Super

Yesterday was the beginning of Holy Week, marked by Palm Sunday, commemorating the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  The story of the events of the week culminated in His death and resurrection, and those are key elements in our own stories of redemption through Christ.  Colossians 2 states:
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death...

He did it - for you!  You are part of the incredible story of Easter, because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead so that you might come to know Him, that you could be brought into fellowship with God through Him.  His story is told through you: you have a new heart, you have become a new creation, and He expresses His newness of life through your life.  This is an incredible time of year where perhaps people are more receptive to the awareness of the presence of God, which can be seen in His people.

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The story of what Christ has done for us and the events unfolding during what is commonly called "Holy Week" is our story, the story of a Savior who gave His life so that we might come to know Him, and He has expressed that story in and through us.  Titus 2 says:
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

Minh Viet is a Vietnamese boy who is 11 years old.  His story is told in a recent Faithwire article, which relates:

Minh Viet’s addiction to playing violent video games began at 8 years old, and since then, he’s been at it for hours every day. One visible effect of his obsession is the uncontrollable blinking of his eyes.

But more alarming than the eye twitching is how these games led Minh Viet to think about suicide. One time came after his mother scolded him and took away his iPad.

Minh Viet said, “I cried. I want to commit suicide.” When asked how this is done, he said he learned how to do it from his gaming. “In the video games, they jump off the roof.”

The article quoted his mother, Ngocanh Le: “He says that I will commit suicide. He cannot do what adults expect him to do. He feels he is a failure.”

In this case, this young man was tempted to act, based upon images that he encountered in a a video game.  His mother was no doubt concerned, but as a Christian believed that prayer and God's Word could provide answers for her son.  But, as the article says, "she also knew that Minh Viet needed something that would catch his attention, just like the video games."

Enter a tool that God has been using the lives of children for years, an animated video series that has just been translated into Vietnamese: Superbook.  Faithwire reports:

“He loves ‘Superbook’ very much. He has shifted from video games to ‘Superbook.’ He understands more about the Bible. And sometimes, he says to me he feels he’s very sinful. But God has saved him. He was touched by God. And in school, he got very much improvement.”

The story relates that:

In Vietnam, 7,000 children are learning the Word of God through “Superbook.” CBN Vietnam is praying that more churches will use the “Superbook” curriculum so that children who have been deceived by the devil like Minh Viet can be saved.

Superbook got its start back in 1981 when the Christian Broadcasting Network, or CBN, created it to reach out to the children of Japan, according to CBN's website, which says: "Over 8 million people a night watched Superbook on Japanese prime-time television, and the Bible became the nation's best-selling book."  In 1989, an unstable time in the former Soviet Union, "When Superbook aired during prime-time on the Soviet National Channel, CBN received over 6 million letters from children, introducing an entire generation to the Bible."

That original series has literally gone around the world. The website states, "More than 500 million people watched the series, 52 episodes were translated in 43 languages and broadcast in 106 countries."  There are a number of "Emmy-winning artists and storytellers" who are working with CBN to "reimagine the classic series using the latest 3D CGI technology."

Well, it is clear that God has used and will continue to use these animated presentations that present His truth.  You see, the story captured in God's Word is timeless.  Yes, the methodology of telling His story may change, and as the Superbook producers have shown, sometimes updates are necessary to leverage new ways to tell stories.  We can be reliant on Holy Spirit to show when changes need to be made.

We also recognize that the story of salvation through Christ does not change, including the Biblical fact of how we can be saved - Jesus came to earth, He died on a cross, is risen from the dead, and lives in you and me.  That's the story, and we can be committed to preserving its integrity. During this Holy Week, we can reflect on how God's story has intersected with our own.

Also, more opportunities for God to express His story are on the way.  Not only will Breakthrough and The Pilgrim's Progress be in theatres this week, but it was announced at NRB that there will be new episodes of Veggie Tales roll out in the future.  We can be thankful for Christian storytellers who are dedicated to presenting the truth of Jesus.