Although Advent season is not meant to focus on material things, this week we look at a material thing that may show up on many Christmas lists this year: New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The game is a departure from recent 3D Mario games, such as Super Mario Galaxy, and bears a resemblance to the classic side-scrolling Super Mario games from the 1980's and early 1990's. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a fresh take on an old classic. Linc talks about fresh takes on old classics, particularly about how we can make the ancient and eternal truths of our faith accessible for new generations. Key Scriptures: 1 Samuel 17:31-40; Psalm 98; Luke 5:27-39. New Moon, the movie version of the second novel in the Twilight series, opened last week with one of the biggest single-weekend box office takes in history. At the heart of the Twilight Saga is the main characters' desire to be fully known and loved. Similarly, Christians desire assurance that we are fully known and loved by Christ. This desire often is at the heart of our worship services during the Advent season. Next week we'll discuss what it means that Christ knows us and loves us, how our relationship with God through Christ changes us, and how this relationship leads us to know and love others.
