Please note, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is rated TV-PG and Star Wars: Rebels is rated TV-Y7. Some may wonder how Anakin's former Padawan Ahsoka became so powerful in the Force. The answer lies in a journey she, Anakin, and Obi-Wan had during the Clone Wars to a planet called Mortis. They found there 3 incredibly powerful force welders known as the Father, the Son, and the Daughter. As a quick note, we should not see this at all as the same sort of Trinity that God is revealed to us on earth. The Son, in this case, was seduced by the Dark Side, the Daughter held allegiance to the Light Side, and their father tried to maintain the balance between the two. The Father summons Anakin, in his role as Chosen One, to try to maintain the balance. Yet the Son has other plans. He corrupts Ahsoka with a vampiric-like bite and uses her to sow conflict so he can try to kill his father. The Daughter intervenes, though, saving her father at the cost of her own life. Yet that's not all she does. With her last breaths, she has Anakin transfer her life-force into Ahsoka, riding her brother's influence and saving Ahsoka's life in the process. Now the Daughter's power resides in Ahsoka, explaining how she became such a powerful force user. This is essentially what Jesus does for us. Though we fall to the influence of sin, Jesus died for us not only to save our life, but also to pave the way for the Holy Spirit, God's very presence, to live inside all of us who call upon the Lord. We receive this Spirit by being baptized into Jesus' death and being raised up from the waters in the Resurrection. The Daughter had a pet owl named Morai, who pops up from time to time in key parts of Ahsoka's story. It is a reminder of the Daughter's life-giving presence still inside her. We have signs of God's presence with us too, from time to time. This presence can take the form of many things. We have to be open so that we can recognize these signs and also feel God's presence with us when we need to feel it.
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Please note, The Mandalorian is rated TV-14. Previously on this site, we've discussed the Madalorian phrase: "This is the way", and how it relates to Christianity. Back in the day, our Faith was known as The Way. Maybe The Mandalorian can help us bring that name back! Often times in The Mandalorian when this statement is made, particularly when the Armorer says it to Din Djarin, it means someone is going to have to go through a difficult situation. That is not dissimilar to our lives as Christians. Throughout Scripture, we hear how the path we walk as followers of Jesus is never easy. Jesus Himself tells his Disciples this as He sends them out into the world in Luke. Doing the right thing can often lead to troubles for us. Following a different path from others, from the rest of the world even, can be difficult too. Like Din, we sometimes need a reminder that the path we trod isn't meant to be easy. Like Din, we need the reminder that this road is the one we have chosen, for all its hardship. At the same time, we need the reminder that this path is worth it. For us as Christians, we do have that assurance. We have the knowledge of the love that God has shown us and the gift of Life and Grace that come from following only one way: The Way our Lord Jesus Christ has paved before us. Please note, The Book of Boba Fett is rated TV-14. We are often used to making parallels with the Jedi and our Faith as Christians. They listen and try to follow the will of the Force, as we try to listen and follow the Holy Spirit in our lives. They are a monastic order, just as Christianity has had monastic orders from our early days. The parallels are not perfect, but they do exist and can be helpful. However, the Jedi may be less like us as Christians than we think. For example, in The Book of Boba Fett, the Mandalorian Armorer states that: In order to master the ways of the Force, Jedi must forgo all attachment. Forgoing attachments has more to do with Buddhism, or even Gnosticism, than with Christianity. Buddhists try to move beyond their attachments in order to get beyond the cycle of reincarnation and become enlightened. This is one attempt to deal with the problem of sin in the world. As Christians we also examine the problem of sin, which is solved not by our action but through our Lord Jesus Christ. One could argue that Christianity and Buddhism are opposite sides of the same coin in trying to deal with sin in the world. Din Djarin replies to the Armorer with what should be an interesting response for us as Christians: That is the opposite of our creed. Loyalty and solidarity are the way. The same is true for us as Christians. We do not come closer to God by forgoing attachments, but by emulating God’s love for us. Our emotions and connection to others plays a huge role in our salvation. In a sense, the Mandalorian Way is really what we should gravitate to in Star Wars as Christians. As with the Jedi, this comparison is not perfect. We don’t see the same pull to follow the Spirit with the Mandalorians as we do with the Jedi, although perhaps as we learn more about the history of the Darksaber, we may hopefully see an understanding of the Spirit in the Mandalorian culture. We also can’t forget about Death Watch, a terrorist group of Mandalorians who eventually followed the evil Dark Side User Maul. Even more problematic is that the Children of the Watch, Din’s tribe, are heirs to Death Watch. However, we also can’t forget that we as Christians have had our own struggles with violence and power, starting with the Romans and extending to some Christian groups still in existence today. I think, though, that there’s great potential to see the connection between Mandalorians and us as Christians as The Mandalorian continues, especially now that Grogu and Din are back together. Grogu can help lead Din with the ways of the Force. Din will be going on a quest for forgiveness and, one hopes, to unite the different factions of his people together. Hopefully we will be able to learn more about ourselves and our relationship with God as their story continues. Please note, The Book of Boba Fett is rated TV-14. There’s a scene in The Book of Boba Fett when Luke makes Grogu choose between the beskar chain mail Din Djarin has made for him or Yoda’s lightsaber. When I saw this scene, I was concerned there would be an outrage over Luke giving Grogu this choice.
