PENTECOST SUNDAY (CONFIRMATION)                     GLORIA DEI, ANCHORAGE

MAY 15, 2005                                                                      PASTOR SCOTT FULLER

May the Force Be with You

Prepare our hearts, Lord, to receive your Word.  Silence in us any voice but your own that in hearing we may believe and in believing we may obey your will revealed to us in Jesus Christ.  Amen.

DFIC, GTYAPFGOFATLJX. Amen

What a great looking group of Confirmation students that have gathered here this morning, all of them ready to say Yes! to God’s gift of faith for them.  And the amazing thing is that their looks aren’t even their best feature!  In addition to their Hollywood handsomeness and Broadway beauty, each of these students is also very talented.  What a great combination! 

Eric, you look like God put you together to play football, so I’m glad to hear

that you really enjoy it, along with speaking and reading in public.

Travis, I know that you’ve found some great success playing hockey and

using your creative skills to write poetry and songs. 

Ryan, you’ve been a real blessing around the church: reading, acting,

ushering, helping out in a hundred different ways.

Kelsi, you mentioned that you love to play soccer, do well in school, and I

know that you’re very good with drama, too.

And Kaelin, I hear that you’re talented with both skis and guns, and

everyone who attended the Dinner Theater knows how you stepped in

at the last minute to help make that a success.

What a talented group you are!  Sports, academics, church activities and leadership…is there anything you can’t do well?  Well, yes, the truth is that there are some things that you’re not so good at, but that’s O.K. because the same is true for all the rest of us.  In fact, we’re actually kind of funny creatures that way…no matter how much success we enjoy, we also tend to beat up on ourselves for all our failings, our failures, our faults and our fears.

So you’re not alone in wishing that you could change some things about who you are, how you look, what you’re able to do or not.  The problem is that some people can’t handle that truth.  That’s why life is filled with examples of people who will do anything to get ahead.  Almost daily we hear reports of athletes who use steroids to be stronger or better.  In very similar ways we hear of politicians who accept money or favors to increase their influence. 

Now, a few of the guilty seem to be honestly motivated to do good or to stop some evil.  Yet they soon discover that they’ve made a pact with the devil to fight the work of the devil – and that never works.  As the saying goes, you can’t fight fire with fire. 

Are any of you Star Wars fans?  People throughout the world are excited about the final episode that will explain how Anakin Skywalker, a true hero, is changed into that doomed visage, Darth Vader.  It’s no secret that his tragic transformation is the result of this very struggle, the temptation to use “the dark side of the force” in an effort to guarantee that good will prevail.

The same sort of tragic temptation can be found in J.R.R. Tolkien’s sweeping saga called The Lord of the Rings.  One day, the peaceful little hobbit, Frodo, is visited by the good Wizard, Gandalf, and given a very difficult job.  He is asked to carry a ring on a dangerous journey… into the heart of the enemy’s territory where he is supposed to destroy that beautiful band of gold.  The problem is that the ring is magical, created to give whoever wears it an undefeatable sense of might.  Even this Hobbit, the most innocent of creatures in all of Middle Earth, finds himself tempted by the pull of its power.  Think of the good that could be done with it, says a human king trying to talk Frodo into giving him the ring.

What would you do with such power?  Would you use it to improve life…or impress your family and friends; do good for those in need…or do well in games or on tests; make a difference in the lives of people…or make a lot of money; cover the world with kindness…or cover up your mistakes? 

The choice is always there, and never easy, especially when the rest of the world seems to be saying, What’s the big deal?…Everyone else is doing it!

In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus breathes on his followers and blesses them with the power of God’s Holy Spirit.  Now, remember, they are hiding behind locked doors for a very good reason.  They’re certain that what happened to Jesus will happen to them; that they, too, will be taken, taunted and tortured, captured, cursed and crucified.   They are mourning the death of their friend; fearful of what might happen to them; and angry at the injustice of an innocent who was killed like the cruelest criminal.

Then suddenly Jesus appears in the midst of their anger, frustration, and fear, and says If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained (John 20:23).  WOW!  What would you do with that power, if you could hold in your hand the very light and dark side of the force?  Whose sins you would forgive; whose would you retain? 

What would you do to the people who have caused you pain, made you learn, held you accountable, made you sit through Confirmation lessons and do sermon notes?  As a disciple, I think I would have been tempted to curse those who had killed my friend…But, that would have been using God’s Spirit as a weapon, seizing the dark side of the force, doing the opposite of Jesus when he prayed for his tormenters, Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.

In just a few minutes, you Confirmands will kneel here at the altar rail and be surrounded by your families, some of those in this world who know and love you the most.  We will reach out and lay our hands on you, be close enough, like Jesus with his disciples, to breathe on you.  And in that moment of touch, we will join as one in prayer and invite the Holy Spirit to: to fill you with God’s presence and this amazing ability to forgive or retain sins. 

It is the very same power that Jesus gave to the disciples, that has been passed on from generation to generation, that is now being given to you.  So, it is also our prayer that you will use this power wisely, that you will look to God’s Spirit as the main guiding Light in your lives, that you will trust the Lord to help you make good choices in life, and that you will see in Jesus your best Friend and Guide.

The Minnesota humorist, Garrison Keillor, told the story of what happened at the movie theater in Lake Wobegone when the first Star Wars movie was finally played in his hometown.  I think it’s right before the big battle scene when the General offers that famous blessing, May the force be with you.  Said Keillor, all the Lutherans in the audience automatically responded, And also with you.  Well, this is my fervent wish and prayer: May the force of God’s grace be with you and strong in you every day of your lives.  Amen.