Matthew 3:13-17

Today’s sermon is a science fiction sermon.

One of the greatest movies ever made was STAR WARS. For me, STAR WARS is one of the greatest films that I have ever seen. For me, it ranks right up there with GONE WITH THE WIND, DR. ZHIVAGO, and SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. Yes, I know, those movies date me as “old.” STAR WARS has become one of the great, old time and all time, film classics. This is the kind of film that you need to see three, four, five, six, seven times in order for you to catch all the subtle and weird details in the film. STAR WARS in the thriller of all thrillers. It has something for almost everyone. It is a combination of a “shoot ‘em up western,” with cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers, a love story that beats all love stories, and of course, science fiction at its very best.

STAR WARS is not only a science fiction film; it is a religious film as well. In fact, it is a deeply religious film. Its religious message is expressed through the medium of science fiction. A similar example: one time in confirmation, I asked the students to write a contemporary, modern parable. So the one computer geek kid, a confirmation student,  tried to recreate the old familiar parable of the sheep and the shepherd in modern thought forms. The computer geek/confirmation student said that a computer lost one of its statistics. This computer went through all of its systems, trying to find the one lost statistic. The computer finally stopped searching but only when the lost statistic had been found. Crazy. You see, this confirmation student transposed the ancient parable of Jesus into a contemporary medium.

STAR WARS does the same thing. It takes an old message and transposes it to a new medium. The message of STAR WARS is similar to the message of the Bible. STAR WARS uses a modern, scientific medium to express ancient and profound religious truths that are found in the Bible.

Today, I would like to create for you the setting for STAR WARS because the message of STAR WARS is almost identical to the Bible and to the message of the three particular Scriptures which are appointed for today.  The primary message of the Bible and a primary message of STAR WARS are amazingly similar. This will become increasingly true for you as we walk through the sermon for today.

Now, the setting of STAR WARS is this. The setting was a long, long, long time ago…in another part of the universe in which there was inter-planetary warfare going on in galactic space. Of course, in this inter-planetary war, there were both the good guys and the bad guys. The bad guys were led by a powerful, evil man by the name of Tarkin and he had one powerful general who was the most powerful, evil force in the world. His name was (you know) … Darth Vader. If you have ever seen STAR WARS, you will not forget Darth Vader. You will always remember that black, iron faced mask. You can see Darth Vader’s face so clearly in your memory bank. You can hear his voice, the famous voice of James Earl Jones. Darth Vader was and still is the personification of evil.

These evil forces, led by Darth Vader, were about to conquer the world. These evil forces occupied a very large space station, called Death Star. Death Star was an enormous satellite in the sky and it too was black, as black as the mask of Darth Vader himself and as deep and sinister as the voice of Darth Vader. The world had come under their evil control and the evil forces were about to destroy the last of the good guys, the last of the rebel pilots. There was only one good person left in all the universe, and he knew how to use the light sword. He knew how to use the power of the Force. His name was O.B. 1 Knobe, the last of the Jedi knights.

Way at the beginning of time, there were the good guys and they were called the Jedi knights. O.B. 1 Knobe was the last of the Jedis. These Jedi knights were the protectors of peace, justice and goodness. Their power was called The Force. The Force. The Force was that mysterious, invisible power behind the universe. The Jedi knights knew how to use the Force. The Force was part of their life.  The Jedi knights would say to one another, “May the Force be with you. May the Force give you power. May the Force give you victory for the day.” The Jedis believed in the Force and knew how to use its powers.

Now, this Force could be used for good or evil. In the hands of the Jedi knights and O.B. 1 Knobe, the Force was used to keep justice, peace and goodness in the universe. But years ago, one of the Jedi knights fell from grace, just like a fallen angel, and that fallen Jedi knight was named Darth Vader. Darth Vader had started out good, but he was a fallen force, a fallen angel, and Darth Vader began to use the power of the force for evil, for death and destruction. He wanted to gain control of the whole world, so that the whole world would be in the grips of evil.

Gradually, through out the history of civilization, the forces of Darth Vader had gotten the upper hand. In fact, it was now believed that the Force no longer existed; that the Force was extinct; that the last of the Jedi knights was dead; that the Force was merely a dimly faded memory from a long, long, long time ago.

The story of STAR WARS is the story of people recovering their knowledge of the Force, that it actually existed but also, these people had to learn how to use the power of the Force. The story of STAR WARS is learning once again to believe in the Force and learning how to use the power of the light sword in battle with the enemy. In prehistoric times, the light sword had belonged to O.B. 1 Knobe. The problem was this: how to transfer to a new generation the knowledge of the Force and the knowledge of how to use the light sword. This new generation was under the leadership of Luke Skywalker. STAR WARS is a story about how the next and the new generation needed to learn how to use the power of the Force. The young generation, the new generation, did not know how to use the power of the Force. The young generation, the new generation, did not know how to use the power of the light sword. That is what the story is all about.

