| Palm Sunday 2007 - Star Wars |
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Are there any fans of Star Wars here?
(I won’t ask how many of us are old enough to have watched the 1st three films at the cinema… but I will say that I got all mine through the Christmas TV reruns!)
Star Wars captured a whole generation of imaginations – mine included! What girl didn’t love to imagine herself at the helm of one of those spaceships, rescuing the princess from danger, facing her darkest nemesis fearlessly, and really, rather impressively?!
So, for those who’re game, I thought we’d try and play with this a little bit. And, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the Stars Wars characters… well, let me introduce you to some of the main characters I want to talk about tonight.
First of all, let me introduce you to Luke Skywalker – the unlikely and lowly hero of the 3 films of my childhood. These films were actually episodes 4, 5 and 6, but nobody really cared at the time! Luke is called into being a Jedi Knight – a kind of spiritual master, in a kind of martial arts kind of a way, except for how they have very cool laser swords, called light sabers. Luke basically has to try and save the universe from the dark side – under the control of the Emperor, and his tyrannical henchman Darth Vader. However, just to spoil the story for you, if for some crazy reason you’ve never seen it… it turns out the Princess (for there always must be a princess!), Princess Leah, is Luke’s sister, and Darth Vader is actually his father.
Next we have Darth Vader. He started out as the very cute and gifted Annakin, who we met in the more recently made films of episodes 1, 2 and 3. However, the dark side lures Annakin over, and he, slowly but surely, transforms into the evil Darth Vader. The Force – the power and energy in the universe, which the Jedi Masters channel for good… the force is very strong in Annakin, and also in Lord Vader… except for how he uses it for evil!
Next, is Yoda… now do we have anyone who considers themselves a bit of a Yoda impersonator?... Yoda is the ultimate Jedi Master, and he trains Luke. The unlikely guru, just like the unlikely hero!
This is Obi Wan Kenobi, also known as Ben Kenobi. He was instrumental in the choosing of Annakin, and, somehow, the young Luke Skywalker is also drawn to him. Even in his death, Obi Wan continues to guide Luke, just as he had his father, Annakin.
Here is Han Solo, played by, of course, the inimitable Harrison Ford. He is the kind of 2nd hero – he is the cynical one, who fights on anyway because, even though he doesn’t really believe in the force, he does believe in loyalty, and adventure… and he does get the princess!
Star Wars is full of Biblical themes. New Age paranoia in Christian circles hadn’t quite reached my parents at the point the films were first around so, as long as we were deemed old enough not to be too scared, Christmases were full of Star Wars, along with Superman, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Queen’s speech! Unless of course Christmas was on a Sunday…
Star Wars was full of cosmic battles between good and evil. Only the faithful could survive, and only then if they used The Force, or, in Biblical terms, the help of God.
To understand the real significance of Luke Skywalker, it really helps to see the newer films, based on the 1st three books. In these, Annakin is held up as the Chosen one. But he is willful and stubborn. Obi Wan Kenobi has to argue his case to the Jedi Masters, who are unwilling to blindly accept his gut instinct on the boy. The Jedi Masters are like the ancient Judges of Israel – knowing that the king the people are demanding is what God has intended, but that their motivations for asking for him may not be exactly right… and that this is important.
Of course, as those of you who know the films will know, it all goes wrong. With all the best intentions in the world, life gets in the way. Annakin is won over by the dark side. He is not innately evil, or bad – in fact he starts of as an exceptionally cute wee boy! But love is strong in him. Passion is strong in him. His sense of injustice is strong in him, the Force is strong in him… and these are the things – good and pure in and of themselves – which the Emperor exploits and manipulates. Annakin, that little boy with such promise, and power, and love… becomes Darth Vader.
Just like in Israel, just before the time of Jesus, what had started out pure and beautiful and life giving, in a world where the judges had judged righteously, tuning in to God, not to convention, for their wisdom and guidance… had become ever more human. The Hebrews demanded a King. And that was okay – God wanted them to have a King too! But, they were supposed to have a king who walked in the light of God, who would be the one judge, prophet, chosen one… and not a king who strove to be like other kings, in surrounding lands. Not a king who led the people into worshipping idols. Not a king who offered his own council, instead of God’s. Not a king who believed the Force was his own to do with as he willed, seeking power or control. A King in whom the force was strong, but whose heart was humble.
And this is where Luke Skywalker must appear. He is unexpected, in the story line. He’s too old – Jedis are supposed to be trained from their infancy, and Luke is a “no one”. See the parallel? The Chosen one appears on the scene, in a disordered and fallen world, but with parentage none of us could have expected… and sets in motion the beginning of a new world order, where justice will triumph and wickedness will be punished.
