Monday, January 25, 2016
480 - Forcing the Issue, Episode IV
Spirituality Column #480
January 26, 2016
Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
“You’ve taken your first step into a larger world.” – Obi-Wan Kenobi to Luke Skywalker in the original 1977 Star Wars movie, “Episode IV: A New Hope.”
Newly-discovered and budding Jedi Knight Luke has just “used the Force” in his first “light saber” lesson when Jedi master and mentor Obi-Wan offers this world-enlarging encouragement.
Finally free of his remote, nothing-happening-here home planet, good-guy Luke is on a star ship speeding off to galactic adventure, personal discovery and legendary fame fighting the evil empire controlled by The Dark Side of the Force. If you know the Star Wars movies, you know how that all goes. And with the seventh movie just out, it’s still going. Luke indeed finds a far larger world.
There’s no real need to over-think all the good vs. evil, salvation vs. destruction, love vs. hate imagery, symbols and metaphors in these movies. Mostly Star Wars is fun; it’s about outer space and fighting the bad guys; about cool space ships, exotic worlds, mysterious powers and imaginative weaponry that still does basically the same, familiar things contemporary weapons do: shoot things and blow stuff up.
We can clearly perceive our plainly-human hopes, fears, failings and aspirations amid the movies’ glitzy alien characters, technical fantasy and stark morality. There is family, fellowship and trust among Luke and his Good Side of the Force; there is slavery, power and treachery rampant in the Dark Side of the Force.
Ours is a modern world of ceaseless information and endless entertainment. We note a global, generational human predilection – given the worldly influences in any age – that mankind tends to worship the wrong things. We worship what we think will spare us anguish, make us comfortable, give us status, make life easier and generally gratify our physical hungers, spiritual thirsts and psychological appetites. We think life is complete, but our satisfactions are superficial.
What we truly need is something that “The Force” in the Star Wars movies never offers, describes or claims to be: Love. It is often said, and I believe it, that love is the most powerful force in the universe. How ironic then that the one thing love cannot be, actually, is forced. Love is about giving, not forcing. Love is a tie that binds, certainly, but it can’t be coerced. Love is the most complete – and forceful – of mysteries.
The Bible tells us “God is love” (1 John 4:8) and God “so loved the world that he gave his only son Jesus …” (John 3:16). God’s love, you see, is the true force of good.
Want a larger world? Jesus Christ is proof of how big God really is.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) suggests baptism to step into a truly larger world.
January 26, 2016
Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
Forcing the Issue,
Episode IV
By Bob Walters“You’ve taken your first step into a larger world.” – Obi-Wan Kenobi to Luke Skywalker in the original 1977 Star Wars movie, “Episode IV: A New Hope.”
Newly-discovered and budding Jedi Knight Luke has just “used the Force” in his first “light saber” lesson when Jedi master and mentor Obi-Wan offers this world-enlarging encouragement.
Finally free of his remote, nothing-happening-here home planet, good-guy Luke is on a star ship speeding off to galactic adventure, personal discovery and legendary fame fighting the evil empire controlled by The Dark Side of the Force. If you know the Star Wars movies, you know how that all goes. And with the seventh movie just out, it’s still going. Luke indeed finds a far larger world.
There’s no real need to over-think all the good vs. evil, salvation vs. destruction, love vs. hate imagery, symbols and metaphors in these movies. Mostly Star Wars is fun; it’s about outer space and fighting the bad guys; about cool space ships, exotic worlds, mysterious powers and imaginative weaponry that still does basically the same, familiar things contemporary weapons do: shoot things and blow stuff up.
We can clearly perceive our plainly-human hopes, fears, failings and aspirations amid the movies’ glitzy alien characters, technical fantasy and stark morality. There is family, fellowship and trust among Luke and his Good Side of the Force; there is slavery, power and treachery rampant in the Dark Side of the Force.
Ours is a modern world of ceaseless information and endless entertainment. We note a global, generational human predilection – given the worldly influences in any age – that mankind tends to worship the wrong things. We worship what we think will spare us anguish, make us comfortable, give us status, make life easier and generally gratify our physical hungers, spiritual thirsts and psychological appetites. We think life is complete, but our satisfactions are superficial.
What we truly need is something that “The Force” in the Star Wars movies never offers, describes or claims to be: Love. It is often said, and I believe it, that love is the most powerful force in the universe. How ironic then that the one thing love cannot be, actually, is forced. Love is about giving, not forcing. Love is a tie that binds, certainly, but it can’t be coerced. Love is the most complete – and forceful – of mysteries.
The Bible tells us “God is love” (1 John 4:8) and God “so loved the world that he gave his only son Jesus …” (John 3:16). God’s love, you see, is the true force of good.
Want a larger world? Jesus Christ is proof of how big God really is.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) suggests baptism to step into a truly larger world.
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