Something great and wonderful
is occurring this month. Something which has people talking and planning, and
the excitement is rising. I wonder if
you can guess what I am talking about?
Our Acolytes will now give you a clue.
Unless you have been living
under a rock, the biggest movie of all time started showing on Friday. Already in pre-ticket sales, the new Star
Wards movie has sold more tickets than any other movie has sold in total sales,
and it just premiered on Friday. Pls open your bulletins to page # 9, and
follow along as Bob Knapp reads
The original “Star Wars’
movie, back 40 years ago, shook the world. Every once in a while, that
happens. Something comes along—either at
the time, or shortly thereafter, that makes you realize that things will never
be the same again, such as the invention of the wheel, or the Beatles, or the
pc).
Ever since the original Star
Wars episode in 1977, and through its prequels and sequels, the Star Wars
phenomena has had an impact on American culture unlike anything else or sense.
Now, I bet that for people
fully engrossed in popular culture, and for the media and entertainment
industry, this author’s words probably ring true.
Of course, many of us have
grown weary of popular culture because most of us realize that most of popular
culture is just not real. It is fantasy land.
· The photos of celebrities have been doctored to make
them look better than life; and that is especially true when you add plastic
surgery to the mix.
· Now I love television crime drama, PAUSE but realistically, crimes are never solve in an hour.
· Although adultery may appear to be romantic on the
screen, it shatters the lives of families.
· The bad boy and bad girl behavior of celebrities gets
celebrities noticed by the media, but their lives are left for the worse.
Witness Charlie Sheen with AIDS. And
whether or not we like, these folks are role models for our children?
However,
for good or for ill, popular culture has a huge impact on how people think. Indeed, Star Wars has influenced the way that
many people form their own personal spirituality. Star Wars build its story
around “The Force,” which has a dark –evil side and a light-right side. It
connects with many people crave victory over evil, through a hope of some sort of
supernatural intervention. Not
infrequently, when the dark force is defeated by the right force in this series
spell-binding-fiction, movie goers erupt in spontaneous applause. PAUSE
…....which is fine.
· But that is not real.
· I wonder why don’t most Christians clap and shout
about the true & real victory of good over evil, which is the true miracle
of Christmas? According to the Bible,
someday we will.
According
to Star-Wars-creator George Lucas, Star Wars is based on something true—which
is reflected in fiction, and lived out in life: and that is the rhythm of the
spiritual journey, as described by the famous author, Joseph Campbell.
The
outline of this journey is simple and you will recognize it:
·
The would-be heroes
embark on a journey to fulfill their destiny.
·
Along the way they
are tested by enemies, and maybe even temporarily defeated. However, they persevere and rescue the
innocent from the forces of evil.
·
Finally the heroes
comes face to face with pure evil. In
their own power, they would be defeated; However, the heroes summon up power from
within themselves and/or or from supernatural forces; and then they defeat
their monstrous enemies. PAUSE
In
my humble opinion, these quest narratives are reflective of the life of Jesus
Christ.
·
Jesus embarked
upon a spiritual journey,…a quest to
proclaim the Kingdom of God.
·
He sought to rescue people from sin and death, but in
the process his enemies sought to kill him.
·
Finally Jesus
comes face to face with the devil, as He prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, the
night before he was crucified. Jesus rejected the devil’s temptation to run
away and play-it-safe. In so doing,
Jesus embarks in a 3 day spiritual battle where He was executed on the cross, PAUSE and then gloriously rises from the dead on Easter Sunday. And now, all who accept Him as their personal
savior are granted freedom from the devils eternal power.
We Christians
believe that this is
the truth; which we will affirm together momentarily when we recite the Nicene
Creed. PAUSE
Meanwhile,
there are tremendous reasons why Star Wars is so popular. However, in my
opinion, the story inspires people to think that there is something good to
believe in. As for non-believers: PAUSE I believe that they hope
and wish that the good side of the force is somehow true. Perhaps especially
now during this American war with Islamic terrorism, people want something to
believe in.
The
Force in Star Wars fades away at the conclusion of the movie; and that is
because it is not real. But people still
need something to believe in.
That’s
why God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that all who
believe in him would not perish, but be rescued for everlasting life. That is reality!
I
bet you know of people who are looking for something to believe in. Through Jesus, you know the real deal. Why not invite one or more of them to come to
church with you sometime during the 12 days of Christmas. Introduce them to the one who is our
Champion and Mighty Warrior, even Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
The Rev. John Donnelly
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