Those of us who have taken religious vows will understand this scene very well. That is true whether those vows are for ordination, monastic orders, or even other lay ministries such as those who give their life to prayer in the Daughters of the King (D.O.K.). Making a religious vow means taking something on and often means obedience to certain rules and/or leaders. Taking these vows should never be done lightly. Nor should breaking those vows, as we saw with Din showing his face. There are consequences for breaking those vows, as we saw with Din when he reunites with the other Children of the Watch. However, there may be times where we need to re-examine our vows. For monastics, this may mean leaving the order, if only for a period of time. For the ordained, this may mean taking a break or leaving ordained ministry all together. For all re-examining their vows, doing so should be done with an ear to what God is calling us to now. It may be the Lord has a different path in mind for us, just as Jesus calls the first Disciples from being fishermen to becoming “fishers of men.” We should only step away from our vows to pursue another calling God has for us. We should also be willing to accept the consequences of our actions. Both Din and Grogu do so, and it will be exciting to see what will be the next step in their journey. My hope is that we will be able to learn ways to find the next steps God has in store for us in some way, shape, or form from their examples. Please note, The Mandalorian is rated TV-14. Throughout The Mandalorian series, we have come to understand that Din Djarin's coven of Mandalorians, the Children of the Watch, hold firm to a creed that they shall never show their faces to anyone. Din, in the first season, went so far as to almost refuse medical aid when he tries to prevent his mask from being taken off (fortunately there was a work-around as IG-11 is a droid and therefore, according to the droid, "not living"). However, in the second season, Din in his quest to return Grogu, the Child, to his kind, finds himself in the position of having to save Grogu from the Imperials. He enlists the help of Mig Mayfield, who worked with him before, to break into the Imperial base and find the location of Grogu. Unfortunately Migs runs into his old superior officer and is worried that the previous plan to use him to access the data they need will get their covers blown. Din now has to do the unthinkable and remove his helmet in order to access the machine with the information. This is a real sacrifice. Din's actions go against everything he has been taught to believe. It is on par with giving his life for Grogu's. Giving one's life for another, of course, is what Jesus did for us. It is the ultimate mark of Jesus' love for us. We also hear in Scripture that: "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold the new has come." In other words, what we were before has died and a new life, a life in Jesus Christ, has come forth. We see this passage to a new life in Din throughout his journey in The Mandalorian. It all stems from his love for the Child. He shows this again by revealing his face to Grogu before saying goodbye. Din has become a new person thanks to his love. Our call is to do the same in our love for Christ Jesus who first showed His love for us. Please note, Star Wars Rebels is rated TV-Y7 and The Book of Boba Fett is rated TV-14. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The Word of God is a wonderful and beautiful thing. There is also some danger to it because it means relinquishing control. It also means change in the transformative and restorative work of Jesus Christ's Resurrection. In the Star Wars universe there is an item we can use to understand the Word of God as a "two-edged sword" better. That item is the Darksaber, the lightsaber once forged by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian inducted into the Jedi Order. The Darksaber pops up at various points in time within Star Wars history. When used by non-force adepts, a great deal of training is needed to wield it. During the Imperial Era, Rebel and Mandalorian Sabine finds herself needing training with the Darksaber. Fellow teammate and Jedi Kanan helps her with this task. Sabine finds the blade much heavier than she could have expected. Kanan tells her: You're not fighting with a simple blade as much as you are directing a current of power. The Word of God is similar. It is not simply a tool we wield. It contains the power of God within it. We cannot direct it on our own. Instead we have to let the Word of God guide us. To proper wield the Darksaber, you have to let it guide you too. Din Djarin struggles in fighting against the power of the Darksaber during his own training with it in the New Republic Era. He does so to the point that he ends up getting cut in the leg while trying to use it, similar to a double-edged sword. To properly use the Word of God, we have to open to it guiding us. Otherwise we can't take advantage of the wonderful gifts it has to offer us. Unlike the Darksaber, the Word of God doesn't let us rule Mandalore. Instead, it grants us something greater than we can possibly imagine: the gift of God's love and experience, and life eternal with our Lord when this life is done. Please note, Star Wars: A New Hope is rated PG. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, God tells Paul that Power is made perfect in weakness. Nowhere is that more true within Star Wars then in Obi-Wan's sacrifice in A New Hope. