Thursday was May 4^th. Did you feel it? The electricity in the air? The anticipation? The sense of hope? Victory was in the air! Wasn’t it great? Didn’t it make you skin tingle? You have no idea what I am talking about, do you?

          May 4^th is the unofficial ‘Star Wars’ day. One of the common lines in all the movies, used as a greeting or a farewell, is “May the Force be with you.” Which is why May 4^th has been co-opted as Star Wars day. “May the 4^th be with you.” A little play on words. Kind of clever, really, when you think about it. 

          Star Wars brought in a whole new kind of movie experience. Many preachers jumped on the bandwagon and preached about the “Force” being the Spirit of God. For proof, they pointed out that some of the characters had Biblical names. Luke and Leah surely pointed to the fact that the producers were creating a link to the Word of God. Even the long passionate kiss the two shared was indicative of true, Godly love. Of course, the second movie shot that down when it was discovered by Luke and Leah that they were actually brother and sister, separated as babies. That just made it creepy and it kind of ended the idea that it was a Christian movie in disguise. But the movies, as intended by the makers, were triumphs so story telling.

          Back in 1977 Marsha was going to go with her friend Peggy and her husband Lee to a movie. Some new science fiction movie. Did I want to go? I just rolled my eyes. Marsha was my wife, but sometimes she could be a little silly. Why would I want to go to some foolish science fiction movie? I had no interest. Go with Lee and Peggy. Have fun. Remember, popcorn gives you a headache. I had other things to do.

          They had gone to a matinee. Marsha got home and was totally beside herself. She wanted me to go back with her that night. “LARRY, YOU HAVE TO GO!!!” When you are a husband and you are faced with that, you really do have to go. “WE HAVE TO GET THERE EARLY BECAUSE THE MOVIE WILL BE SOLD OUT!!!!” Oh, great, it was just getting better and better. We went early.

          She was right about needing to be there early. We got there early and still almost didn’t get a seat. As we squeezed into the theater I thought to myself, ‘What a bunch of weirdos.’ Some were even wearing some kind of costumes. This was too much. “The Deep” was also playing. Surely that would be a better movie.

          And then the movie started. I was like everyone else, totally sucked in. It was huge, it was action packed, it told a great story. It was an amazing movie. Before the movie ended its run at that theater, Marsha saw it fourteen times (because she went once with Lee and Peggy) and I saw it thirteen times. At Christmas, my sister bought us both Star Wars sweat shirts and we were like kids, eventually wearing them out. We were totally sold on the movie. When the next one came out we went on opening night. It was all incredible.

          At the time, when I was asked what made the movies so great, I said that it was a great story and the acting was excellent. Looking back on it now, I have to admit that the acting was just so-so and the story was pretty much a typical Hollywood production. Any old John Wayne movie would have the good winning out over evil. Basically, the same message as in generations past. The real draw to the Star Wars movies were the special effects. We had never seen anything like it before. During the first trilogy of movies, the theaters were packed, showing after showing. By the time of the second trilogy, when all movies seemed to have incredible special effects, the movies sold out opening weekend and then tailed off. The ones coming out now are much the same way. We old timers, who were there at the beginning, go now more out of sentimentality. We want to see what happens to the characters. That’s all, really.

          This is human nature. We continue to do things because it is familiar and comfortable. We want to go along the common thread. Excitement is fine, but when it comes to most things, we want the comfortable chair.

          Unfortunately, we have become that way with our faith. We want to do things the way we have always done them, then we are upset because the church doesn’t grow. Just as Star Wars took the movie industry and gave it a good shake, so ought we to take the way we deliver the message of Christ and shake it up a little. One pastor I know very well said the message never changes, but the way we give the message must change. We certainly don’t do church the way it was done in the New Testament. It would never work that way now. But, we expect 1950s type church to be perfectly fine. We live in an ever-changing society. While we shouldn’t allow our faith be corrupted by our society, we still have to be realistic and understand that society will not come into our Mayberry themed churches. First, we have to take the message of salvation to the people and then we have to make church interesting so they will come back after they have visited. And we need to always be open to changes in the way we bring the message. Never changing the actual message, but changing the way we deliver it. Star Wars was unbelievable 40 years ago. Now it is kind of ho-hum.

          The one thing pastors hate to hear is “we have never done it that way.” Maybe we need to start doing it a different way, a way that will wake more people up to their need for Jesus.