So you see, STAR WARS is a very religious flick, if you understand that it is a religious parable.

It is with this image of the Force, this image of an invisible power behind the universe; it is with this understanding that there is a whole new generation that does not know how to use the power of the Force; it is with these images that we hear and read all three Biblical lessons for today that talk about the Force, the Spirit of God coming upon his people, the Jedi knights, the Old Testament prophets. The Spirit of God came upon one person, Jesus of Nazareth, like on no other person before. And Jesus used this power to heal people and to fight the demonic. The lessons for today are almost identically parallel to the message of STAR WARS, except the language of the Bible is religious language and the language of STAR WARS is scientific fiction.

Would you please take out your Scripture inserts from your bulletin for today? I will show you what I am talking about. The first lesson is from Isaiah 42 which reads, “Behold, my servant, Jacob.” The servant is referring to the nation of Israel, the Old Testament church. Jacob has become a symbol of the Old Testament people of God. …  “In whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit upon him.” This is the Spirit of God who has come into the nation. The nation had fallen away from God and the Spirit. The nation no longer really believed in the Power of the Force nor did they know how to use the power of the Force. In fact, then nation was living in such a way that a person would be suspicious that the people did not even believe in the Force anymore. The nation of Israel was now in captivity, under the power of evil. In this passage, the Spirit of God was being given anew to the nation. There was going to be an outpouring of the Spirit on the nation. And what would that “Spirit-filled” servant do? The servant will bring justice to the nation. The Hebrew word for justice is “mishpat,” and the word, mishpat, means true religion. True religion is to do justice, to do God’s justice in the midst of an evil world. The servant, anointed by the Spirit, anointed by the Force, will bring justice to the whole world.

The Scripture goes on, “He, the servant, will not cry or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street.” In other words, there will be the Spirit of gentleness, and you think of O.B. 1 Knobe and the Jedi knights, and the Jedi knights were a very peaceful and gentle people. The Scripture continues, “A bruised reed he will not break; a dimly burning wick he will not quench.” There will be the spirit of gentleness on the earth. “But he will faithfully bring forth justice to all the world.”

When the Spirit of God came upon the Jedi knights, when the Force came upon Jesus of Nazareth, and when the Force comes upon your life and mine, we will not fail nor will we be discouraged until we have brought justice to the ends of the whole earth.

Now, I want you to skip down to Acts 10:34-38. I would like you to look at the last five lines and how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit, how the Spirit or Force came on Jesus, and how Jesus then went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by evil, by Darth Vader, for God was with him. The Spirit, the Force was with Jesus. It sounds as if this passage came right out of STAR WARS. The Spirit of God came upon this man; this man was filled with power; and he went about doing good and healing all those who were oppressed by evil, by Darth Vader, by the power of evil in this world. The last line was: God was with him. The Power of the Force was with him.

Let us look at the gospel lesson. Let us look at the gospel of Luke. And let us examine the last five lines from Luke. “And behold the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God, the Force, descending on him like a dove, alighting on Jesus and saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

Tell me, what happens in the next verse? Where does Jesus go? The Force leads Jesus out into the wilderness to begin his temptation and his fight with Darth Vader. It is always the same with you and me personally. When the Force comes upon you, you then go into the wilderness and begin the battle with the forces of evil, with the Death Star.

The gospel lesson and all three Scriptures are saying the same thing. They describe a time when the Spirit of God came upon a person, and this power was used to do good and to fight the power of Darth Vader in this world.

What is expressed in science fiction language in STAR WARS is a similar truth as expressed in the Biblical texts for today.

The message of the Bible is that there is an invisible power. The message of the Bible is that there is an invisible Power with us here on this planet; that this mysterious, invisible power is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the living God. But in many people’s minds, the Spirit, the Force, is nothing but science fiction and is part of an ancient legend from the past. It seems to me that there are a lot of people today who do not believe that there is an invisible power spiritual force at work in this world. Such thoughts seem to be modern science fiction or ancient legends from the past.

In the recent two centuries, we have lived in a strongly scientific age. Especially during the last century, we have lived in an era where the world has become intensely scientific. In the eyes of many, science and technology have replaced the Spirit of God, the invisible Spirit, the Force. The Spirit of God cannot be measured. The Spirit of God cannot be seen. The Spirit of God cannot be quantified. So if the Spirit of God cannot be seen, measured and quantified, it must not be that important. For that which is really important in the scientific world is that which can be seen, measured and quantified. And so in this recent century, more and more people have come to the conclusion that the Force, the Spirit, is part of an ancient, old legend from thousands of years ago. It is part of ancient mythology and superstition. The Spirit of God becomes an ancient myth, a legend, a fabled story from the deep and distant past.

