The Force Awakens

While many have been counting down the days eagerly until Christmas, many people have also been counting down to another day… on December 18th Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters. Some suggest that The Force Awakens could gross over $3 billion dollars in the worldwide box office.
 
If you have seen the Star Wars films, do you remember the first time you watched them? As a child, I remember my imagination being captivated by these stories. I was sitting in my uncle’s basement and watching a little green puppet named Yoda say “A Jedi’s power flows from the force.”
 
Did you know that “Jedi” is a registered religion in the United Kingdom? There are those who take their Star Wars very seriously. It’s funny, I have heard many Christians try to tell me that the mystical “force” from Star Wars, the force that holds the galaxy together, is basically the same as the Holy Spirit. I want to debunk that. 
 
The “force” of Star Wars is an impersonal energy.  In stark contrast, while being transcendent and immanent in all of creation, our Holy Spirit is a very personal being. Throughout church history groups have risen up (like the modern day Jehovah’s Witnesses) that teach the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force similar to Star Wars. This is simply not the case from Scripture.
 
Amazingly, as Christians we can have a relationship with the Spirit of God. In fact, the Holy Spirit is one who comforts, grieves, and teaches (John 14:16, 26, Eph. 4:30). These are all personal actions that a force cannot do. Can gravity comfort, grieve or teach? Of course not.
 
Another difference is that the “force” of Star Wars has a light side and a dark side.  Yet our Holy Spirit is One with God the Father who has no darkness in Him at all (1 John 1:5).
 
On Friday night, my wife Jessica and I will be a couple of the crazy people eagerly waiting in line to see the new movie. If the critics are correct, it should be a fun evening for us.
 
However, I am thankful that the truth of our Christian faith is filled with a real tangible hope. Master Jesus outranks Master Yoda everyday of the week. I hear Him saying “A Christian’s power flows from the Spirit.” This Christmas we remember that God has come near to us in Jesus Christ. That same Jesus sends the personal and indescribably Holy Spirit, full of Light to be our Comforter and Friend! Merry Christmas!
 
                                                                                                                                       -Pastor Ryan

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