Reflections- May God (and the Force) Be With You

A long time ago in a galaxy far away.....  

Geek alert! She's going to talk about Star Wars! 

May the 4th is know as Star Wars days to fans. 
You get it right ... "May the Force Be with You." Anyway, I was thinking this week about ways the stories and messages in the Star Wars world connect to stories and themes in the Bible.  Here are a few ideas off the top of my head from Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope.

And, everybody's home work is to re-watch their favorite movie in the Star Wars saga.  (And also read the scriptures I have mentioned here and see how you think they relate. ) 


The whole is bigger much, much bigger than the parts.

 I think Star Wars and the Bible share the same message: We are part of something bigger than ourselves.  There is not just one hero in the Bible or the movies. There are many people fighting, working, hoping, and praying for something bigger than themselves. Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia are leading the rebellion along with Obi-wan who sacrificed his life to give the galaxy a chance at peace. That sounds familiar!  Many characters accomplishing things individually, but we see that it's when people work together they can accomplish so much more.  1 Corinthians talks about the Body of Christ being made up of many, many people and reminds us that we all have an important part to play in God's work. 

1 Corinthians 12: 12-31

God is with us in the trash compactor. 

When things are not going quite right for me and I feel stressed - I always think about the trash compactor scene from Star Wars Episode IV.  Leia, Luke, and Han Solo are stuck in a Death Star trash bin and the walls start closing in.  We have all felt like that. We have all felt like there are things that we can't solve, there is no way out - and that some days things are just really smell.  There is a story in the Old Testament about three young Jewish nobles in Babylon named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  There were in a scary world that demanded they bow to the golden statue of King Nebuchadnezzar.  Like our Star Wars friends, they chose to rebel, and ended up in their own sort of trash compactor - a  fiery furnace.  God helps the three through the flames. Pastor Vincent always says,"The only way through is through."  Meaning God may not sweep in like a superhero and rescue us when the walls are closing in - but God will be there with us in the fiery furnace (and the trash compactor) and show us the way through. 

Read Daniel 3

We all have doubts, but God calls us anyway.

Obi-Wan Kenobi teaches Luke Skywalker to “learn the ways of the Force” and encourages him to the rebel against the galactic empire.  And of course, Luke has all sorts of whiny reasons to say no and not want to leave his own plans behind. When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of their slavery in Egypt, Moses gives God the same kind of grief - four times.  Both ultimately followed their calling and the rest is galactic history.

Read Exodus 3-4 

We can do big things with God's help.

I think this is the most obvious one. At the end of the movie, Luke puts aside the technology that he has before him and trust in "The Force" to guide him in his destruction of the Death Star.  In the story of David and Goliath, David relies on God and simply slingshot to end his battle with a giant. 

Read 1 Samuel 17