Sermon for January 3rd, 2016 - Revision history

Iraneal at 01:46, 4 January 2016

2016-01-04T01:46:35Z

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Iraneal at 03:38, 3 January 2016

2016-01-03T03:38:02Z

Iraneal at 03:28, 3 January 2016

2016-01-03T03:28:42Z

Iraneal at 21:56, 2 January 2016

2016-01-02T21:56:19Z

Iraneal at 21:33, 2 January 2016

2016-01-02T21:33:50Z

Iraneal at 20:53, 2 January 2016

2016-01-02T20:53:53Z

Iraneal at 20:11, 2 January 2016

2016-01-02T20:11:45Z

Iraneal at 20:04, 2 January 2016

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Iraneal at 19:57, 2 January 2016

2016-01-02T19:57:32Z

Iraneal at 19:44, 2 January 2016

2016-01-02T19:44:17Z

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 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
+*Film Clip #1: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erLk59H86ww Opening Trailer]
 The seventh episode in the highly successful Star Wars movie franchise is entitled "The Force Awakens."  The title is meant to imply that the Force (which we'll talk about more later) has somehow been asleep, or absent.  The title reminds us that, chronologically, thirty long years have passed since the events of the last Star Wars Film (Episode VI) and this one.  Enough time for the characters, events, prophecies, and beliefs of the earlier films to fade from memory and pass into legend.  As this movie begins, happy endings have given way to hard times.  New threats have emerged, requiring new heroes.
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 We also meet Finn, a stormtrooper in the First Order who has come to Jakku with Kylo Ren in search of Luke Skywalker. In his first battle, Finn tries to help a wounded fellow storm-trooper.  Before dying, the storm trooper reaches up and marks Finn's helmet with his blood.  Later, Finn disobeys Kylo Ren's order to kill the innocent villagers, and escapes from the First Order, only to meet and team up with Rey.  The two leave Jakku together and form a strong bond of friendship that drives most of the film forward. I lost count of how many times Rey rescues Finn and then Finn rescues Rey.
-*Film Clip #2: Rey and Finn
+*Film Clip #2: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSjkUzlHxK4 Rey and Finn in the Desert]
 In the Bible, the wilderness/desert is a place of exile, but also a place of formation.  After escaping slavery in Egypt, the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years--this is where they become a people, where they receive the 10 commandments, and prepare for their quest into the promised land.  In the gospels, Jesus goes out into the wilderness before he begins his ministry.  It is a time of preparation for him, and in the wilderness, he meets a kindred spirit:  John the Baptist.  Their friendship, their ministries, their stories, and even their disciples are intertwined and woven together throughout the gospels.
@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 I think we should claim that.  People of First Presbyterian Church, you are all Jedi, or Jedi in training. Take your spiritual training seriously, because good and evil are real forces--all around us in the world we live in, and also within our own minds and hearts.  No matter how spiritual you are, you cannot reach your full potential on your own.  It takes a community, a council, commited discipline and wise mentoring to get there, to be a force for good in the world.
-*Film Clip #3: Every Generation Has A Story
+*Film Clip #3: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE Every Generation Has A Story]
 Han Solo is one of the characters who spans both the old films and this new one.  He is a scoundrel, a smuggler, one of those characters whose choices often land him in hot water.  He is also a skeptic. But at one point in the film, when young Finn and Rey ask him about the Force, he tells them, "I [once] thought it was all a bunch of mumbo jumbo...a magical power holding together good and evil, the dark side and the light. Crazy thing is, it's all true.  The force and the Jedi,..all of it.  It's all true.