What human kind has created, has become its downfall. Technology, accepted reluctantly, as the only way to protect the world that they know, has become something they no longer know how to control. Annakin transitions from cute little boy, to a monstrous half man, half machine tyrant, still under the control of the Emperor whose approval the little boy inside Darth Vader still craves.
The Empire has armies of Imperial Walkers - Storm Troopers… and on the side of the Force stand the few brave remnants – cuddly but feisty – Ewoks, as well as renegades, dispossessed, orphans and outcasts.
At first Luke refuses his call. It is too much, it is too crazy. He is too small, too insignificant – quite a David in the face of a colossal Goliath. So Obi Wan Kenobi, now know mainly as Ben, is provided, to counsel and train the young Skywalker. I wonder if we can see something of a John the Baptist in Obi Wan? Just as John was eventually killed for his stance, on the side of the Force, if you will, Obi Wan Kenobi dies for his own stance on the side of justice and what is right. It is his presence, his knowledge, his counsel that enables Luke Skywalker to begin to realise and action his calling.
I suppose we can also see Jesus in the Obi Wan Kenobi character… living on to us, spiritually, as we wrestle with our own callings, learning how to use the Force, even when it terrifies us! This is a Jesus who comes to us right where we are, offering to ground us in who we are, who we are meant to be. Offering to help us reconcile our own personal universes, full of the light of God as they may be… with the essential transcendence of that God, whose mystery is absolute, and because of that, unblemishable.
It’s really interesting, I think, to know some of what George Lucas’ thoughts were, behind the movies. He claims to see Star Wars as taking the issues of religion, and distilling them down into something more modern and accessible – pointing towards that greater mystery… hoping to awaken a greater spirituality in young people, a questioning and therein unifying spirituality. Indeed, Lucas seemed to be pretty into the idea that many faiths would be able to see their own narratives reflected in these films. Perhaps, in this, we can be reminded that it is much, much easier to see the commonalities between different religious narratives, than it can be in the details. And that is a thing which must not be diminished.
So where is the Jesus of Palm Sunday, in all of this? Where is the Jesus who sends two of his friends up ahead to find a royal, yet subversively humble, donkey, upon which he will ride back into Jerusalem? Where is the Jesus, in whom the Force is beyond strong, but ultimate, who is about to actually submit to his own death, leaving his ongoing calling to a bunch of insecure, flawed and unreliable family of choice? One minute the crowds are cheering, and throwing down their cloaks, and palm branches, and hailing the Messiah, the chosen one… and the next they are baying for his blood – turning him over to the occupying force in exchange for a revolutionary who did not know how to use the force, getting caught up in mob rule, missing almost completely the bigger picture..
Just as Annakin is supposed to have had a “Virgin birth”, and is named as the Chosen one, which is the English for Messiah, Annakin has been foretold. His birth, and his life, are supposed to restore balance. There is something “more” about this boy - he is not just a human, in fact, on a biological level, he has more in his blood that can help him access the Force that even Yoda does! But Annakin fails. Is this what happens to Jesus? Was he ultimately broken by the very human aspects of himself, and those to whom he was the closest?
And are we more like Luke Skywalker, with nothing much more to go on than our faith, based on something which is, at its core, indescribable, unjustifiable empirically? Sustained by the supernatural presence of our Jesus, or Obi Wan Kenobi… where our faith may at times seem completely unreasonable and even foolhardy… but tends, nevertheless, to somehow prove to hold the answers, and not always answers we hope to find…
We all have Hans Solos in our lives, don’t we – those significant people in our lives who say, and I quote – “Kid, I've flown from one end of this galaxy to the other; I've seen a lot of strange stuff; but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field controlling my destiny. It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense." Hans Solo believes in luck. He trusts in his own abilities, rather than any sorts of mysteries. Yet, in his own way, he also totally commits to the fight in the name of the Force, understanding the way the Force is in him, in the way that feels safe, and okay for him.
Indeed, another thing we can relate to easily is the way that Darth Vader, the ultimate tyrant, the person who causes the most suffering, whose own life displays the greatest tragedy… is also the ultimate believer in the Force. His whole identity is routed in the power of the Force, and finds others’ “lack of faith disturbing”. As Governor Tarkin puts it to Lord Vader - "The Jedi are extinct; their fire has gone out in the universe. You, my friend, are all that is left of their religion."
It is the very bastion of faith, the one with the most power, in a world where spirituality is rubbished in the face of technology… who can cause the greatest harm. I think the parallel is clear. The church who, as Nancy Wilson says, “breaks our hearts”.
Just as it was for Jesus. His Jewish faith, which was to him so perfect, so beautiful, so pure… was being used as a force for suppression, for repression, for complicity with the oppressive Roman Empire.