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker were sent on a quest by Leia Organa to help save the Rebellion from the threat of the Death Star. After rescuing Leia, Luke and the others are ready to get out. Before this, Obi-Wan runs into his former padawan, Darth Vader, and the two begin dueling. Darth Vader brags about how much more powerful the Dark Side of the Force has made him. Obi-Wan quips that he is "only a master of evil." During their duel, Obi-Wan tells Darth Vader: If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine. As the duel progresses, Obi-Wan sees that Luke and his friends are safe. At that point, he lifts his lightsaber, letting Darth Vader strike the finishing blow and allowing Luke and the others to escape the Death Star. Discerning eyes will notice that Obi-Wan vanishes before Darth Vader lands the blow. From this point on, Obi-Wan becomes one with the Force, appearing to Luke and helping him with knowledge and advice throughout the rest of the original Star Wars Trilogy. From Darth Vader's eyes, it looked like Obi-Wan was weak and easily defeated. In truth, Obi-Wan did become more powerful, providing a valuable resource that led to the eventual destruction of the Galactic Empire. Obi-Wan's sacrifice also allowed Luke and his friends to live. That is the same sort of sacrifice that Jesus made for us. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:10: Whenever I am weak, then I am strong. We are called look to real power, like God's, and not what seems like power, such as the Dark Side. God's power may seem like weakness at first, but it is the ability to bring about lasting and real change for the better in ourselves and in the world. Please note, The Mandalorian is rated TV-14. At the end of the first season of The Mandalorian, IG-11 has used its newfound programing to rescue the Child from the Empire, save Din the Mandalorian and his friends, and help Din find the Armorer who leads Din to the next path on his way.
Unfortunately, Din and his friends come to a point where a platoon of Stormtroopers is waiting for them with no escape in sight. IG-11, however, has come with a solution for their way out. It involves IG's self-sacrifice. "Victory through combat is impossible. We will be captured. The Child will be lost. Sadly there is no scenario where the Child is saved in which I survive." IG-11 states. "Please tell me the Child will be safe in your care. If you do so, I can default to my secondary command." This command is that IG-11 cannot allow itself to be captured. "But you'll be destroyed." Din answers. "And you will live. And I will have served my purpose." IG-11 proclaims. Because IG is a nurse droid, it can tell Din is sad from his vitals. IG tries to comfort Din by saying "There's nothing to be sad about. I've never been alive." IG-11 then wades through hot lava to make it to the platoon. There IG blows itself up, paving the way for Din, the Child, and their friends to escape. IG-11 makes a self-sacrifice in place of another, namely the Child. Jesus makes a self-sacrifice for us. The major difference is that Jesus' sacrifice isn't through violence done to others but allowing violence to be done to Himself. We would be well to remember that. The other difference is one that should give us hope. IG-11 is not perfect, unlike Jesus. IG has to change. Through that change, IG is able to make a sacrifice for another, similar to the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Our hope is that even if we need our base code fundamentally changed that we can follow Jesus' example and make our lives not about ourselves, but instead live our lives for others. Please note, The Mandalorian is rated TV-14. When we first meet IG-11, he is an assassin droid who does not hesitate to try to kill the Child on their first encounter. This ends badly for the droid as the Mandalorian takes him out in order to protect the Child.
At the end of Season 1, Kuiil reveals that he took IG-11 under his wing and reprogramed him to be a nursing droid. Now instead of trying to kill the Child, IG-11 will protect the Child at all costs. This is the same sort of transformation that we hope to see in ourselves through Christ Jesus. The hope is that we cast off the sin we all lived in before and make a completely new life: one that is about loving, serving, and protecting others. The best part of IG-11's transformation is that it causes a transformation in others too. The Mandalorian, who distrusts droids after almost being killed by one as a child in the Clone Wars, comes to slowly trust IG-11. Our hope as Christians is that our transformation will lead to change in others, just as is the case for IG-11. Please note, The Mandalorian is rated TV-14. The often repeated refrain of the Mandalorians in The Mandalorian is "this is the way." This has been used not only to acknowledge following the Mandalorian creed, but it has also been a way to accept the hard times, such as when the Mandalorian coven has to move or when the Mandalorian Din has to accept the task of returning the Child to "enemy sorcerers".
What I love most about this phrase is how it connects to our heritage as Christians. We did not originally go by the name "Christians". In fact, the term was used as a slur for those who followed our faith. Our faith was originally known as "The Way", as we see throughout The Acts of the Apostles. Following God's path, for us, is "the Way". When we walk that journey God has put before us, in both the good times and the bad, we too should hold our head up high and say "this is the Way." Hearing the Mandalorians say "this is the way" always puts a smile on my face and reminds me of my own faith. I hope it that it will do the same for you, no matter where the way may lead you. I hope it will also be a reminder to you that we never walk this way alone. |
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The Rev. Trey KennedyHere is my take on how Superheroes and other characters can help us know God better. Categories
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