This week I made six Star Wars movies. Well, they weren’t actual movies, more like short video clips riffing on the theme of Hyper-Grace. Here’s the first one:
Why did I make these clips this week? Because today is Star Wars Day, of course, and “May the Fourth be with you.” Geddit?
I am reminded of Star Wars when I think of the reaction some have to the hyper-grace message. On the one side you have this controlling institution called Religion (a.k.a. the Galactic Empire) that oppresses people and on the other you have a group of freedom lovers operating in the mysterious power of grace (the force).
In one of the original Star Wars opening crawls, there is a line I like: “There are heroes on both sides.” I copied this line for Episode 3 because there are good people on both sides. We are not fighting against flesh and blood but against religious principalities that have captured the hearts and minds of people that Jesus died for.
I made six clips altogether and my favorite is Episode 4. This is the one where I identify 20 hyper-grace preachers. Some of these guys are famous; others may be people you haven’t heard of. I only listed 20 preachers because I didn’t want this to turn into some Lord of the Rings saga that drags on for nine hours.
When I posted Episode 4 on Facebook, people wrote in with dozens and dozens of preachers that I had missed. I thought this was quite exciting. A few years ago you would’ve had a hard time identifying five or ten grace preachers but now there are hundreds putting their hands up and secretly wishing they’d made it into this clip.
If you like these clips and want to show them at your church or discussion group, you should probably download them before YouTube realizes I used John William’s music without giving him a share of the profits. (There are no profits! Mr. Williams, you could have them all if there were.) Seriously, it’s only a matter of time before YouTube ruins these clips by muting the audio track, so if you want them, download them today. Here are three ways you can do that.
Speaking of unauthorized music, there is a young man here in New Zealand called Stan Walker who can sing like you wouldn’t believe. I pinched part of his Amazing Grace for the final episode. I recommend you check him out.
Star Wars endures because it portrays the timeless themes of good versus evil, the need for friends, the universal desire to be free, and the search for fathers. Jedi Knights drawing upon the mysterious power of the force are not unlike believers drawing on the mysterious power of grace:
Luke Skywalker: May the force be with you.”
Apostle Paul: “Grace and peace be with you.”
Hmm. Maybe I should write a book called the The Star Wars Gospel. That could be fun. I’d definitely pack it full of pop-culture references and groanworthy puns. I like puns and I put a few in these clips. (Did you spot them?) Mix Star Wars with Hyper Grace and you’ll come up with plays-on-words, like these suggested by Facebook friends:
Chris Esparza: “The Grace is strong with this one.”
Makala Doulos channeling Yoda: “A perimeter around the truth, create!”
Richard Williamson referring to dead religion: “May the farce no longer be with us!”
What Star Wars puns can you come up with? In honor of the occasion, why not send us your best ones below:
