John1:1-14

1 

In the beginning was the Word
    and the Word was with God
    and the Word was God.
2 

The Word was with God in the beginning.

3 

Everything came into being through the Word,
    and without the Word
    nothing came into being.
What came into being

4 

    through the Word was life,
    and the life was the light for all people.

5 

The light shines in the darkness,
    and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.

6 A man named John was sent from God. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him everyone would believe in the light. 8 He himself wasn’t the light, but his mission was to testify concerning the light.

9 

The true light that shines on all people
    was coming into the world.

10 

The light was in the world,
    and the world came into being through the light,
        but the world didn’t recognize the light.

11 

The light came to his own people,
    and his own people didn’t welcome him.

12 

But those who did welcome him,
        those who believed in his name,
    he authorized to become God’s children,

13 

        born not from blood
        nor from human desire or passion,
        but born from God.

14 

The Word became flesh
    and made his home among us.
We have seen his glory,
    glory like that of a father’s only son,
        full of grace and truth.

Like My Father Before Me

Hello there!  Today is May the Fourth, but to many, this day is better known as Star Wars Day.  Brian and I are huge fans, so today’s sermon was always going to be about Star Wars.  Better buckle up, and strap in your seats, because this is where the fun begins.  

Now before I go any further, I need to acknowledge that right now a bunch of you are probably thinking “I have a bad feeling about this.”  Some of you might find Star Wars to be a bit like sand–coarse and rough and irritating, and seeming to be everywhere.  Those of you who know us well probably aren’t surprised that this is happening.  Those of you just visiting today are probably wondering just what you’ve gotten yourself into.  But there is a point to all this, so trust me, this is the way.  

As a kid, I loved Star Wars for its action, for the epic battles and the explosions and the swashbuckling lightsaber fights.  As an adult, I have come to see the parallels between the Star Wars story, and the truths I claim as a United Methodist Christian.  Star Wars is the story of the struggle between Evil and Good, the Dark Side and the Light.  And in Star Wars, that struggle occurs not just in epic battles, but also in conflict within human hearts.  Sound familiar?  Like Star Wars, the Bible is a story that balances the mythic and the familiar, the epic and the human.  Which means that perhaps, maybe just maybe, a story that starts with “A long time ago in a galaxy far far away,” can help us better grasp a story that starts with “In the beginning” and invites us to join in the epic battle between Darkness and Light.  

“In the beginning was the Word.  And the Word was with God and the Word was God.…The Word was life, and the life was the light for all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.”  With these words, the Gospel of John begins, picking up the story of the Book of Genesis.  In Genesis, the story of creation is the backdrop for our rejection of the God who called us good.  For John, the story of creation is also the start of our redemption.  “The Word became flesh, and made his home among us” John says.  John speaks here of Jesus. To John, Jesus is the Word of God, the logos of God, the mind of God.  To John, Jesus is God, God made flesh, fully divine and fully human.  And now, through Jesus, God has come to earth.  Here, among humanity, God’s light will shine, and no matter what, the world’s darkness will not overcome it.  

This is how John’s Gospel begins.  And in beginning this way, John invites us to see not just the words of this Gospel, but all of scripture, as part of one continuous story of the epic battle between Good and Evil, and the duel of the fates between Darkness and Light.  Here, the characters of Star Wars are helpful companions, because together they remind us that, as this battle rages on, its outcomes are often murky.  The Jedi Master named Yoda says that “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.”  The person he speaks to, a young boy aspiring to be a Jedi himself, will soon learn just how true Yoda’s statements are.  In Star Wars, fear, specifically fear of loss, leads to the Dark Side.  Equally though, the decision of a young Jedi to turn evil and take the name Darth Vader will be driven both by fear of loss, and by the decision of his mentors to neglect him, in their efforts to avoid attachments.  When does care become possessiveness?  When does restraint become indifference?  What keeps love of neighbor from turning into hatred of enemy?  Star Wars asks these questions, and we should too, because in real life, light and dark often feel less like clear opposites, and more like two sides of the same coin.  Flip that coin enough times, and eventually, something will go wrong.  

In 2015, Kelly Gissendaner was executed by the state of Georgia for arranging the 1997 murder of her husband.  By that time, Kelly had become Christian, and had spent years caring spiritually for her fellow inmates.  She studied Dietrich Bonhoeffer and other prominent theologians, and in 2010, she graduated with a Certificate in Theological Studies from Candler School of Theology.  Five years later, when I started studying at Candler, many of my classmates and professors joined in a bipartisan, ecumenical effort to spare her life.  In the minutes before her sentence was carried out, she said tearfully “You let my kids know I went out singing Amazing Grace.”  

This is what God does for us.  As Dr. King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”  And so the God of light choses love, and does not destroy evildoers, but transforms them.  We are flawed.  But within our flaws, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”  In Jesus, God accepts our humanity, and through Jesus, God drives out the darkness in our hearts with an unbreakable embrace.  Jesus goes to the cross, and even as the cross reveals our corruption, so does it also remind us of our worth, and show us who we truly are.  A long time ago, God called us good, and on the cross, we see the evidence that even now, beneath our cruelty and our apathy, God still sees that goodness within us.  Our story does not end in annihilation, but in our freedom to toss darkness aside, and say to the Son who saves us, “You were right. You were right about me. You were right.”  

Today, on this Star Wars day, may you reject the dark side, and choose the light.  May you have the courage to care, and let perfect love cast out all fear.  And when you fall short, and stumble into the darkness, remember it is then that the light will come to you.  You were created good, and you are worth enough for God to face horror and death so that you might live.  In this murky, gray mess that we call human life, the first fruits of faith are not found in actions, but a deep conviction that God’s amazing grace will have the final word in your life, as it did for Kelly.  When the darkness closes in around you, and you feel you have lost your way, may you remember who you are.   May you stand tall as a child of God and say to the darkness: “You’ve failed.  Like my Father before me, I belong to the light.”  Amen.