BY NATHAN F., COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
I love Star Wars. Really, I probably love Star Wars too much. I grew up in a family that greatly enjoyed the original trilogy, so some of my earliest memories involve watching them, rewinding the VHS tapes, and watching them again. As I entered college and the workforce, I began collecting the books—further adventures of the iconic characters. I could tell you some ridiculously obscure trivia about each character, planet, film, spaceship, etc. ad infinitum if you had the grace and patience to listen. I’ve laughed and cried over the plights of Luke, Leia, Han, Lando, Chewbacca, and the droids.
On our first date, the woman I ended up marrying admitted to me that she had never once seen any of the Star Wars movies. It wasn’t anything against Star Wars, she explained as I tried to pick up my jaw from the floor; she had just never gotten around to it. We watched A New Hope, the original film that completely altered the course of science fiction cinema forever, on our fourth date.
The familiar words appeared: “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” and then John Williams’ orchestra blasted that familiar B-flat chord, followed by one of my favorite musical themes of all time accompanying the famous introductory scroll text.
A few lines in, and she quietly asked, “Wait—the Empire is bad?”
She had told the truth: She really had never seen some of my favorite stories. Some of the world’s favorite stories. Stories of ordinary people becoming heroes; stories of revenge and redemption; stories of the fight for peace and freedom against overwhelming odds. And I was so incredibly excited to have the honor of being the first person ever to show them to her!
(She’s a fan now, by the way.)
Now, as amazing as I may believe the Star Wars movies to be, there is a greater and far truer Story. One in which the human race was entirely powerless to restore their broken relationship with the God of all creation…
…And one in which a Hero, a Savior, a Son of Man—Jesus Christ—came to Earth, lived the perfect life we could not, died for our sins, and rose again in complete victory over death and hell.
Just as Luke remained true to his mission and his teaching despite the strong temptation of the dark side, our Hero resisted the whispering of the devil by quoting Scripture. And just as Luke took on impossible odds and won, our Hero beat death and sin through His sacrifice and resurrection.
The best part: This Story is 100% true.
And we—you and I and all Christians—have the immeasurable privilege of sharing the greatest Story ever told with people who have never heard it!
What an honor! What a joy! That Jesus includes us in His plan of redemption! That we have the means of communicating the Story that God wrote and spoke and displayed since before time!
This is what I get to do at Faith Comes By Hearing. Sharing this beautifully true Story in every language on Earth is this ministry’s business—its heartbeat.
And this, brothers and sisters, is what we have the privilege of accomplishing together. The Body of Christ, working in Spirit-led harmony, to share the Gospel in every language so that people who speak each of those languages may stand before the Author of Life on that glorious last day, praising Him for all eternity.
Star Wars has NOTHING on this.
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