I am a fan of the Star Wars movies. I just am. I liked Star Wars before episodes 1, 2, and 3 came out. I like Star Wars when my brother and I would forget to rewind the VHS tape for the next time–we cursed our week-ago selfs for doing that to us. I like Yoda's sage advice. I like Han Solo and Chewy's friendship. A maverick pilot and a walking carpet traipsing through the galaxy–fun times, and warm feelings. I like how incredibly annoying Luke Skywalker was at the beginning of A New Hope...but then after time, how cool he was when he waltzed into Jabba the Hutt's lair, cloaked in black. I like the dread I felt when I saw the evil Darth Vader and heard the unsettling music that led me to the essence of the dark side. Yes, I even liked Anakin Skywalker, clone troopers, double-ended lightsabers, and the pod races of the first triad of these movies. I will be watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It will not be on opening day, but it will be soon. And if you're a Christian you should watch the new Star Wars movie too.
Yes, if you are a Christian you should watch the new Star Wars movie. And not just the new one, you should watch all of them if you haven't already. Ask me why. Why, you ask? Well, not because Star Wars is a fad right now. Not because Star Wars is a covert analogy for the Christian narrative. And definitely not because it's another desperate attempt at staying relevant in the culture. No none of these things. errmm...I see I haven't answered your question. Why should every Christian watch the Star Wars saga? Because it's a good story. It's a great story. It's a story that takes us to beautiful scenic locations: The swamps of Dagobah, the snow covered Hoth, the desert Tatooine, and my favorite–the forest of Endor. It's a story that takes us through land, sea, air, space, and even Death Star. It's a story with a myriad of interesting characters: Jedi Knights, Padawan apprentices, Queens, Princesses, Bounty Hunters, Storm Troopers, Evil Emperors, Droid companions, fuzzy Ewoks, and the ever favorite of mine...Master Yoda. Star Wars brings the themes of – Good and Evil, prophecy, oppression, courage, honor, manipulation, love, greed, hatred, romance, loyalty, betrayal, and much more to the forefront of the human experience through a fanciful cast of characters, and a deeply human exposition.
How could a green puppet, and opening title crawl elicit such an feel of excitement and emotion? Because it's a good story.
And you should be interested in a good story. Unfortunately storytelling in our culture...in our society...in 2015...well its going the way of the dinosaur. We find out information through clips and phrases. We discover the world through tweets, news article subject lines, memes, and hashtags–though that seems to be getting sick and dying (hopefully). As our elders are passing away, and Gens X,Y, and Z have their shot at planet earth, we discover the world too often in 140 characters or less. Do to instant media transfer, instant information transfer, and instant entertainment, we struggle to stay engaged. We struggle to read to depths a story can go in our novels. We struggle listen to speakers unless there are perfectly planned and placed re-connection points. And if you've made it to this point in the blog post, I bet that a lot of you have struggled to keep reading. That makes you normal. It makes me normal. I am the same way. We struggle with story...because it's not what our brains are training for these days. We struggle with story because there is so much media, news, entertainment, and choice being thrown our ways everyday, we have no choice but to get the bite size piece of whatever it is. We need the bite size blurb. We need the bite size news. We need the bite size portion of life; because life is slowing down for no man, woman, or child these days. Our ability to story tell has been abridged and weakened by the unstoppable influx of facts, opinions, news, and entertainment. All the while, our inability for story inhibits our effectiveness in receiving and relaying the depth, and vividness of a great big HD world...we're stuck in standard definition.
And yet, story still matters. Story will always matter. God has made us with story in our heart and soul. Stories like Star Wars matter. Stories like "To Kill a Mockingbird" matter. Stories like "The Odyssey" matter. Stories like "A Midsummer's Night Dream" matter. The more we can involve ourselves with good stories, and good story telling, the more capable we are of being good story tellers. You can't write unless you can read. You can't tell a story unless you can listen to a story. And unless you involve yourself with good story, you won't stick along long enough to be shaped by it. And you need to be a storyteller. You must story tell. You absolutely must. Must. Because you have the greatest story to tell.
As believers and followers of Jesus we have the absolute greatest story to tell the world. It's an ancient story that runs the gamut of human emotion, experience, circumstance, and existence before God. We have the completely true tale of creation that has been thrust into the agony, despair, sickness, darkness, and death of sin. The story of a people who God has spoken to in many and various ways throughout the history of this world. The story of a God who against all man made reasoning came down into the story. To be a part of the story. To be a part of the creation. To dwell with us again. A Jesus Christ who did the most courageous, hero-like act the world has ever seen; dying on the cross with the weight and sin of the world on His shoulders. And the amazing, yet true account of the Resurrection not just of Jesus Christ, but a resurrection that echoes forward into time and eternity that includes you and me! That's right. You are part of the story. How eerily awesome that we have the opportunity to tell the greatest, and only lasting story the world will every know, while we ourselves are living the story here and now! Story matters, because God's Story matters. It not only matters to us Jesus followers, but it matters to a big, wide, world who is a part of the story whether they know it or not. This season of Advent, we recognize that we are a people in waiting. That's why I like the season of Advent so much. We are always in advent. Because we are always waiting for the 2nd Advent, the return of Jesus Christ. We wait with eager longing and expectation for absolutely sure and certain arrival of Jesus. Until that day we wait. Anticipating. Watching. Excitement. Ya know...a lot like waiting for the next installment of a beloved Star Wars story that we grew up with. God's story is even better...because it's our story. Be a good story teller. Because we have the opportunity here and now...the only opportunity for all eternity, to bring His story to life for the unknowing actors on this created stage!
Christians. Go out and watch the new Star Wars movie!
