among other interests, he and his wife Katie enjoy watching movies, playing video games, and comparing and contrasting them with our faith. Nathan and Katie are also expecting their first child.
First of all, don’t panic! Your biology teacher didn’t create you, die for your sins, or make you a new creation in Holy Baptism. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all about that work. Second, your biology teacher is just teaching what he or she’s been taught. They can’t help it if they’ve learned to trust in an unproven theory developed by a man who spent too long on a ship looking at animals he never saw in the zoo when he was a kid. (That would be Darwin…) And it’s not your biology teacher’s fault that the scientist who wrote the biology textbook your teacher learned from isn’t the Lord who actually created and sustains all things. After all, if the Lord wrote a book about where things come from, like, say, the BIBLE—well, we know with certainty that what is written in it is true, because it was inspired by the Holy Spirit. So you see? No need to panic if your biology teacher is an evolutionist. Rather, because YOU know where the world comes from and who the Savior is, you can sit back and learn what exactly it is the world thinks about where it came from without having to get all bent out of shape! That means you can study and learn all about evolution, still get your “A” and still be a Christian.
DEAL is always Jesus, not “how many days” did it take to make the earth. Beware of those so called “Christians” who look down on others who don’t believe and take every word of the Bible literally, as if someone is outside of God’s grace because they haven’t understood every word of the Bible just yet. (Such people don’t either, by the way. Just ask them what’s there in the Lord’s Supper!)
The sad thing about your biology teacher is not that they try to follow science. It’s that the science they follow leads them to the conclusion that Man is just one more random organism out there in the universe. There’s the Devil’s lie in all this: that Man isn’t really special, The Gospel teaches us that we are the center of the Universe. Maybe not the physical universe, but the center of God’s universe. After all, He made everything out of nothing and topped it all off with man made in His image. And as if that were not enough, when that top-of-the-line creation failed and fell away, God Himself came personally as one of us to redeem us from that sin and death. That means man is special, not in himself, but because the Lord became one us and saved us.
Tax collectors at Jesus’ time were not known for their honest business principles and spotless reputations. Like today’s car salesmen, tax collectors were renowned for taking a little more than was necessary, just to fill their own pockets. They were also a sign of Roman occupation. They were a constant reminder to the Jews that Caesar, and not their own king, was in charge.
In Christ the same Law that condemns all men to death because of their sins is fulfilled. As Jesus himself said, he did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them. For the believer, the Law’s condemning power has been removed since Christ was condemned in our place. Thus St. Paul says: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
The same words that give comfort to many today no doubt served Matthew in the same way: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness; Blessed are the meek.” Matthew learned that there is a cost that comes with being such a public figure and disciple of Jesus. Tradition has it that Matthew, like most of the other disciples, was martyred for his faith.
“Talent on loan from God.” Remember that quote? It’s from conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh. With “America’s Got Talent” (henceforth, AGT) wrapping up another big season there’s been a lot of talk about talent lately.
I’m a little disappointed with the Top 10 line up. With one exception they are ALL singers, which is going to make the show a bit boring. Half the fun of AGT is the differences in all the acts. Unfortunately, all the dance acts are gone, the most amazing fire baton twirling guy (3 at a time, while he does a flip, and he NEVER dropped one) is out. You can have the best voice in the world, but if you’re competing against other amazing singers, it’s hard to stand out. The top contenders will be opera-bound Neal E. Boyd, born-to-be-an-R&B-star Queen Emily, and the soulful Eli Mattson. My vote would go to Neal … except I finally caught the one non-singing act. They are “Nuttin’ But Stringz” a duo best described as hip-hop violinists. They’ve taken classical and meshed it with hip-hop flavor. Their level of talent on their instruments and raw energy onstage is untouchable. And in a field of 10 very talented people, I’ll go with unique every time.
The Feast of Holy Cross Day (14 September) is a relatively recent addition to the church calendar for most Lutherans. It was introduced to the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod with Lutheran Worship in 1982. Perhaps it remains unfamiliar to many Lutherans in our day. Nevertheless, Holy Cross Day is actually a rather ancient observance in the history of the Christian Church, and there were some Lutherans who retained its observance in the centuries following the Reformation.
A few hundred years later, after the cross had been stolen away to Persia and later recovered under Emperor Heraclius, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the 14th of September celebrated its restoration as well as all of the above historical events. This was an Eastern festival, to begin with, but one that was adopted in the West in due time. In western practice, Holy Cross Day determined the autumn “ember days,” the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following the feast, when prayers were offered for the fruits of the earth. Thus, the Cross of Christ, by which He redeemed His creation from the curse of sin and death, was raised against the approach of winter.