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 The seventh episode in the highly successful Star Wars movie franchise is entitled "The Force Awakens."  The title is meant to imply that the Force (which we'll talk about more later) has somehow been asleep, or absent.  The title reminds us that, chronologically, thirty long years have passed since the events of the last Star Wars Film (Episode VI) and this one.  Enough time for the characters, events, prophecies, and beliefs of the earlier films to fade from memory and pass into legend.  As this movie begins, 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, similar to and quite influenced by heir predecessors, the Galactic Empire.  The First Order shows up 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.  Kylo Ren is a black-mask-wearing, red lightsaber-weilding throwback to the famous Star Wars villain of old, Darth Vader.
+First among the new threats is a militaristic group called the First Order.  They are the intergallactic bullies of this new generation, similar to and quite influenced by heir predecessors, the Galactic Empire.  The First Order shows up complete with stormtroopers, a fleet of star destroyers and tie fighters, and an even bigger, badder version of the Death Star.  They are led by the secretive, reclusive Supreme Leader Snoke and his two henchmen, General Hux and Kylo Ren.  Ren is a black-mask-wearing, red lightsaber-weilding throwback to the famous Star Wars villain of old, Darth Vader.
-If the First Order has replaced the Empire as the bad guys, then the good guys have gotten an upgrade as well:  The Rebellion has morphed into the "Resistance:" brave X-wing fighter pilots, droids, smugglers and scavengers who dream of a free galaxy.
+If the First Order has replaced the Empire as the bad guys, then the good guys have gotten an upgrade as well:  The Rebellion has morphed into the "Resistance:" complete with brave X-wing fighter pilots, droids, smugglers and scavengers who dream of a free galaxy.
 For armchair theologians, and amateur students of the Bible, all this should sound familiar:  It's a lot like the long period of waiting between the Old and New Testaments: The old Babylonian Empire is gone, but the militaristic might of Rome has emerged as the newest threat to the people of Israel. Some Israelites form pockets of resistance in the desert, and cling to the hope that God will awaken from his silence, and send a messiah, a new hero like Moses or David, to save them.
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 We also meet Finn, a stormtrooper in the First Order who has come to Jakku with Kylo Ren in search of Luke Skywalker. In his first battle, Finn tries to help a wounded fellow storm-trooper.  Before dying, the storm trooper reaches up and marks Finn's helmet with his blood.  Later, Finn disobeys Kylo Ren's order to kill the innocent villagers, and escapes from the First Order, only to meet and team up with Rey.  The two leave Jakku together and form a strong bond of friendship that drives most of the film forward. I lost count of how many times Rey rescues Finn and then Finn rescues Rey.
-Film Clip #2: Rey and Finn
+*Film Clip #2: Rey and Finn
 In the Bible, the wilderness/desert is a place of exile, but also a place of formation.  After escaping slavery in Egypt, the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years--this is where they become a people, where they receive the 10 commandments, and prepare for their quest into the promised land.  In the gospels, Jesus goes out into the wilderness before he begins his ministry.  It is a time of preparation for him, and in the wilderness, he meets a kindred spirit:  John the Baptist.  Their friendship, their ministries, their stories, and even their disciples are intertwined and woven together throughout the gospels.
@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 Later in the film, there is another powerful act of self-sacrifice that happens later in the film--one that those of you who have seen it will remember, and one that I won't spoil for those who haven't.  Suffice it to say that laying down one's life for a friend is at the very heart of the Christian story...and it is a theme found repeatedly throughout the Star Wars films, including this one.
-One of the things that I love most about Star Wars that shines through in this film, is that it doesn't shy away from from spiritual themes--the idea that good and evil are not just external forces, but internal ones that we all struggle with.  Sometimes good guys lie and steal, although there are consequences for their actions.  And sometimes bad guys show mercy and compassion.
+One of the things that I love most about the Star Wars films is that they don't shy away from from spiritual themes--the idea that good and evil are not just external forces, but internal ones that we all struggle with.  Sometimes good guys lie and steal, although there are consequences for their actions.  And sometimes bad guys show mercy and compassion, and can be redeemed.
-When Finn is asked why he left First Order behind, he doesn't hesistate to say "because it was the right thing to do."  But we also see the struggle that leads up to that decision.
+When Finn is asked why he left First Order behind, he doesn't hesistate to say "because it was the right thing to do."  But we also see the internal struggle that leads up to his decision.
 Likewise, at one point in the film, the primary villain, Kylo Ren, kneels down as if in prayer, and says "Forgive me. I feel it again. The call to the light."  Later in the film, he tells another character that he feels "torn apart," that he knows what he has to do, but doesn't know if he has the strength to do it.
-In Star Wars, all characters--hero and villain alike--are human, fallible, vulnerable, and wrestle with their choices, with guilt, shame, with sin and redemption.
+In Star Wars, all characters--hero and villain alike--are human, fallible, vulnerable, and wrestle with their choices, with guilt, shame, but also with love, redemption, and sacrifice.
 At the spiritual core of this film (and all the Star Wars films) is a power that the characters refer to as "The Force."  It is described by one character as an energy that "moves through and surrounds every living thing."  This character tells Rey that "if you close your eyes, you will feel it. The light. It's always been there, it will guide you."
-The idea of the Force, with the light side and the dark side, has its roots in Eastern Daoism, the yin and the yang, but there are many related concepts in Christianity.  Jesus taught his disciples that after his departure, both guidance and power would come from the Holy Spirit, enabling them to perform miraculous feats.  Another similar concept is faith itself. Hebrews 11 puts it this way: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
+The idea of the Force, with the light side and the dark side, has its roots in Eastern Daoism, the yin and the yang, but there are many related concepts in Christianity.  Jesus taught his disciples that after his departure, both guidance and power would come from the Holy Spirit, enabling them to perform miraculous feats.  Another similar concept is faith itself. Hebrews 11 defines faith this way: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
 Today, we live in a pretty hard-boiled world of science, facts, and proof.  The number of atheists and agnostics in our country is growing, while the number of Christians and other religions is declining.  And yet, the mass popularity of Star Wars tells me that people still long for the kind of spirituality, guidance and power that religion has always offered.  Yes, I did say "religion" not just "spirituality."  Many people in our culture describe themselves as "spiritual but not religious."  But in the world of Star Wars, we see over and over again that someone who is "strong in the force" cannot truly realize their potential until they undergo the rigorous discipline of training in a religious community.  Only those who have been trained can claim the title of Jedi.
@@ Line 71: / Line 71: @@
 Like Finn, we are marked and chosen by the blood of Christ, by his sacrifice of his life for us.  In our baptism we are called to a new life and a new identity.  In our calling, we are gifted with supernatural abilities.  In Romans 12, Paul calls them spiritual gifts: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
-Like the Jedi, we are given a code to live by, that helps us strive for the light.  You can find that in Romans, too: 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.
+Like the Jedi, we are given a code to live by, that helps us strive for the light.  You can find that in Romans, too: Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
 And finally, we are compelled by God's love and God's spirit--which is all around us, in every person, place and thing--to use our abilities as a force for good in the world:  To bless those who persecute us, to live in harmony with one another, to take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.
-Paul's words read like a mantra for almost all the characters in todays film, but ultimately, they are for us:
+Paul's final words in Romans 12 read like a Jedi mantra, but ultimately, they are for us, and they are good ones to live by:
 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 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.
 The seventh episode in the highly successful Star Wars movie franchise is entitled "The Force Awakens."  The title is meant to imply that the Force (which we'll talk about more later) has somehow been asleep, or absent.  The title reminds us that, chronologically, thirty long years have passed since the events of the last Star Wars Film (Episode VI) and this one.  Enough time for the characters, events, prophecies, and beliefs of the earlier films to fade from memory and pass into legend.  As this movie begins, happy endings have given way to hard times.  New threats have emerged, requiring new heroes.
@@ Line 32: / Line 34: @@
 We also meet Finn, a stormtrooper in the First Order who has come to Jakku with Kylo Ren in search of Luke Skywalker. In his first battle, Finn tries to help a wounded fellow storm-trooper.  Before dying, the storm trooper reaches up and marks Finn's helmet with his blood.  Later, Finn disobeys Kylo Ren's order to kill the innocent villagers, and escapes from the First Order, only to meet and team up with Rey.  The two leave Jakku together and form a strong bond of friendship that drives most of the film forward. I lost count of how many times Rey rescues Finn and then Finn rescues Rey.
 In the Bible, the wilderness/desert is a place of exile, but also a place of formation.  After escaping slavery in Egypt, the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years--this is where they become a people, where they receive the 10 commandments, and prepare for their quest into the promised land.  In the gospels, Jesus goes out into the wilderness before he begins his ministry.  It is a time of preparation for him, and in the wilderness, he meets a kindred spirit:  John the Baptist.  Their friendship, their ministries, their stories, and even their disciples are intertwined and woven together throughout the gospels.
@@ Line 59: / Line 63: @@
 I think we should claim that.  People of First Presbyterian Church, you are all Jedi, or Jedi in training. Take your spiritual training seriously, because good and evil are real forces--all around us in the world we live in, and also within our own minds and hearts.  No matter how spiritual you are, you cannot reach your full potential on your own.  It takes a community, a council, commited discipline and wise mentoring to get there, to be a force for good in the world.