Or, if you do believe that there is a Force, an invisible mysterious Presence in and around this world, that does not mean that you know how to use it. There are many people who believe that there is a God of the universe, that there is a Force. It would be like people believing that there is electrical energy, but that does not mean that the person is going to plug into its power. Because the power exists does not mean that a person knows how to use it. Similarly, a lot of people believe in the power of the computer but they don’t know how to use it. There are a lot of people who do believe in the Force, that there is an invisible power among us. They know that such a power exists; they sense this power around them, but that does not mean that they know how to plug into the power or use it.

When was the Spirit of God really operational on the earth? We know. Way back during the time of the prophets, during the times of Amos and Isaiah. The Spirit of God was alive in Old Testament days. But today? Not really.

When was the Spirit of God really moving and operating  on earth? Way back 2,000 years ago during the time of Christ. But today? Not really. We don’t see the Spirit of God so active nowadays.

Like you, I am a person who believes in the power of the Force. I am a person who believes that the Force is not science fiction nor a legend from the past. I am a person who believes that there is a  living, powerful, invisible Spirit and Spiritual Power that is part of this earth. I believe that two thousand years go, this Spiritual Power of God came on Jesus of Nazareth like on no other person before or after. Jesus plugged into that power. Jesus knew how to use that power. Jesus used that power to heal the sick and drive out the demons, to help the blind see and the lame walk. Like all people who have the Force on them, he used the power of God to fight the power of evil.

And then, this same Spirit, was given to his disciples. Those same disciples were given that same spiritual power, that same spiritual energy, and they, too, went about doing good and driving out the power of evil that was all around them.

And that same Force that was given to Jesus many years ago, and that same Force that was given to the disciples, that same Force is given to your life and mine. That power is given to the people of God throughout all of history, and the people of God have done amazing things throughout history because we have been anointed with that Spiritual Power. The famous saints from all of history. The little insignificant saints from throughout history. The famous Christian saints from our life experience. The little insignificant saints who are part of our lives. These people have all had this power and we are given this power today.

It is impossible to fight the power of evil in this world and in our lives without the power of the Force. You cannot fight Darth Vader unless you know how to use the light sword. And you need to know how to use the power of the Force that makes the light sword work.

You cannot fight alcoholism, you cannot fight the enormous demons called “world starvation,” you cannot fight economic and political corruption around the globe, you cannot fight the power of evil in your broken marriage; you cannot fight any battle without the power of the Force. If you don’t know how to use the power of the light sword; if you do not know how to use the power of the Force, you are going to lose the battle with the power of evil.

What is that Power of God’s Spirit today? You can’t prove it. You can’t see it. You can’t necessarily feel it. Yet you know that it is here among us, the Spirit of God, the living Force that gives us strength and wisdom and power and might.

Light sword? What is the light sword? Christians don’t have one light sword; we have a bag full of light swords, that resources of the Spirit of God. The best light sword we have is love. Yes, the love of God, the love of Jesus Christ, the love of the Spirit is the best light sword we have. We have other lights swords in our Christian friends and family. We have light swords in the Bible, in prayer, in right relationships. In all of these, we need to learn how to use our light swords.

Yes, we have the power of the Force. Yes, we know how to use the light swords.

But it also seems to me that many people today have the form of religion but without the Force. They have the old forms; they have the old ancient rituals; they have the old ancient customs; they have the old ancient liturgies; they have the old ancient hymns; they have all the ancient forms of religion but without the Force. Of they have the new modern liturgies, the new modern praise songs, the newest of testimonies. They have the new forms, but without the Force. They cannot figure out why their Christian lives have no power. They cannot figure out why they are not interested in fighting the power of evil in this world. They cannot figure out why they are the kind of Christian whose primary goal in life is to create the good life and the leisure life. They cannot figure out why their Christian life has essentially no power.

The problem? It is this.  For many people, they have taken the ancient form of religion but they never learned about using the light sword. They never learned about the Force. For them, the Force is confined to the Old Testament three thousand years ago. For them, the Force is confined to Jesus of Nazareth. Such lives do not have power.

It was a long time ago that the power of God came upon Jesus of Nazareth, and Jesus of Nazareth went about doing good and he helped people escape from the bondage of evil…because, the Force was with him. A long time ago, the Spirit of God came upon the early disciples and the disciples went about doing good and helping people become free from the power of evil. Why? Why did they do this? Why could they do this? Because the power of the Force was with them.

And not so long ago, God came upon your life and mine, and we went about doing good, helping people to become free from the power of evil in their lives. How did we do this? Through the power of the Force inside of us. You see, it is not science fiction. You see, it is not religious fiction. Amen.


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