Although there will always be some question concerning the origins of Holy Cross Day, this festival invites an appropriate and salutary focus on the Cross as the means by which our Lord Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of the world, defeated death and the devil, reconciled the world to God, obtained our salvation and glorified the Father’s name. Though His Cross is a foolish scandal to the world, to us who are being saved it is the power and wisdom of God, unto salvation. Thus, with St. Paul, we know nothing but the Cross, preach nothing but the Cross, and boast in nothing but the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. For it is by His Cross that we are crucified, dead and buried with Him in Holy Baptism and in daily repentance, and from the same Cross that we receive the absolution or forgiveness of all our sins, by which we also rise with Christ unto newness of life. This Cross is lifted up and exalted in our lives by self-sacrificing love for our neighbor, as it is first of all lifted up for us by the preaching of the Gospel, by which we are drawn to Christ in faith and through Him, our great High Priest, brought into the holy of holies made without hands, to our Father in heaven.
Do you know how foolish you are? According to the world, you are morons! Think about it! You get up early on a Sunday morning, a day that most people are sleeping in, or out having a communion of coffee and donuts, or just relaxing or whatever. You come out to sit on the sort of bench you only sit on once a week. And you come to hear a guy wearing what amounts to a dress, almost, stand up and talk to you for 20 minutes about something that happened 2000 years ago. Every week. The same thing that happened 2000 years ago! Don’t you see how ridiculous you look? Don’t you realize how silly this is? Don’t you get it, that it’s a waste of time? That’s the world’s way of thinking! And St. Paul demolishes that sort of thinking with these words from our Epistle for Holy Cross Day: “We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to the Greeks. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength!” For we know that what happens here, in Christ’s holy church—while it looks utterly stupid to those outside—to those who are being saved this preaching of Christ crucified is exactly how God saves us from our sins!
Everything Jesus is about, everything He came to do, comes down to the cross. To the suffering He suffers and the death He dies on that horrid instrument of Roman torture. Everything in heaven and earth and all creation and all time and history past and present comes down to this hour of Jesus, the “hour,” the time of His suffering and death. All that God has done and will do is centered on this hour, this moment, this time of the Son of God taking our place in death under the judgment against sins. All of our hopes for any mercy from God rest on Jesus being the perfect Son and the perfect sacrifice for our sins. And having accomplished that salvation, and been raised from the dead, the Lord sends His preachers out to preach nothing else. Because nothing else saves us but the delivery of what Jesus did on Calvary. Delivery through preaching and the sacraments.
But there IS a new Tree of Life. That tree is the cross. And it is a tree, it’s logs cut from some tree and placed in the ground as a place to hang criminals. But the tree of the cross has fruit that is even better than the original Tree of Life. The tree of the cross has as it’s fruit, hanging on it’s branches, the body of Jesus, and it drips its fruit of blood and water right into the church where we wash and eat and drink and hear His Word and our sins are forgiven and we are saved. The fruit of the cross, it’s bounty, its produce, is the forgiveness of sins!
Hurricanes are full of water. That means that when they come barreling down on top of us, we are reminded of our Baptism! It was in Baptism, after all that the “Storm Surge” of the forgiveness of sins washed over us by water and the Word of God! And that means that we are the Lord’s. Even if a hurricane huffs and puffs and blows our house down!
But there is a greater promise of Jesus than this frightening guarantee of wars and natural disasters! In the same chapter, Jesus also says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matt. 24:14). Did you catch that? The Gospel will be preached. No matter what happens. No matter what floods or what burns or what shakes or what falls, the Good News that Jesus has taken away our sins and gives us eternal life will still be preached until the Last Day. While all of these things continue to happen, Jesus promises that none of them can harm us. They can’t destroy us. They can’t hurt us. Even if they were to kill us, we are with Christ. By our Baptism into Him, our Lord has made it so that nothing in this world can truly harm us. Not Gustav. Not Ike. Not the devil, hell, sin, or death!
I’m holding on your rope,
In utter despair, the young man has completely given up on this one-sided relationship. He has given, loved, adored, and naively returned to his girlfriend…while she basically ignored him, cheated on him, and treated him like dirt.
But God doesn’t leave you hanging “ten feet off the ground.” Indeed, He doesn’t leave you hanging – He hung “10 feet off the ground” for you! He willingly displayed His undying love as the Son of Man was lifted up, suffering and dying on His cross for you. When other relationships crumble, He is your Rock. When others “cheat” on you, He is always faithful. When you are broken and wounded, He alone brings healing.
“The Son of Man came to save that which was lost,” (Matthew 18). Jesus died for everyone. There’s none He didn’t die for. Can you name anyone Jesus leaves out of His Good Friday Calvary dying? . . . I didn’t think so. Jesus died for you. Jesus died for Tyler too. Winning and achieving the salvation that only He could do. And He did! “It is finished!” The sacrifice for all sin is done in the death of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 
Not so fast my friend! Better listen to the rest of what Peter says. You might just be delightfully surprised. Go ahead Peter. I’ll let you tell them. “All right Pastor Kuhlman. This promise . . . (the promise of forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit) in Holy Baptism IS FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN. And what is more . . . IT IS FOR ALL WHO A FAR OFF, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 
In the Name of Jesus. Amen. I love games. I began playing the first Massive Multiplayer Roleplay game (MMROPG) Ultima Online, while in seminary. The game provided a virtual world, economy, monsters, spells, and orcs! After that I tried my hand at Everquest and “Evercrack 2”. What can I say? I just love games with orcs in them.