-And we live in a world of Finns and Han Solos.  Han Solo is one of the characters who spans both the old films and this new one.  He is a scoundrel, a smuggler, one of those characters whose choices often land him in hot water.  He is also a skeptic. But at one point in the film, when young Finn and Rey ask him about the Force, he tells them, "I [once] thought it was all a bunch of mumbo jumbo...a magical power holding together good and evil, the dark side and the light. Crazy thing is, it's all true.  The force and the Jedi,..all of it.  It's all true.
+*Film Clip #3: Every Generation Has A Story
-You see, that's the thing about great stories.  They don't become great, they don't touch the deepest parts of our souls and psyches unless there is something about them that rings true.
+Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 In Star Wars, all characters--hero and villain alike--are human, fallible, vulnerable, and wrestle with their choices, with guilt, shame, with sin and redemption.
-At the spiritual core of this film (and all the Star Wars films) is a power that the characters refer to as "The Force."  t is described by one character as
+At the spiritual core of this film (and all the Star Wars films) is a power that the characters refer to as "The Force."  It is described by one character as an energy that "moves through and surrounds every living thing."  This character tells Rey that "if you close your eyes, you will feel it. The light. It's always been there, it will guide you."
-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.
+The idea of the Force, with the light side and the dark side, has its roots in Eastern Daoism, the yin and the yang, but there are many related concepts in Christianity.  Jesus taught his disciples that after his departure, both guidance and power would come from the Holy Spirit, enabling them to perform miraculous feats.  Another similar concept is faith itself. Hebrews 11 puts it this way: "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 Also worth noting, 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.
-===Exile and Formation in the Wilderness===
+Like several previous Star Wars films, in The Force Awakens, we meet our heroes (and they meet each other) in the desert, in the wilderness.  On the desert planet of Jakku, we meet Rey, a young woman who appears to be an orphan waiting for her family to return.  Events later in the film give the impression that Jakku is not her original home, but she was abandoned, or exiled there as a child.  She is by trade a scavenger struggling to survive, and that label is applied to her throught the film in an insulting way.  At one point, she even says of herself, "I'm just a scavenger." But remember the job of a scavenger is to take old things and make them new, or use them in new and different ways.
-Like several previous Star Wars films, in The Force Awakens, we meet our heroes (and they meet each other) in the desert, in the wilderness.  On the desert planet of Jakku, we meet Rey, a young woman who appears to be an orphan waiting for her family to return.  Events later in the film give the impression that Jakku is not her original home, but she was abandoned, or exiled there as a child.  She is by trade a scavenger struggling to survive, and that label is applied to her throught the film in an insulting way, but remember the job of a scavenger is to take old things and make them new, or use them in new and different ways.  That's a metaphor for the entire film.  Rey also happens to be a skilled pilot--both of these skills are ones she presumably picked up during her wilderness experience.
 We also meet Finn, a stormtrooper in the First Order who has come to Jakku with Kylo Ren in search of Luke Skywalker. In his first battle, Finn tries to help a wounded fellow storm-trooper.  Before dying, the storm trooper reaches up and marks Finn's helmet with his blood.  Later, Finn disobeys Kylo Ren's order to kill the innocent villagers, and escapes from the First Order, only to meet and team up with Rey.  The two leave Jakku together and form a strong bond of friendship that drives most of the film forward. I lost count of how many times Rey rescues Finn and then Finn rescues Rey.
@@ Line 40: / Line 41: @@
 Later in the film, there is another powerful act of self-sacrifice that happens later in the film--one that those of you who have seen it will remember, and one that I won't spoil for those who haven't.  Suffice it to say that laying down one's life for a friend is at the very heart of the Christian story...and it is a theme found repeatedly throughout the Star Wars films, including this one.
-===May the Force Be With You===
+One of the things that I love most about Star Wars that shines through in this film, is that it doesn't shy away from from spiritual themes--the idea that good and evil are not just external forces, but internal ones that we all struggle with.  Sometimes good guys lie and steal, although there are consequences for their actions.  And sometimes bad guys show mercy and compassion.
-*Film Clip 3
-One of the things that I love most about Star Wars that shines through in this film, is that it doesn't shy away from from spiritual themes, the idea that good and evil are not just external forces, but internal ones that we all struggle with.  When Finn is asked why he left First Order behind, he doesn't hesistate to say "because it was the right thing to do."  But we also see the struggle that leads up to that decision.  At one point in the film, even the primary villain, Kylo Ren,
+When Finn is asked why he left First Order behind, he doesn't hesistate to say "because it was the right thing to do."  But we also see the struggle that leads up to that decision.
 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.

