In an era when we desperately need more adults in the room
(a phrase I hate) we seem to find ourselves with the adult population mainly
MIA.
You can buy footie pajamas sized for adults so you can
snuggle on your beanbag chair and watch Tom
& Jerry re-runs. Adult coloring books are all the rage which seems
weird to me because I have no interest in coloring pictures of trees and
elephants. The huge hit computer game Minecraft
seems to attract as many adults as it does kids, an electronic version of
building with Lego blocks. Then there is the granddaddy of them all, the
opening of the Star Wars sequel that picks up the story that was put on pause
for decades with Return of the Jedi and hopefully will erase the memories of
the prequels.
Of course for many adults of my age and older the sight of
Han Solo with his sidekick Chewie takes us back to a simpler era when we were
kids. If you are under 30 you can't really imagine what it was like to sit in a
dark theater and then seeing the Star Destroyer slowly roar onto the screen
like it was coming in over your head. Nothing else was quite like it and it set
a standard for sci fi movies for decades to come. I was six when Star Wars came
out and it still holds a precious place in my upbringing. With the return of
the original cast this promises to be a journey back in time for many adults. I
understand the desire to go back because I often feel the same way. It is about
more than just a movie, I think it strikes a nerve with a large percentage of
the population.
At no time in our nation's history have we as a people yearned
so deeply to go back. In prior generations "progress" meant a bright
future. Today most of our "progress" makes us more tired, more busy
and less happy. Many people mechanically buy the newest iPhone or other gadget
knowing full well that the euphoria is going to be short lived. The future
looks a lot like a place we don't want to live and our general fear of the
future has contributed to the popularity of dystopian movies like The Hunger
Games where a future America
sacrifices children in a game where they are forced to kill each other.
Boy the future doesn't sound so bright
that we have to wear shades anymore.
Just take us back to a place where things were simpler, a
time without wall to wall coverage of news 24/7, a time without constant
clamoring for our attention from multiple sources. Depending on who wins next
November we might be closer to a shooting war with the Russkies than at any
time in the Cold War. Some Americans see what they believe is open season on
people who look like them. Many others are in a state of constant fear from
terrorists or criminals or the food they eat or, increasingly, from their own
government. We are divided along political and class and race and religion like
never before. Little wonder we want to slip on some footie PJs and hide in a
dark theater where we can go to a galaxy that is far, far away.
Theaters can be an escape but sooner or later you have to
come out of darkness and into the light
of day, into a world that is uncertain, unpleasant and unsettling. It is in
this world that the church has been sent. These are the people that are frightened and
backed into a corner. They have lost all faith in the social institutions that
used to be comforting. We have something better to offer them and it isn't a
place to sit on Sunday mornings to sing a couple of songs and listen to a
sermon. It is life eternal in Jesus Christ. It is confidence that death holds
no fear over us.
Go ahead and see The Force Awakens. I am going next week at
some point. Just remember that while the world around us seems scary and we
often wish we could go back, the future in Christ Jesus is infinitely better.
Let that be our focus and our message.
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