Shadow Tower |03/16/2025| Rev. Elation's Sunday Service

The Chains of the Past: A Lesson from FromSoftware’s Faithful
Heavenly Father, we come before You today with grateful hearts, seeking Your wisdom and strength. Open our ears to hear Your truth, and our spirits to embrace the life You call us to live. Guide us, Lord, as we reflect on the games we play and the lessons they teach us about Your eternal purpose. Speak to us now, through Your Word and Your Spirit, that we may grow closer to You. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we’re going to talk about a name that stirs the hearts of many gamers—FromSoftware. If you’ve ever heard of Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, or Bloodborne, you know the kind of worlds they create: dark, challenging, beautiful places that demand perseverance, skill, and grit. Back in 2009, when Demon’s Souls first arrived, it was a revelation. It wasn’t like other games. It didn’t hold your hand or shower you with rewards—it made you earn every victory through sweat and struggle. Then came Dark Souls in 2011, a masterpiece that built a legacy. These games weren’t just entertainment; they were a rite of passage, a test of will. And for many of us, they hold a special place in our hearts.
But today, as we gather to reflect on these classics—and maybe even fire up Dark Souls II for a livestream—I want to talk about something troubling. It’s not about FromSoftware itself, a company that’s continued to innovate with titles like Sekiro and Elden Ring. No, this sermon is about us—the players, the fans, the community. There’s a growing reluctance among some of us to let go of the past, to move forward from those older games. We’ve become so obsessed with Dark Souls and its sisters that we’ve chained ourselves to them, refusing to embrace what’s new, even when it comes from the same creators we claim to love. And the Bible has a lot to say about living in the past when God calls us to step into the future.
Let’s start with the culture around these games. The Souls community is passionate—fiercely so. We’ve built a brotherhood around shared suffering: the countless deaths at the hands of Ornstein and Smough, the triumphs over Gwyn, the Lord of Cinder. We’ve spent years perfecting our builds, mastering parries, and speedrunning these worlds until we know every corner by heart. And that’s not a bad thing! These games are incredible, and there’s joy in celebrating what they’ve given us. But for some, it’s gone beyond appreciation. It’s become an obsession—a refusal to let go. When FromSoftware released Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice in 2019, a game that traded the slow, deliberate combat of Dark Souls for something faster and more fluid, many fans pushed back. “This isn’t Dark Souls!” they cried. When Elden Ring arrived in 2022, blending the old with a vast open world, some still grumbled, “It’s not the same.” The community has grown combative, rejecting anything that doesn’t fit the mold of those early games, even as FromSoftware tries to grow and evolve.
This isn’t just about games—it’s about our hearts. In Ecclesiastes 7:10, Solomon writes, “Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions.” The past can be a beautiful thing to remember, but when we cling to it so tightly that we reject the present and the future, we’re not living wisely. The Souls fans who endlessly replay Dark Souls II, chasing a perfect no-death run or grinding for leaderboard glory, are honing a skill that—let’s be honest—has no eternal value. It’s a hobby, and hobbies are fine when the day’s work is done, when our families are cared for, when our faith is tended to. But when it becomes our identity, our purpose, our everything, we’re not just stuck in the past—we’re stuck in a prison of our own making.
Jesus Himself warns us about this in Luke 9:62: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” When a farmer plows a field, he has to keep his eyes forward. If he keeps looking back, his rows will be crooked, his work will falter. God has called us to a life of purpose—to serve Him, to love others, to move forward in faith. But when we’re obsessed with the past, replaying the same old games over and over, we’re looking back. We’re not plowing straight. We’re not serving the kingdom. Yes, Dark Souls is a masterpiece. Yes, it’s fun to revisit. But if it’s all we do—if we let it define us—we’re missing out on the new things God has for us, both in gaming and in life.
Think about the combative nature of the Souls community. We’ve seen fans lash out at FromSoftware for daring to try something new. We’ve seen arguments erupt over whether Elden Ring is “true” to the Souls formula, or whether Sekiro deserves to be called a masterpiece. This divisiveness isn’t what God wants for us. In Ephesians 4:2-3, Paul writes, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Instead of celebrating FromSoftware’s courage to innovate, some fans have chosen strife, clinging to the past and tearing down anything that doesn’t match it. That’s not unity. That’s not peace. That’s not love.
So what’s the lesson here? As you watch me take on the Pursuer in Dark Souls II today, I want you to ask yourself: What am I holding onto too tightly? Is it a game, a memory, a season of life that I won’t let go of? Philippians 3:13-14 says, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Paul didn’t dwell on his past—neither his successes nor his failures. He pressed forward, eyes fixed on Christ. We should do the same. Enjoy Dark Souls as a hobby, sure. Revel in its brilliance. But don’t let it chain you. Don’t let it keep you from the new adventures God has in store—whether that’s a new game like Elden Ring, a new calling in your life, or a new way to serve Him.
The world is moving forward, with or without us. FromSoftware isn’t going back to make Dark Souls IV just because some fans demand it—they’re forging ahead, creating new worlds to explore. And God isn’t waiting for us to finish our hundredth playthrough before He calls us to something greater. In Isaiah 43:18-19, He says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” God is always doing something new. He’s calling us to step into it—to let go of the chains of the past and embrace the future He’s prepared.
In closing…
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the joys of this life, including the games that bring us together and challenge us. But we ask for Your help to keep them in their proper place. Free us from the chains of the past, from obsessions that hold us back from Your purpose. Teach us to press forward, to embrace the new things You’re doing in our lives, and to live for Your kingdom above all else. Bless our time today as we play and reflect on Your truth. In Your holy name, we pray. Amen.