Preaching text: None
This week will be an interesting one for us nerds. On Thursday, the newest film in the expanding Star Wars saga opens, the Han Solo origin story titled appropriately enough as “Solo.” Early reviews are mixed; some folks are noticeably disappointed and rumors have swirled that the production was rather haphazard. But regardless, I suspect it will be a more fun film than the last Star Wars film that opened: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, which hit theaters back around last Christmas.
That film was bleak and yet brilliant. It subverted every expectation audiences had about how the story was going to play out. Instead of the heroes winning the day, they lose. Every scheme, every plan they attempt fails and fails miserably. The villains are triumphant in the end. The heroes are reduced to a tiny handful. All seems lost. But, Poe Dameron, one of those heroes says something rather important in one of the final scenes of the film. As the last survivors retreat, he tries to encourage them by saying “We are the spark that'll light the fire that'll burn the First Order down.” Inspired and encouraged by this, the rebels flee to fight another day and the film comes to a close.
Good science fiction is always meant to be a commentary on real life and The Last Jedi is definitely a film of its time. Because real life is not working out the way people have expected. The villains of our world appear to be triumphant. Every scheme, every plan the good people of our world attempt is failing and, in some cases, failing miserably. All seems lost. Evil appears to be winning.
In recent news, we’ve heard people in our government refer to immigrants as “animals” and "rapists." We heard of those enforcing the will of those powers tearing families apart, detaining children separately from their parents. We hear of legal immigrants being harassed for speaking Spanish. We’ve heard of the violence in Israel as the increasingly desperate Palestinians resist further abuse and marginalization. Doesn't seem real fair for the Israeli's to come at the Palestinians with assault rifles, tanks, and mortars when the Palestinians have rocks and harsh language. The UN agreed.
Laila al-Ghandour. Eight-months old and killed by Israeli troops. What threat did she pose?
We are okay with the abuse of immigrant families because we are afraid. Ever since pretty much forever, we have been afraid of people who are different: They are those who say it is to blame on one or both of the last two Presidents and their supporters, but it’s always been there. Rewind to the 1850s and it was the Irish. Then the Italians, the Chinese, the Poles. One hundred years ago, during the First World War, it was us in a sense. The Germans were feared and often persecuted. Now it's the Muslims and the Latinos. The names change, but the fear remains.
And then there's the news of yet another school shooting. And the controversy over guns renews again and also again, nothing will be done. Why? Ask gun-enthusiasts, the NRA, and their sort. They'll tell you why they fight any form of regulation quite openly. They're afraid. They're afraid of criminals. They're afraid of the government. It's all about fear.
And we can add into that the opioid crisis, the healthcare crisis, the renewed rise of the KKK and other hate groups, trade wars over oil, steel, and agriculture, and the spectre of REAL war with either Iran or North Korea (or both). All things that are scary in their own way.
Are you afraid? I am. I’m terrified of a vocal minority who has become so consumed with hatred that violence is becoming increasingly likely. I am terrified of tensions on an international scale, where sabers are rattling and war is looming. (Never mind the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria which have been going on for years now.) I am frightened of how my already uncertain finances could become even worse. Oh, and then there’s my health and my wife’s health and the increasingly outrageous costs we incur just to stay alive.
Are you hopeful for the future? Most days I’m not. Pretty hard to be in the midst of all this. Everything seems to be going backwards. Progress is in reverse and far too many are happy about that. They want women, minorities, LGBT, and pretty much everyone not like them “put in their place.” They want us to be afraid, because they are afraid. Fear leads to irrational decisions. Fear leads to hate. Fear leads to violence. Fear is destroying us.
And yet, in our midst, is a spark that can light a fire to burn down all this evil. Something that can bring an end to the fear. Something that can help us let go of the hate. It’s something we all have. It’s a faith and belief in the one who came, lived, died, and then defeated death on the third day. It’s the one who was sent because God loves this world and does not seek to destroy or condemn it. It’s the one we gather each Sunday to praise and pray to and hopefully listen to, because he is offering the answer to these frightful times. The answer is and always has been love. Agape love, selfless love, love of others, a love that seeks justice and fairness, a love that drives out all fear, a love that serves and sacrifices. The same love that Jesus has showed countless times to you and to me.
How do we change the world? We show and tell people they are loved. That they matter. That the people they care about matter. Mind you, we can talk about love until we are blue in the face and never do anything with it. We’re sadly quite good at that in the Church and the world knows it. Talk is cheap. Jesus’ love will never be real for people unless WE make it so. Unless we show them in very real ways that they matter to God and to us. They don’t need platitudes. They need real agape love from us.
The fire of the Holy Spirit has been given to all of us and it’s a passionate fiery power that loves the world the way God does. It’s also the fire, if we let it and use it, that will change this world for the better. It will drive out our fear and replace it with love. It is the spark that will light the fire that will bring evil down, not by destroying it, but by redeeming it.
I don’t want to hate the people I hate. I don’t want to be afraid of the people I’m afraid of. Let’s be honest. I’ve made my feelings about certain individuals and certain groups in society quite plain over the years. I do hate them and I am afraid of them. But those things aren’t right and I struggle daily between what I know is right and what my sin drives me to do. I suspect I’m not alone in that. If I were, we wouldn’t be having these problems in our world today.
Our faith teaches us that they, like us, are children of God. Our faith teaches us that God loves them, that Christ died for them, and that we are to embrace them as brothers and sisters because that’s what they are. It’s hard when we know they couldn’t care less about us. It’s hard when we know they outright hate us. It’s hard when we know they want us dead. But none of those things will change by our hating them back. None of those things will change by our fearing them. It changes when I and all of us show them God’s fiery love, a love big enough to consume the whole world and everyone in it. A love that will bring justice and equity back. A love that will set us all free from the demons of hate and fear.
That’s the kingdom of God, my friends. A kingdom that Jesus came to spread as far and wide as possible. It’s a kingdom I want to live in, a place without fear and hate and violence and uncertainty. I believe you want to live there too. And, out there, are countless others who’d like to live in that kingdom as well. It’s up to us to make it real for them. Love them. Embrace them. Fight for them and let the fire of God’s love spread. Amen.
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