The End of the Story...

 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.         -- John the Apostle (seen in a vision on Patmos c.90 AD)

Christmas is at once a delightful holiday full of joy and good-spirit and a time of controversy when those boundaries we have put up between different peoples and cultures are strained and tested. It nags at me every year that there are issues in the celebrating of Christmas. Most of us who are Christian make a great effort to remember the "Reason for the Season".

In our time and place Christmas can be celebrated from start to finish with no real mention of Christ as all. Christmas trees, eggnog, presents, candy, movies, lights, on and on. None of it has to be about Christ if you don't  want it to be. That's weird.

Christmas was first celebrated on December 25th, 336 A.D. Before that, there was no set celebration of the Jesus's birth and there was still a lot of debate about what day he was born on. Virtually everyone agreed that December the 25th was not the day and so in what would prove to be a long Catholic tradition, the date was fixed firmly there. For the last one-thousand six-hundred and seventy-four years, Christians have been celebrating the birth story of Jesus on that day. Currently, there are 490,000 babies born every day. What made one birth worth all that debate?

Christmas is not about dates and times. It is not even about good will and extraordinary charity. It is one thing only. This feast day was created to remind Christians annually of the advent of their creator.

Once there was a man named Jesus. He was good. He taught many hard lessons. He claimed to be God. It was illegal to claim to be God where he lived. He was executed. He came back. He really was God and many people trusted him to save them from a dark and broken world. He is still saving us. If we are going to be become preoccupied with the image of a Jewish baby burbling in a feeding trough we have to bear another image in mind as well. The quote above is from the revelation that John received; that is The Revelation of Jesus Christ. In his visions he saw a man he recognized in a way he had never seen him. John had seen Jesus riding a donkey colt but never a white horse. He had seen him rebuke Peter from drawing a sword to defend him, now one was coming out of his mouth to execute judgement. He had seen Jesus stand silently while he was condemned and to do nothing while unclean hands nailed him to his deathly tree. Now he stood shining in glory with an army at his back and the blood of enemies under his feet.

The next time anyone sees Jesus on the earth, this is what we will see. The good shepherd of Galilee will return as the Commander of the Army of the LORD. Celebrate it. It is worth celebrating. Christ died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. We are not abandoned to the dark and broken world we live in. Sin will not reign indefinitely and what has been stained and ruined will be restored. God promised to be with us. He is with us. That child, that precious and fragile infant who literally was 'born in a barn' will stand at the pinnacle of existence and it will be his rightful place. That's my God. That's who was born on whatever day in obscurity and what I will remember every December the 25th. I will remember the end of the story when I tell the beginning of it.

Time.

I haven't posted anything in exactly two weeks, which you know of you keep up with that sort of thing. Two weeks around here is a long time. There has been a lot to do to get ready for Christmas and almost everyday has brought something more. I may yet regale you with some our our Yule-tide adventures, but for now, the post that follows will probably be the last until January.

Two classics come back...Part Two

The Return of the Kong

In 1981 Nintendo released an arcade game in America featuring an ill-tempered gorilla and a heroic laborer. (I found out that at this time in his life, Mario was a carpenter named Jumpman. I guess he picked up plumbing and dumped the pseudonym in '85). This gorilla was called Donkey Kong.

In the beginning we didn't know much about Donkey Kong. He was angry. He liked the princess. He hated that guy that jumped barrels to get at him.

Later, more of the story came out. In 1994 Donkey Kong Country hit the Super Nintendo and we could finally play Donkey Kong as the hero. With his side-kick Diddy Kong, Donkey battled through armies of mutant-gator thingies to recover his hoard of bananas. This game was tough. It was good-looking, challenging, and rewarded you for exploring. There were bonus rooms, interesting characters, variety of game play. It was great.

When the sequel came out the next year, it was great. Another sequel a year after that was great. It was a franchise that just kept getting better. The characters like Cranky and Funky Kong came to be old friends. When Donkey Kong came out for the Nintendo 64 it was with a full cast of new friends and old favorites. The same difficult but worthwhile challenges kept us coming back.

Donkey Kong has come back in a couple of solid games since then, including Jungle Beat, an innovative title that let you pound bongos to pound bad guys.

Last week Donkey Kong Country Returns came out for the Wii. Like Mario and Kirby, this title requires you to turn you Wii remote on its side and use the d-pad and two buttons to control the hero. Diddy returns as a side-kick and the hunt for bananas is on. It might be wiser for the Kongs to invest in a security system for the banana hoard but it would not be as much fun. Donkey and Diddy fight crazy tiki-controlled bad guys, ride mine carts, blast out of barrels and discover secret bonuses in a wild side-scrolling adventure. The graphics are beautiful. The gameplay is challenging. The classic DK-style is familiar and lovable. This game is tough, but for the preteen to adult set, it is a blast. And, as always, it's family friendly or I wouldn't be talking about it.

Two classics come back...Part One

I had the chance to play two of Nintendo's latest titles for the Wii. The Wii has proven to be the platform for family and casual gameplay. Before I had kids I played a lot of Playstation. The difference is I was playing games like Splinter Cell, Metal Gear Solid, Stars Wars Battlefronts and the like. They were games about war and espionage. Not family-friendly.

The Playstation is gone now. We have the Wii. I've already raved about New Super Mario Brothers for the Wii. As new games come out I get more excited about this game system. Nintendo has made playing video games not only family appropriate, but also family fun. Up to four players at a time means less arguing over taking turns. Childish themes with solid gameplay means even adult can have fun without going over the kids' heads.

Now Nintendo has brought back two classics. Kirby returns in Kirby's Epic Yarn. For those who don't remember this puffy, pink hero, Kirby came out for Gameboy and the NES in 1992. He could suck in enemies and copy their attacks.The game did well and a long series of sequels has come out for the various Nintendo platforms over the years.

Kirby returned this year. Unlike Super Mario Bros., which seemed to harvest the very best from Mario games and incorporate them into one title, Kirby Epic Yarn puts Kirby into a new world with new problems and new ways to solve them. In the fabric-and-thread universe of Epic Yarn, Kirby cannot suck enemies in, he has no 'in'. He and all his surroundings are cast in yarn. Instead he must shape shift or unravel his opponents as he may. Beads, buttons, and patches are the currency of the land and you'll have to collect them to move forward. The graphics are beautiful and the challenges are interesting. There's extras for those who love extras, but the main storyline is engaging (to a child) and will keep you moving. The game is not difficult; many enemies don't even hurt you, you just bounce off them. When Kirby falls in battle, you're carried back into action by a yarn-angel right where you left off, sans your collected beads. You turn the Wii remote side-ways (also like Mario) to play and only use two buttons and the directional pad to control Kirby. This is about as simple as it gets in video games. This is an excellent game for the ten and under set. My kids loved it.

If your looking for a new game this season to share with the family, give Kirby Epic Yarn a try.

Next post, Donkey Kong Country Returns.