{"id":7677,"date":"2018-10-01T13:36:25","date_gmt":"2018-10-01T20:36:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/?p=7677"},"modified":"2018-10-01T13:36:25","modified_gmt":"2018-10-01T20:36:25","slug":"the-force-is-with-us-the-gospel-according-to-star-wars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2018\/10\/the-force-is-with-us-the-gospel-according-to-star-wars\/","title":{"rendered":"The Force is With Us: The Gospel According to Star Wars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

This sermon is part of a series, Resist: Justice Heroes from the Bible to the Big Screen<\/a>. In worship, we started with a rousing game of \u201cYoda or Proverbs?\u201d Which sort of loses something in translation to print \u2026 but do check it out for your next youth group function!<\/em><\/p>\n

Preaching text: Acts 5:12-16<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Like some of the other movies we\u2019ve featured in this series, the Star Wars<\/em> franchise has been around for decades and can be a little overwhelming. But let\u2019s talk about the common thread that runs through ALL of the Star Wars<\/em> movies, even as other elements change \u2026 <\/span>The Force. <\/span><\/p>\n

Storylines evolve and characters come and go: but The Force is eternal. It is also IN<\/em>ternal. It\u2019s a power of the mind and the soul, an inward strength that\u2014when employed effectively\u2014can control external factors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yoda, though he\u2019s not even in some of the later, newer movies, is powerfully present in spirit through all of them, because he has nurtured The Force in so many young Jedi, his wisdom lives on in them. The Force itself still moves in them. It stretches beyond a single episode or character, or even a single generation. It is the thing that moves the rebellion from one challenge to the next. For true Jedi, The Force lives at the core of their being, and always at the heart of resistance. <\/span><\/p>\n

In our scripture today, the disciples are out on the road, on their mission to deliver the gospel to communities near and far. This work has always been difficult, but now they have to do it without Jesus. He was the one that kept them focused; the one that always knew when it was time to get away and rest; the one that always knew how to deal with difficult people; the one who was always unafraid when the local religious or governing body tried to run them out of town. Above all\u2014Jesus was the one who brought the thunder. Not just the preaching thunder, but the healing. The signs and wonders; the amazing, astounding miracles that kept people coming to hear what he had to say. <\/span><\/p>\n

How in the world were they supposed to do this without him? <\/span><\/p>\n

And yet, here they are at Solomon\u2019s Portico. \u201cSolomon\u2019s Portico\u201d sounds like a great band name. But it\u2019s actually the outer court of the Temple in Jerusalem. And they find, just as they did in the days when Jesus was with him, that the crowd presses in around them \u2026 Can you imagine how that went over with the religious leaders, who were preaching on the inside\u00a0<\/em>of the temple, when the crowds moved\u00a0outside<\/em> to hear these guys? That was probably \u2026 tense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the crowds gather close, the disciples begin to reach out and touch the people, and pray for them. I imagine it was much like the day of Pentecost, with all the many words and maybe even a few different languages, voiced all at once in prayer; and then, suddenly in a rush of sound,\u00a0 they find\u2014just like in the days when Jesus was with them\u2014that the people are miraculously healed by their prayers. The injured and lame walk; the blind see; the leper is made clean. And all go away whole. <\/span><\/p>\n

In other words\u2014The Force is with them; even if Jesus is not.<\/p>\n

This is the power of the Holy Spirit on display. That invisible, mysterious thing that makes the power of Jesus a living presence in the hands of disciples. In pastor\u2019s class with the kids who are preparing for baptism, I always use wind to teach about the Holy Spirit. I use a fan, or balloons, or both, to demonstrate how you can\u2019t see the Spirit\u2014but you can sure see what it does. You can\u2019t see the wind, but you can<\/em> see what is moved by the wind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t see the Holy Spirit, but you can see what it moves.<\/p>\n

The Holy Spirit is \u201cthe force\u201d that transcends time and space; the power of God made known through the lives of the faithful. <\/span>As the body of Christ, we have that Holy Spirit with us too, even today. <\/span><\/p>\n

The work of social change and resistance can be heady and intellectual. It can be practical, and it can be physically taxing. <\/span>But we often forget\u2014it is also spiritual work. We have to cultivate a spiritual life that will help us on that journey; an inner force that can harness the power of the Spirit to heal a broken world.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Civil Rights movement marked one of the greatest societal shifts in recent memory. When we study the history, we see pictures and we hear speeches. We recall protests and sit-ins; relevant policy shifts and significant court cases. But where history often fails us is in recalling the deep spirituality that rooted that work of social change in something bigger. The leaders of that work\u2014MLK, Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass, all of the names you know and many of the ones you don\u2019t\u2014they were not just cultural leaders, they were spiritual leaders. They were part of something bigger than themselves that would transcend a single moment in history\u2014and carry the spirit of social transformation into the next generation. <\/span><\/p>\n