But Jesus chose to live out his resistance. He chose not to take up arms, which is what was expected of him, by the people. They could see no other way. Messiah, to them, meant King, and conqueror. They could not yet understand what it meant to be a chosen one whose authority was in his service, whose ultimate victory would be far, far beyond that of any military battle. If only they could have watched the Return of the Jedi – they might have been able to see! Just like Jesus, Luke accepts who he is, and accepts that his own humanity must be coexistent with the esoteric principles of the Jedi way. Even when Darth Vader angers him so much that he chops his hand off, just as Darth Vader had chopped his own off, leaving him with his own dependency on technology… even then, Luke stops. He throws down his light saber, and refuses to fight with violence.
And, ultimately, this is the pivotal moment for the Annakin still inside Darth Vader. It is his son’s willingness to sacrifice his own life, in the name of non violence, knowing that that physical battle is just so not the point… it is this sacrifice, much like that of Obi Wan Kenobi before him, which ultimately redeems Darth Vader from hatred and violence. All along there has seemed like there is no hope for Vader, for what is left of Annakin… but we haven’t been looking behind the mask. We haven’t been looking at the little boy, the adolescent, the young man… who did not know how to truly be himself – what it meant to be him, what power meant without control, what authority meant without becoming closed off from his own vulnerabilities.
This redemption is what allows Darth Vader to be reborn, albeit in death, as his own true self – the adult Annakin. It is only through death that his true nature can be fulfilled. Now, much as most of this narrative obviously has no parallel to that of Jesus, that message does nevertheless ring true, doesn’t it? As a human, Jesus could and did heal, and subvert, and teach… yet, just like Luke, it was only through his willingness to die in the name of his calling and, just like Vader, in his ultimate submission to death… that his calling could be truly fulfilled. Jesus’ presence on this earth has changed the entire planet. Some of that influence has been used to harm. In the name of the church, in the name of Jesus. But not all of it. Not even most of it. We are all here because of the Truth of it… the Truth of Jesus inside of us, and the truth of Jesus that points us to a mystery so tremendous that it changes our very essences.
Do we know how to take up our light sabers when that is what is needed?
Do we know how to throw our light sabers down, when that is what is needed?
So here is our challenge, from the book of Zechariah, chapter 9 –
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the war-horses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Zechariah 9:9-10
We are, if we are to be like Jesus, and I do believe we are… we are to subvert violence, to subvert fear and hatred. We are to learn together how strong the force is in us, and learn how to use it in the name of good, of love, and of justice. We are to learn to discern.
"For lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people this moment when Jesus rides headlong into Jerusalem to confront the unjust powers of his day challenge us as well to consider the price any one of us will pay to transform our larger world of gender and sexual injustice."
Christine Smith
"All people who suffer oppression must be in solidarity with each other in our struggles. We have to make sure that our identification with the lynching of Jesus doesn't keep us from connecting with all who suffer or think that we are the only ones who claim the story."
Randall Bailey
"Many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and others marginalized in churches and society know the reality at the center of this crucifixion story. Suffering and rejection accompany faithfulness especially when it expresses alternative identities and practices."
Warren Carter
So what is your calling around Palm Sunday? Each one of us is chosen… each one of us is called!
How will you learn to “use the Force” which is the Spirit breathing within you?
Will it be confronting injustice no matter the consequences?
What will be the price you are willing to pay?
What do you want to do to be part of transforming the world?
Will that be to do with gender or sexual injustice?
Will you stand with others who struggle?
Will you commit to remembering that you are not the only one who has or does suffer?
Will you claim the story of Jesus as your own?
Will you commit to learning what faithfullness truly means, even when it comes with suffering and rejection?
Will you commit to learning how to accept, to embrace those alternative identities and practices that are bound to come along with that essential faithfulness?
It’s not quite as terrifying a prospect as it might sound! This is what George Lucas said on the subject –
“Heroes come in all sizes, and you don't have to be a giant hero. You can be a very small hero. It's just as important to understand that accepting self-responsibility for the things you do, having good manners, caring about other people - these are heroic acts. Everybody has the choice of being a hero or not being a hero every day of their lives. You don't have to get into a giant laser-sword fight and blow up three spaceships to become a hero.”
So let’s close on this. We have all seen, or even experienced bold acts of resistance, and bold acts for justice. And these acts can sometimes absolutely be acts of worship. Let us make our lives acts of worship. Let us make our lives bold acts of worship, and resistance, and of justice. Let us ride into our spiritual homes as humble but glorious Chosen Ones. And let us also throw down our palms, that with which we build, and shelter in, and hide in, and let us throw down our cloaks, all that is our finest, our best… for the presence of our own, personal Chosen One, Christ Jesus.
Because he said, that day - "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out." Let us never be silent… let our hearts cry out…
Let us use the Force, for the Force within us is strong!
Amen
This sermon was delivered by Reverend Jake Tatton at MCC Edinburgh on Sunday 1st April 2007. All rights reserved.
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