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==Faith & Film IV: Star Wars The Force Awakens==
 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."
@@ Line 19: / Line 17: @@
 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.
 The seventh episode in the highly successful Star Wars movie franchise is entitled "The Force Awakens."  The title is meant to imply that the Force (which we'll talk about more later) has somehow been asleep, or absent.  The title reminds us that, chronologically, thirty long years have passed since the events of the last Star Wars Film (Episode VI) and this one.  Enough time for the characters, events, prophecies, and beliefs of the earlier films to fade from memory and pass into legend.  As this movie begins, happy endings have given way to hard times.  New threats have emerged, requiring new heroes.
@@ Line 36: / Line 31: @@
 We also meet Finn, a stormtrooper in the First Order who has come to Jakku with Kylo Ren in search of Luke Skywalker. In his first battle, Finn tries to help a wounded fellow storm-trooper.  Before dying, the storm trooper reaches up and marks Finn's helmet with his blood.  Later, Finn disobeys Kylo Ren's order to kill the innocent villagers, and escapes from the First Order, only to meet and team up with Rey.  The two leave Jakku together and form a strong bond of friendship that drives most of the film forward. I lost count of how many times Rey rescues Finn and then Finn rescues Rey.
 In the Bible, the wilderness/desert is a place of exile, but also a place of formation.  After escaping slavery in Egypt, the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years--this is where they become a people, where they receive the 10 commandments, and prepare for their quest into the promised land.  In the gospels, Jesus goes out into the wilderness before he begins his ministry.  It is a time of preparation for him, and in the wilderness, he meets a kindred spirit:  John the Baptist.  Their friendship, their ministries, their stories, and even their disciples are intertwined and woven together throughout the gospels.
@@ Line 43: / Line 36: @@
 Incidentally, Finn's "conversion" experience from the dark side to the light, where his forehead/helmet is marked with blood of his dying friend--this is a type of baptism. Water is the usual sign for baptism, but blood is also a powerful symbol in Christianity--it reminds us of the blood of Christ and his sacrifice of his life to redeem us. Blood was used in the story of passover to mark the doorways of the Israelites who were to be spared or saved from the angel of death.  In this sense, Finn is symbolically spared, saved, marked and set apart by the blood of his friend.  In the Bible, when God calls someone to be a leader, they often get a new name: Abram becomes Abraham, Jacob becomes Israel, Saul becomes Paul, etc.  As a stormtrooper, Finn is known as FN2187.  It's only after he has "answered the call" that another character gives him his new name, Finn.
-There is another powerful act of self-sacrifice that happens later in the film--one that those of you who have seen it will remember, and one that I won't spoil for those who haven't.  Suffice it to say that laying down one's life for a friend is at the very heart of the Christian story...and it is a theme found repeatedly throughout the Star Wars films, including this one.
+Ephesians chapter 4:22-24 uses the metaphor of clothing--taking off your old life and clothing yourself with a new self, "created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."  And so sure enough, after Finn has been marked by blood, converted, and given a new name...we find him wandering through the desert wilderness of Jakuu, taking off the pieces of his stormtrooper armor one by one and discarding them in the desert.  In their place, he puts on the jacket of a resistance fighter, his new life and new assumed identity.
 ===May the Force Be With You===

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 ==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.
+The seventh episode in the highly successful Star Wars movie franchise is entitled "The Force Awakens."  The title is meant to imply that the Force (which we'll talk about more later) has somehow been asleep, or absent.  The title reminds us that, chronologically, thirty long years have passed since the events of the last Star Wars Film (Episode VI) and this one.  Enough time for the characters, events, prophecies, and beliefs of the earlier films to fade from memory and pass into legend.  As this movie begins, 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.
+First among the new threats is a militaristic group called the First Order.  They are the intergallactic bullies of this new generation, similar to and quite influenced by heir predecessors, the Galactic Empire.  The First Order shows up 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.  Kylo Ren is a black-mask-wearing, red lightsaber-weilding throwback to the famous Star Wars villain of old, Darth Vader.
-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.
+If the First Order has replaced the Empire as the bad guys, then the good guys have gotten an upgrade as well:  The Rebellion has morphed into the "Resistance:" brave X-wing fighter pilots, droids, smugglers and scavengers who dream of a free galaxy.
-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.
+For armchair theologians, and amateur students of the Bible, all this should sound familiar:  It's a lot like the long period of waiting between the Old and New Testaments: The old Babylonian Empire is gone, but the militaristic might of Rome has emerged as the newest threat to the people of Israel. Some Israelites form pockets of resistance in the desert, and cling to the hope that God will awaken from his silence, and send a messiah, a new hero like Moses or David, to save them.
 ===Exile and Formation in the Wilderness===
-Like several previous Star Wars films, in The Force Awakens, we meet our heroes (and they meet each other) in the desert, in the wilderness.  On the desert planet of Jakku, We meet Rey, a young woman who appears to be an orphan waiting for her family to return.  Events later in the film give the impression that Jakku is not her original home, but she was abandoned, or exiled there as a child.  She is a scavenger struggling to survive, and also a skilled pilot--both skills she presumably learned in her wilderness experience.
+Like several previous Star Wars films, in The Force Awakens, we meet our heroes (and they meet each other) in the desert, in the wilderness.  On the desert planet of Jakku, we meet Rey, a young woman who appears to be an orphan waiting for her family to return.  Events later in the film give the impression that Jakku is not her original home, but she was abandoned, or exiled there as a child.  She is a scavenger struggling to survive, but also a skilled pilot--both skills she presumably learned in her wilderness experience.
 We also meet Finn, a stormtrooper in the First Order who has come to Jakku with Kylo Ren in search of Luke Skywalker. In his first battle, Finn tries to help a wounded fellow storm-trooper.  Before dying, the storm trooper reaches up and marks Finn's helmet with his blood.  Later, Finn disobeys Kylo Ren's order to kill the innocent villagers, and escapes from the First Order, only to meet and team up with Rey.  The two leave Jakku together and form a strong bond of friendship that drives most of the film forward. I lost count of how many times Rey rescues Finn and then Finn rescues Rey.
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 Incidentally, Finn's "conversion" experience from the dark side to the light, where his forehead/helmet is marked with blood of his dying friend--this is a type of baptism. Water is the usual sign for baptism, but blood is also a powerful symbol in Christianity--it reminds us of the blood of Christ and his sacrifice of his life to redeem us. Blood was used in the story of passover to mark the doorways of the Israelites who were to be spared or saved from the angel of death.  In this sense, Finn is symbolically spared, saved, or set apart by the blood of his friend.
-There is another powerful self-sacrifice later in the film--one that those of you who have seen it will remember, and one that I won't spoil for those who haven't.   Giving one's life .... at the heart of the Christian story...
+There is another powerful self-sacrifice later in the film--one that those of you who have seen it will remember, and one that I won't spoil for those who haven't.  Suffice it to say that laying down one's life for a friend is at the very heart of the Christian story...and it is a theme found repeatedly throughout the Star Wars films, including this one.
 ===Spiritual Wars: Good vs. Evil===