On an episode of OnBeing<\/a> not long ago, Krista Tippett interviewed some of the key leaders of #BlackLivesMatter, and they talked about how their work was rooted in that same spirituality of the Civil Rights movement. They cited the people who taught and modeled faith for them at a young age; they talked about a deep sense of love and belonging in community, and a faith story that was about more than just a place in time. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This week, I\u2019ve been wondering if there needs to be a spiritual awakening at the heart of the #MeToo movement. Because those of us who hope to see equality for women in our time are weary; and we are angry. But<\/span>\u00a0it seems like many spiritual leaders\u00a0 have nothing to offer but some trite (and out-of-context) scripture verses about forgiveness and loving our enemies. To that I say\u2014heck no. Jesus never said anything about accepting injustice or abuse as a way of life, or the way of the world. He never told the marginalized and vulnerable to accept their lot and disappear into the background. You know, so we can all just get along.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We are entitled to our anger. Men and women alike who want a more just world, we should not be silenced just because we are incensed. Let our anger drive transformation. But at the same time: if we really want meaningful change, we have to practice resilience. We\u2019re going to have to find not just inspirational heroes, but a force. W<\/strong><\/em><\/span>e need to tap into an inner strength; a force that is within us and also more than us,<\/i><\/b> to keep us from crumbling under the weight of fatigue and anger. The assault and abuse that #MeToo seeks to name and dismantle comes with such deep spiritual wounds, so the work of changing that culture has to come from a spiritual place of healing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For social change to be sustainable, it has to be work of the Spirit\u2014the spirit of community, the spirit of connection and purpose, and the spirit of something that is holy and more-than-us<\/strong><\/em>. More than any one person or moment in time. <\/span><\/p>\n

We tend to think of social change as movement\u2014and it is, both literally and figuratively speaking. But the most transformational leaders are fueled by an inward life; their work is connected to a greater community. If we aren\u2019t connected to the body of God\u2019s continued presence in the world, we run on empty. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is why we are called to a life, not just of justice work, but of prayer; of worship, and worshipful work; and of sharing our faith in community. In each of these disciplines, we stay connected to a Spirit of love, compassion, and justice\u2014a spirit that carries the gospel from one moment, one movement, one generation to the next. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes it all seems insurmountable, fighting these big, systemic injustices like racism and misogyny. It can feel \u2026 well, kind of like Destroying the Death Star. A losing proposition. <\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a scene in <\/span>Rogue One <\/span><\/i>where Jen Erso realizes she might have to go and take on this planet-wrecking weapon on her own. Her father is the one who built it\u2014against his will. But he left her something; a design flaw that would allow her to destroy it before it could kill masses of people. As Jen addresses the leaders of the Alliance, explaining her plan to them, they are reluctant to back her mission. The challenge is too much. <\/span><\/p>\n

They say, \u201cWhat chance do we have?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Jen\u2019s response is: \u201cWhat choice<\/em> do we have?\u201d And before she strikes out on her own, she reminds them all \u2026 \u00a0The rebellion is <\/span>built<\/span><\/i> on hope. A hope that is bigger than all of them<\/span><\/p>\n

But then she finds that she\u2019s not alone after all. A few friends have followed her to the ship she will steal for this mission. She is surprised to see them. \u201cI\u2019m not used to people sticking around when things go bad,\u201d she says. And Kaffian says simply, \u201cwelcome home.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

And just like that, she is no longer a lone warrior, but a leader of the resistance against evil. Rooted in hope; the faith of her father; and the wisdom of those gone before her.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s something about impossible missions that forms a quick bond. It\u2019s the force that turns a small band of rebels into a resistance movement. <\/span>The Spirit that keeps the disciples together for the work of healing and renewal\u2014and on into the next episode where, sometimes, things get ugly. <\/span><\/p>\n

We share our faith in community, we share a life of prayer and study\u2014not just for our own spiritual growth, but to empower and uplift us for the work of transformation in the world. <\/span>We are called to cultivate a <\/span>spirituality of resistance\u00a0<\/i><\/b>\u2026 not just doing the work of justice, but nurturing the spirit that is both within us and more than us. It\u2019s a force that lives and moves as long as we do. <\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to give any spoilers\u2014about the rest of Acts, or about the end of Rogue One \u2026 But let\u2019s just say, sometimes heroes die. (Really, don\u2019t we all, eventually?) But The Force at the heart of the movement is bigger than any of them. So the resistance keeps moving\u2014always, to the next generation, the next episode. <\/span><\/p>\n

It keeps moving. It moves us still. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This sermon is part of a series, Resist: Justice Heroes from the Bible to the Big Screen. In worship, we started with a rousing game of \u201cYoda or Proverbs?\u201d Which sort of loses something in translation to print \u2026 but do check it out for your next youth group function! Preaching text: Acts 5:12-16. Like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1154,"featured_media":7692,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[9,1885,994,10],"class_list":["post-7677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spirituality-in-culture","tag-progressive-christianity","tag-resistance","tag-social-change","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Force is With Us: The Gospel According to Star Wars<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Star Wars storylines evolve and characters come and go: but The Force is eternal. 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