{"id":5628,"date":"2016-01-03T15:16:52","date_gmt":"2016-01-03T20:16:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=5628"},"modified":"2016-01-07T15:20:45","modified_gmt":"2016-01-07T20:20:45","slug":"january-3-2016-the-force-with-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/january-3-2016-the-force-with-you\/","title":{"rendered":"January 3, 2016, The Force With You"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dave Dodson, Fort Walton Beach, FL<\/p>\n

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Warm-up Question<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is there anyone in your life whom you would consider a hero?\u00a0 What is it that makes them heroic?<\/p>\n

The Force With You
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As I sit writing this lesson, I know that tonight the new Star Wars movie will be released at midnight.\u00a0 Perhaps many of you will have seen this movie already by the time this lesson reaches you.\u00a0 I hope it was magnificent!\u00a0 I hope that it captured all of the heroic glory of the originals, drawing us ever into an epic tale of adventure among the stars.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_5997edit\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Commentators on the original Star Wars movies commonly note that the story is actually a very old one.\u00a0 In many, many ancient tales, a young hero from humble origins is whisked away on a journey to reach a destiny he could never have dreamed of before.\u00a0 He is mentored by an old, but powerful figure, who teaches him how to maximize his potential in order to defeat a potent enemy.\u00a0 Many of our films capitalize on this archetype \u2013 after all, doesn\u2019t this same storyline fit adventurous heroes like Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen?<\/p>\n

If it isn\u2019t the basic storyline that has made Star Wars unique and beloved for four decades, then what is it?\u00a0 Perhaps it is some of the mystique that comes with the Star Wars universe.\u00a0 For me, the coolest part of the Star Wars story has to be the Force.<\/p>\n

If you aren\u2019t a committed geek like me, you may not know that the Force, in the Star Wars films, is a powerful, pervasive entity that is present in all life.\u00a0 For those who know how to tap into it, it enables them to not only achieve great power, but also to be much more aware of their surroundings \u2013 and even able to feel and communicate instantly across wide distances of space.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t just magic, though.\u00a0 The Force can be used for good or evil.\u00a0 It is a mystical energy that even the Jedi, its strongest users, struggle to fully understand.\u00a0 The Jedi are heroes not only because of their power through the Force, but even more so because of their wisdom and their commitment to use the immense power of the Force with restraint and a commitment to peace.<\/p>\n

Discussion Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n