Sermon for January 3rd, 2016

==Romans 12:1-21 1I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6 We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7 ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8 the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Faith & Film IV: Star Wars The Force Awakens

Series Intro: Every Generation Has a Story

In a few minutes we'll jump right into the film, but first I'd like to take a few minutes to explain why we do this every year. Some of you may be asking what Star Wars, or any of the films we'll talk about this month, have to do with Church, the Bible, or Christianity. The answer, of course, is "everything."

The films that we flock to in droves each year, and pay billions of dollars to see, all tell fascinating stories--about places, relationships, cultures, history, or ideas. But if you read between the lines, they tell us even more about ourselves--the things that we as a people are interested in (remember, Hollywood tries really hard not to make movies no one wants to go see!); the things we're afraid of; the things we believe, and the the things we dream about. The Ancient world was known for its great Epic poetry. The Elizabethans were known for drama and theatre. The Victorians perfected the novel. And I am convinced that the 20th and 21st centuries will be known for the stories we tell in film.

As Christians, we are people who center our lives around an ancient story--the story of the Bible, of God's chosen people, and of Jesus of Nazareth. Despite what some churches preach, it is not a fixed, constant, unchanging story, but rather one that has been interpreted and shaped and retold in every generation and culture, one that has influenced all the other stories we tell, and one that has in turn been influenced by the other stories we tell.

So in this sermon series, we will look those places of influence and intersection between our culture and our faith, as reflected in popular recent films from the past year--sometimes they are intentional, sometimes they are coincidental, but always they are instructional. Paul, in today's scripture reading, urges us to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. I love this verse. It means that we are to be intelligent people, who don't check our brains in at the door to the movie theater OR the church--we think about things, we talk about things, (both wordly AND spiritual) so that together we may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

• Film Clip 1: Trailer

Empires and Rebellions

The seventh episode in this highly successful movie franchise is entitled "The Force Awakens." The title is meant to remind us that, chronologically, thirty years have passed since the events of the last Star Wars Film (Episode VI) and this one. Enough time for the people, events, prophecies, and beliefs of the earlier films to fade from memory and pass into legend. Happy endings have given way to hard times. New threats have emerged, requiring new heroes.

First among the new threats is a militaristic group called the First Order. They are the intergallactic bullies of this new generation, complete with stormtroopers, a fleet of star destroyers and tie fighters, and an even bigger, badder version of the Death Star. They appear to be led by the secretive, reclusive Supreme Leader Snoke and his two henchmen, General Hux and Kylo Ren, who is a black-mask-wearing, red lightsaber-weilding throwback to the famous Star Wars villain of old, Darth Vader. The heroes of the old films find their analog in the "Resistance:" brave X-wing fighter pilots, droids, smugglers and scavengers who dream of a free galaxy.

All this is not unlike the long period of waiting between the Old and New Testaments: The old Babylonian enemies are gone, but in their place the Roman Empire has emerged as the newest threat to the people of Israel. They form pockets of resistance in the desert, and cling to the hope that God will awaken from his silence as in the days of old, and send a savior, a new hero like Moses or David, to Israel.

Also, in the beginning of our film, the villain Kylo Ren slaughters a village of innocent families and children in his ruthless attempt to locate Luke Skywalker. In the beginning of the gospels, King Herod (who is the regional henchman of the Emperor Augustus) slaughters the children of Bethlehem in his ruthless attempt to find Jesus.

May the Force Be With You

Star Wars is one of the few films that doesn't shy away from spiritual themes, or from a positive view of religion. The power of star wars tells me that even in our hard-boiled world of science, facts, and proof--people still long for the things that religion and faith have always offered.

• Film Clip 2
• Film Clip 3
• Film Clip 4